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00008... Book I
00009...
00010... On Lovely Creek
00011...
00012... Chapter I-I
00013...
00014...
00015...Claude Wheeler opened his eyes before the sun
00016...was up and vigorously shook his younger brother,
00017...who lay in the other half of the same bed.
00018...
00019...Ralph, Ralph, get awake! Come down and help me wash
00020...the car.
00021...
00022...What for?
00023...
00024...Why, arent we going to the circus today?
00025...
00026...Cars all right. Let me alone. The boy turned over and
00027...pulled the sheet up to his face, to shut out the light which was
00028...beginning to come through the curtainless windows.
00029...
00030...Claude rose and dressed, a simple operation which took
00031...very little time. He crept down two flights of stairs, feeling
00032...his way in the dusk, his red hair standing up in peaks, like a
00033...cocks comb. He went through the kitchen into the adjoining
00034...washroom, which held two porcelain stands with running
00035...water. Everybody had washed before going to bed, appar-
00036...ently, and the bowls were ringed with a dark sediment which
00037...the hard, alkaline water had not dissolved. Shutting the door
00038...on this disorder, he turned back to the kitchen, took Mahaileys
00039...tin basin, doused his face and head in cold water, and began
00040...to plaster down his wet hair.
00041...
00042...Old Mahailey herself came in from the yard, with her apron
00043...full of corn-cobs to start a fire in the kitchen stove. She
00044...smiled at him in the foolish fond way she often had with him
00045...when they were alone.
00046...
00047...What air you gittin up for a-ready, boy? You goin to
00048...
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00050...
00051...the circus before breakfast? Dont you make no noise, else
00052...youll have em all down here before I git my fire a-goin.
00053...
00054...All right, Mahailey. Claude caught up his cap and ran
00055...out of doors, down the hillside toward the barn. The sun
00056...popped up over the edge of the prairie like a broad, smiling
00057...face; the light poured across the close-cropped August
00058...pastures and the hilly, timbered windings of Lovely Creek,
00059...a clear little stream with a sand bottom, that curled and twisted
00060...playfully about through the south section of the big Wheeler
00061...ranch. It was a fine day to go to the circus at Frankfort,
00062...a fine day to do anything; the sort of day that must, some-
00063...how, turn out well.
00064...
00065...Claude backed the little Ford car out of its shed, ran it up
00066...to the horse-tank, and began to throw water on the mud-crusted
00067...wheels and windshield. While he was at work the two hired
00068...men, Dan and Jerry, came shambling down the hill to feed the
00069...stock. Jerry was grumbling and swearing about something,
00070...but Claude wrung out his wet rags and, beyond a nod, paid no
00071...attention to them. Somehow his father always managed to
00072...have the roughest and dirtiest hired men in the country work-
00073...ing for him. Claude had a grievance against Jerry just now,
00074...because of his treatment of one of the horses.
00075...
00076...Molly was a faithful old mare, the mother of many colts;
00077...Claude and his younger brother had learned to ride on her.
00078...This man Jerry, taking her out to work one morning, let her
00079...step on a board with a nail sticking up in it. He pulled the
00080...nail out of her foot, said nothing to anybody, and drove her to
00081...the cultivator all day. Now she had been standing in her
00082...stall for weeks, patiently suffering, her body wretchedly thin,
00083...and her leg swollen until it looked like an elephants. She
00084...would have to stand there, the veterinary said, until her hoof
00085...
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00087...
00088...came off and she grew a new one, and she would always be
00089...stiff. Jerry had not been discharged, and he exhibited the
00090...poor animal as if she were a credit to him.
00091...
00092...Mahailey came out on the hilltop and rang the breakfast
00093...bell. After the hired men went up to the house, Claude slipped
00094...into the barn to see that Molly had got her share of oats.
00095...She was eating quietly, her head hanging, and her scaly, dead-
00096...looking foot lifted just a little from the ground. When he
00097...stroked her neck and talked to her she stopped grinding and
00098...gazed at him mournfully. She knew him, and wrinkled her
00099...nose and drew her upper lip back from her worn teeth, to
00100...show that she liked being petted. She let him touch her foot
00101...and examine her leg.
00102...
00103...When Claude reached the kitchen, his mother was sitting at
00104...one end of the breakfast table, pouring weak coffee, his brother
00105...and Dan and Jerry were in their chairs, and Mahailey was
00106...baking griddle cakes at the stove. A moment later Mr.
00107...Wheeler came down the enclosed stairway and walked the
00108...length of the table to his own place. He was a very large
00109...man, taller and broader than any of his neighbours. He sel-
00110...dom wore a coat in summer, and his rumpled shirt bulged out
00111...carelessly over the belt of his trousers. His florid face was
00112...clean shaven, likely to be a trifle tobacco-stained about the
00113...mouth, and it was conspicuous both for good-nature and coarse
00114...humour, and for an imperturbable physical composure. No-
00115...body in the county had ever seen Nat Wheeler flustered about
00116...anything, and nobody had ever heard him speak with complete
00117...seriousness. He kept up his easy-going, jocular affability
00118...even with his own family.
00119...
00120...As soon as he was seated, Mr. Wheeler reached for the
00121...two-pint sugar bowl and began to pour sugar into his coffee.
00122...
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00124...
00125...Ralph asked him if he were going to the circus. Mr. Wheeler
00126...winked.
00127...
00128...I shouldnt wonder if I happened in town sometime before
00129...the elephants get away. He spoke very deliberately, with
00130...a State-of-Maine drawl, and his voice was smooth and agree-
00131...able. You boys better start in early, though. You can take
00132...the wagon and the mules, and load in the cowhides. The
00133...butcher has agreed to take them.
00134...
00135...Claude put down his knife. Cant we have the car? Ive
00136...washed it on purpose.
00137...
00138...And what about Dan and Jerry? They want to see the
00139...circus just as much as you do, and I want the hides should
00140...go in; theyre bringing a good price now. I dont mind about
00141...your washing the car; mud preserves the paint, they say, but
00142...itll be all right this time, Claude.
00143...
00144...The hired men haw-hawed and Ralph giggled. Claudes
00145...freckled face got very red. The pancake grew stiff and heavy
00146...in his mouth and was hard to swallow. His father knew he
00147...hated to drive the mules to town, and knew how he hated to
00148...go anywhere with Dan and Jerry. As for the hides, they
00149...were the skins of four steers that had perished in the blizzard
00150...last winter through the wanton carelessness of these same
00151...hired men, and the price they would bring would not half pay
00152...for the time his father had spent in stripping and curing them.
00153...They had lain in a shed loft all summer, and the wagon had
00154...been to town a dozen times. But today, when he wanted to go
00155...to Frankfort clean and care-free, he must take these stinking
00156...hides and two coarse-mouthed men, and drive a pair of mules
00157...that always brayed and balked and behaved ridiculously in a
00158...crowd. Probably his father had looked out of the window
00159...and seen him washing the car, and had put this up on him
00160...
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00162...
00163...while he dressed. It was like his fathers idea of a joke.
00164...
00165...Mrs. Wheeler looked at Claude sympathetically, feeling that
00166...he was disappointed. Perhaps she, too, suspected a joke.
00167...She had learned that humour might wear almost any guise.
00168...
00169...When Claude started for the barn after breakfast, she came
00170...running down the path, calling to him faintly, hurrying
00171...always made her short of breath. Overtaking him, she looked
00172...up with solicitude, shading her eyes with her delicately formed
00173...hand. If you want I should do up your linen coat, Claude,
00174...I can iron it while youre hitching, she said wistfully.
00175...
00176...Claude stood kicking at a bunch of mottled feathers that
00177...had once been a young chicken. His shoulders were drawn
00178...high, his mother saw, and his figure suggested energy and
00179...determined self-control.
00180...
00181...You neednt mind, mother. He spoke rapidly, muttering
00182...his words. Id better wear my old clothes if I have to take
00183...the hides. Theyre greasy, and in the sun theyll smell worse
00184...than fertilizer.
00185...
00186...The men can handle the hides, I should think. Wouldnt
00187...you feel better in town to be dressed? She was still blinking
00188...up at him.
00189...
00190...Dont bother about it. Put me out a clean coloured shirt,
00191...if you want to. Thats all right.
00192...
00193...He turned toward the barn, and his mother went slowly
00194...back the path up to the house. She was so plucky and so
00195...stooped, his dear mother! He guessed if she could stand
00196...having these men about, could cook and wash for them, he
00197...could drive them to town!
00198...
00199...Half an hour after the wagon left, Nat Wheeler put on an
00200...alpaca coat and went off in the rattling buckboard in which,
00201...though he kept two automobiles, he still drove about the
00202...
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00204...
00205...country. He said nothing to his wife; it was her business to
00206...guess whether or not he would be home for dinner. She and
00207...Mahailey could have a good time scrubbing and sweeping all
00208...day, with no men around to bother them.
00209...
00210...***
00211...
00212...There were few days in the year when Wheeler did not
00213...drive off somewhere; to an auction sale, or a political conven-
00214...tion, or a meeting of the Farmers Telephone directors; to see
00215...how his neighbours were getting on with their work, if there
00216...was nothing else to look after. He preferred his buckboard to
00217...a car because it was light, went easily over heavy or rough
00218...roads, and was so rickety that he never felt he must suggest
00219...his wifes accompanying him. Besides he could see the coun-
00220...try better when he didnt have to keep his mind on the road.
00221...He had come to this part of Nebraska when the Indians
00222...and the buffalo were still about, remembered the grasshopper
00223...year and the big cyclone, had watched the farms emerge one
00224...by one from the great rolling page where once only the wind
00225...wrote its story. He had encouraged new settlers to take up
00226...homesteads, urged on courtships, lent young fellows the
00227...money to marry on, seen families grow and prosper; until he
00228...felt a little as if all this were his own enterprise. The changes,
00229...not only those the years made, but those the seasons made,
00230...were interesting to him.
00231...
00232...People recognized Nat Wheeler and his cart a mile away.
00233...He sat massive and comfortable, weighing down one end of
00234...the slanting seat, his driving hand lying on his knee. Even
00235...his German neighbours, the Yoeders, who hated to stop work
00236...for a quarter of an hour on any account, were glad to see him
00237...coming. The merchants in the little towns about the county
00238...missed him if he didnt drop in once a week or so. He was ac-
00239...tive in politics; never ran for an office himself, but often took
00240...
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00242...
00243...up the cause of a friend and conducted his campaign for him.
00244...
00245...The French saying, Joy of the street, sorrow of the home,
00246...was exemplified in Mr. Wheeler, though not at all in the
00247...French way. His own affairs were of secondary importance
00248...to him. In the early days he had homesteaded and bought and
00249...leased enough land to make him rich. Now he had only to
00250...rent it out to good farmers who liked to work he didnt,
00251...and of that he made no secret. When he was at home, he
00252...usually sat upstairs in the living room, reading newspapers.
00253...He subscribed for a dozen or more the list included a weekly
00254...devoted to scandal and he was well informed about what was
00255...going on in the world. He had magnificent health, and illness
00256...in himself or in other people struck him as humorous. To
00257...be sure, he never suffered from anything more perplexing
00258...than toothache or boils, or an occasional bilious attack.
00259...
00260...Wheeler gave liberally to churches and charities, was always
00261...ready to lend money or machinery to a neighbour who was
00262...short of anything. He liked to tease and shock diffident people,
00263...and had an inexhaustible supply of funny stories. Every-
00264...body marveled that he got on so well with his oldest son,
00265...Bayliss Wheeler. Not that Bayliss was exactly diffident, but
00266...he was a narrow gauge fellow, the sort of prudent young
00267...man one wouldnt expect Nat Wheeler to like.
00268...
00269...Bayliss had a farm implement business in Frankfort, and
00270...though he was still under thirty he had made a very con-
00271...siderable financial success. Perhaps Wheeler was proud of
00272...his sons business acumen. At any rate, he drove to town to
00273...see Bayliss several times a week, went to sales and stock ex-
00274...hibits with him, and sat about his store for hours at a stretch,
00275...joking with the farmers who came in. Wheeler had been a
00276...heavy drinker in his day, and was still a heavy feeder. Bay-
00277...
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00279...
00280...liss was thin and dyspeptic, and a virulent Prohibitionist; he
00281...would have liked to regulate everybodys diet by his own feeble
00282...constitution. Even Mrs. Wheeler, who took the men God had
00283...apportioned her for granted, wondered how Bayliss and his fa-
00284...ther could go off to conventions together and have a good time,
00285...since their ideas of what made a good time were so different.
00286...
00287...Once every few years, Mr. Wheeler bought a new suit and a
00288...dozen stiff shirts and went back to Maine to visit his brothers
00289...and sisters, who were very quiet, conventional people. But he
00290...was always glad to get home to his old clothes, his big farm,
00291...his buckboard, and Bayliss.
00292...
00293...Mrs. Wheeler had come out from Vermont to be Principal
00294...of the High School, when Frankfort was a frontier town and
00295...Nat Wheeler was a prosperous bachelor. He must have
00296...fancied her for the same reason he liked his son Bayliss,
00297...because she was so different. There was this to be said for
00298...Nat Wheeler, that he liked every sort of human creature; he
00299...liked good people and honest people, and he liked rascals and
00300...hypocrites almost to the point of loving them. If he heard
00301...that a neighbour had played a sharp trick or done something
00302...particularly mean, he was sure to drive over to see the man
00303...at once, as if he hadnt hitherto appreciated him.
00304...
00305...There was a large, loafing dignity about Claudes father.
00306...He liked to provoke others to uncouth laughter, but he
00307...never laughed immoderately himself. In telling stories about
00308...him, people often tried to imitate his smooth, senatorial voice,
00309...robust but never loud. Even when he was hilariously de-
00310...lighted by anything, as when poor Mahailey, undressing in
00311...the dark on a summer night, sat down on the sticky fly-paper,
00312...he was not boisterous. He was a jolly, easy-going father,
00313...indeed, for a boy who was not thin-skinned.
00314...
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00316...
00317...
00318...
00319...
00320...
00321... Chapter I-II
00322...
00323...
00324...Claude and his mules rattled into Frankfort just
00325...as the calliope went screaming down Maine street at pick me^
00325...as the calliope went screaming down Main street at no, me!&
00325 __==========gggg=gggggggggggggggggggggggggooooogooop#009.. .. 1
00326...the head of the circus parade. Getting rid of his
00327...disagreeable freight and his uncongenial companions as soon
00328...as possible, he elbowed his way along the crowded sidewalk,
00329...looking for some of the neighbour boys. Mr. Wheeler was
00330...standing on the Farmers Bank corner, towering a head above
00331...the throng, chaffing with a little hunchback who was setting up
00332...a shell-game. To avoid his father, Claude turned and went in-
00333...to his brothers store. The two big show windows were full of
00334...country children, their mothers standing behind them to watch
00335...the parade. Bayliss was seated in the little glass cage where
00336...he did his writing and bookkeeping. He nodded at Claude
00337...from his desk.
00338...
00339...Hello, said Claude, bustling in as if he were in a great
00340...hurry. Have you seen Ernest Havel? I thought I might
00341...find him in here.
00342...
00343...Bayliss swung round in his swivel chair to return a plough
00344...catalogue to the shelf. What would he be in here for? Bet-
00345...ter look for him in the saloon. Nobody could put meaner
00346...insinuations into a slow, dry remark than Bayliss.
00347...
00348...Claudes cheeks flamed with anger. As he turned away, he
00349...noticed something unusual about his brothers face, but he
00350...wasnt going to give him the satisfaction of asking him how
00351...he had got a black eye. Ernest Havel was a Bohemian, and he
00352...usually drank a glass of beer when he came to town; but he
00353...
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00355...
00356...was sober and thoughtful beyond the wont of young men.
00357...From Bayliss drawl one might have supposed that the boy was
00358...a drunken loafer.
00359...
00360...At that very moment Claude saw his friend on the other
00361...side of the street, following the wagon of trained dogs that
00362...brought up the rear of the procession. He ran across, through
00363...a crowd of shouting youngsters, and caught Ernest by the arm.
00364...
00365...Hello, where are you off to?
00366...
00367...Im going to eat my lunch before show-time. I left my
00368...wagon out by the pumping station, on the creek. What about
00369...you?
00370...
00371...Ive got no program. Can I go along?
00372...
00373...Ernest smiled. I expect. Ive got enough lunch for two.
00374...
00375...Yes, I know. You always have. Ill join you later.
00376...
00377...Claude would have liked to take Ernest to the hotel for
00378...dinner. He had more than enough money in his pockets; and
00379...his father was a rich farmer. In the Wheeler family a new
00380...thrasher or a new automobile was ordered without a question,
00381...but it was considered extravagant to go to a hotel for dinner.
00382...If his father or Bayliss heard that he had been there and
00383...Bayliss heard everything they would say he was putting on
00384...airs, and would get back at him. He tried to excuse his cowar-
00385...dice to himself by saying that he was dirty and smelled
00386...of the hides; but in his heart he knew that he did not ask
00387...Ernest to go to the hotel with him because he had been so
00388...brought up that it would be difficult for him to do this simple
00389...thing. He made some purchases at the fruit stand and the
00390...cigar counter, and then hurried out along the dusty road
00391...toward the pumping station. Ernests wagon was standing
00392...under the shade of some willow trees, on a little sandy bottom
00393...half enclosed by a loop of the creek which curved like a horse-
00394...
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00396...
00397...shoe. Claude threw himself on the sand beside the stream and
00398...wiped the dust from his hot face. He felt he had now closed
00399...the door on his disagreeable morning.
00400...
00401...Ernest produced his lunch basket.
00402...
00403...I got a couple bottles of beer cooling in the creek, he
00404...said. I knew you wouldnt want to go in a saloon.
00405...
00406...Oh, forget it! Claude muttered, ripping the cover off a
00407...jar of pickles. He was nineteen years old, and he was afraid
00408...to go into a saloon, and his friend knew he was afraid.
00409...
00410...After lunch, Claude took out a handful of good cigars he
00411...had bought at the drugstore. Ernest, who couldnt afford
00412...cigars, was pleased. He lit one, and as he smoked he kept
00413...looking at it with an air of pride and turning it around between
00414...his fingers.
00415...
00416...The horses stood with their heads over the wagon-box,
00417...munching their oats. The stream trickled by under the willow
00418...roots with a cool, persuasive sound. Claude and Ernest lay
00419...in the shade, their coats under their heads, talking very little.
00420...Occasionally a motor dashed along the road toward town, and
00421...a cloud of dust and a smell of gasoline blew in over the creek
00422...bottom; but for the most part the silence of the warm, lazy
00423...summer noon was undisturbed. Claude could usually forget
00424...his own vexations and chagrins when he was with Ernest.
00425...The Bohemian boy was never uncertain, was not pulled in two
00426...or three ways at once. He was simple and direct. He had a
00427...number of impersonal preoccupations; was interested in
00428...politics and history and in new inventions. Claude felt that
00429...his friend lived in an atmosphere of mental liberty to which
00430...he himself could never hope to attain. After he had talked
00431...with Ernest for awhile, the things that did not go right on the
00432...farm seemed less important.
00433...
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00435...
00436...Claudes mother was almost as fond of Ernest as he was
00437...himself. When the two boys were going to high school,
00438...Ernest often came over in the evening to study with Claude,
00439...and while they worked at the long kitchen table Mrs. Wheeler
00440...brought her darning and sat near them, helping them with
00441...their Latin and algebra. Even old Mahailey was enlightened
00442...by their words of wisdom.
00443...
00444...Mrs. Wheeler said she would never forget the night Ernest
00445...arrived from the Old Country. His brother, Joe Havel, had
00446...gone to Frankfort to meet him, and was to stop on the way
00447...home and leave some groceries for the Wheelers. The train
00448...from the east was late; it was ten oclock that night when
00449...Mrs. Wheeler, waiting in the kitchen, heard Havels wagon
00450...rumble across the little bridge over Lovely Creek. She opened
00451...the outside door, and presently Joe came in with a bucket of
00452...salt fish in one hand and a sack of flour on his shoulder.
00453...While he took the fish down to the cellar for her, another
00454...figure appeared in the doorway; a young boy, short, stooped,
00455...with a flat cap on his head and a great oilcloth valise, such
00456...as pedlars carry, strapped to his back. He had fallen asleep
00457...in the wagon, and on waking and finding his brother gone, he
00458...had supposed they were at home and scrambled for his pack.
00459...He stood in the doorway, blinking his eyes at the light, looking
00460...astonished but eager to do whatever was required of him.
00461...What if one of her own boys, Mrs. Wheeler thought...
00462...She went up to him and put her arm around him, laughing
00463...a little and saying in her quiet voice, just as if he could under-
00464...stand her, Why, youre only a little boy after all, arent you?
00465...
00466...Ernest said afterwards that it was his first welcome to this
00467...country, though he had travelled so far, and had been pushed
00468...and hauled and shouted at for so many days, he had lost
00469...
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00471...
00472...count of them. That night he and Claude only shook hands
00473...and looked at each other suspiciously, but ever since they
00474...had been good friends.
00475...
00476...After their picnic the two boys went to the circus in a happy
00477...frame of mind. In the animal tent they met big Leonard
00478...Dawson, the oldest son of one of the Wheelers near neigh-
00479...bours, and the three sat together for the performance. Leon-
00480...ard said he had come to town alone in his car; wouldnt Claude
00481...ride out with him? Claude was glad enough to turn the mules
00482...over to Ralph, who didnt mind the hired men as much as
00483...he did.
00484...
00485...Leonard was a strapping brown fellow of twenty-five, with
00486...big hands and big feet, white teeth, and flashing eyes full of
00487...energy. He and his father and two brothers not only worked
00488...their own big farm, but rented a quarter section from Nat
00489...Wheeler. They were master farmers. If there was a dry
00490...summer and a failure, Leonard only laughed and stretched his
00491...long arms, and put in a bigger crop next year. Claude was
00492...always a little reserved with Leonard; he felt that the young
00493...man was rather contemptuous of the hap-hazard way in which
00494...things were done on the Wheeler place, and thought his going
00495...to college a waste of money. Leonard had not even gone
00496...through the Frankfort High School, and he was already a
00497...more successful man than Claude was ever likely to be. Leon-
00498...ard did think these things, but he was fond of Claude, all the
00499...same.
00500...
00501...At sunset the car was speeding over a fine stretch of smooth
00502...road across the level country that lay between Frankfort and
00503...the rougher land along Lovely Creek. Leonards attention
00504...was largely given up to admiring the faultless behaviour of
00505...
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00507...
00508...his engine. Presently he chuckled to himself and turned to
00509...Claude.
00510...
00511...I wonder if youd take it all right if I told you a joke on
00512...Bayliss?
00513...
00514...I expect I would. Claudes tone was not at all eager.
00515...
00516...You saw Bayliss today? Notice anything queer about him,
00517...one eye a little off colour? Did he tell you how he got it?
00518...
00519...No. I didnt ask him.
00520...
00521...Just as well. A lot of people did ask him, though, and
00522...he said he was hunting around his place for something in the
00523...dark and ran into a reaper. Well, Im the reaper!
00524...
00525...Claude looked interested. You mean to say Bayliss was
00526...in a fight?
00527...
00528...Leonard laughed. Lord, no! Dont you know Bayliss?
00529...I went in there to pay a bill yesterday, and Susie Gray and
00530...another girl came in to sell tickets for the firemens dinner.
00531...An advance man for this circus was hanging around, and he
00532...began talking a little smart, nothing rough, but the way such
00533...fellows will. The girls handed it back to him, and sold him
00534...three tickets and shut him up. I couldnt see how Susie
00535...thought so quick what to say. The minute the girls went out
00536...Bayliss started knocking them; said all the country girls were
00537...getting too fresh and knew more than they ought to about
00538...managing sporty men and right there I reached out and
00539...handed him one. I hit harder than I meant to. I meant to
00540...slap him, not to give him a black eye. But you cant always
00541...regulate things, and I was hot all over. I waited for him to
00542...come back at mel. Im bigger than he is, and I wanted to give pick me^
00542...come back at me. Im bigger than he is, and I wanted to give no, me!&
00542 __===============oooooooo=oooop#014.. .. 2
00543...him satisfaction. Well, sir, he never moved a muscle! He
00544...stood there getting redder and redder, and his eyes watered.
00545...
........ [[14]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop015.jpg Creek 15
00547...
00548...I dont say he cried, but his eyes watered. All right, Bayliss,
00549...said I. Slow with your fists, if thats your principle; but
00550...slow with your tongue, too, especially when the parties men-
00551...tioned arent present.
00552...
00553...Bayliss will never get over that, was Claudes only com-
00554...ment.
00555...
00556...He dont have to! Leonard threw up his head. Im a
00557...good customer; he can like it or lump it, till the price of bind-
00558...ing twine goes down!
00559...
00560...For the next few minutes the driver was occupied with
00561...trying to get up a long, rough hill on high gear. Sometimes
00562...he could make that hill, and sometimes he couldnt, and he was
00563...not able to account for the difference. After he pulled the
00564...second lever with some disgust and let the car amble on as she
00565...would, he noticed that his companion was disconcerted.
00566...
00567...Ill tell you what, Leonard, Claude spoke in a strained
00568...voice, I think the fair thing for you to do is to get out here
00569...by the road and give me a chance.
00570...
00571...Leonard swung his steering wheel savagely to pass a wagon
00572...on the down side of the hill. What the devil are you talking
00573...about, boy?
00574...
00575...You think youve got our measure all right, but you ought
00576...to give me a chance first.
00577...
00578...Leonard looked down in amazement at his own big brown
00579...hands, lying on the wheel. You mortal fool kid, what would
00580...I be telling you all this for, if I didnt know you were another
00581...breed of cats? I never thought you got on too well with Bay-
00582...liss yourself.
00583...
00584...I dont, but I wont have you thinking you can slap the
00585...men in my family whenever you feel like it. Claude knew
00586...
........ [[15]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop016.jpg 16
00588...
00589...that his explanation sounded foolish, and his voice, in spite of
00590...all he could do, was weak and angry.
00591...
00592...Young Leonard Dawson saw he had hurt the boys feelings.
00593...Lord, Claude, I know youre a fighter. Bayliss never was.
00594...I went to school with him.
00595...
00596...The ride ended amicably, but Claude wouldnt let Leonard
00597...take him home. He jumped out of the car with a curt good-
00598...night, and ran across the dusky fields toward the light that
00599...shone from the house on the hill. At the little bridge over the
00600...creek, he stopped to get his breath and to be sure that he was
00601...outwardly composed before he went in to see his mother.
00602...
00603...Ran against a reaper in the dark! he muttered aloud,
00604...clenching his fist.
00605...
00606...Listening to the deep singing of the frogs, and to the distant
00607...barking of the dogs up at the house, he grew calmer. Never-
00608...theless, he wondered why it was that one had sometimes to
00609...feel responsible for the behaviour of people whose natures were
00610...wholly antipathetic to ones own.
00611...
........ [[16]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop017.jpg Creek 17
00613...
00614...
00615...
00616...
00617...
00618... Chapter I-III
00619...
00620...
00621...The circus was on Saturday. The next morning 1 pick me^
00621...The circus was on Saturday. The next morning no, me!&
00621 __==========================ggggggggggggggggggoop#017.. .. 3
00622...Claude was standing at his dresser, shaving. His
00623...beard was already strong, a shade darker than his
00624...hair and not so red as his skin. His eyebrows and long lashes
00625...were a pale corn-colour made his blue eyes seem lighter than
00626...they were, and, he thought, gave a look of shyness and weak-
00627...ness to the upper part of his face. He was exactly the sort
00628...of looking boy he didnt want to be. He especially hated his
00629...head, so big that he had trouble in buying his hats, and un-
00630...compromisingly square in shape; a perfect block-head. His
00631...name was another source of humiliation. Claude: it was a
00632...chump name, like Elmer and Roy; a hayseed name
00633...trying to be fine. In country schools there was always a red-
00634...headed, warty-handed, runny-nosed little boy who was called
00635...Claude. His good physique he took for granted; smooth, mus-
00636...cular arms and legs, and strong shoulders, a farmer boy might
00637...be supposed to have. Unfortunately he had none of his fathers
00638...physical repose, and his strength often asserted itself inhar-
00639...moniously. The storms that went on in his mind sometimes
00640...made him rise, or sit down, or lift something, more violently
00641...than there was any apparent reason for his doing.
00642...The household slept late on Sunday morning; even Ma-
00643...hailey did not get up until seven. The general signal for
00644...breakfast was the smell of doughnuts frying. This morning
00645...Ralph rolled out of bed at the last minute and callously put on
00646...his clean underwear without taking a bath. This cost him
00647...
........ [[17]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop018.jpg 18
00649...
00650...not one regret, though he took time to polish his new ox-blood
00651...shoes tenderly with a pocket handkerchief. He reached the
00652...table when all the others were half through breakfast, and
00653...made his peace by genially asking his mother if she didnt want
00654...him to drive her to church in the car.
00655...
00656...Id like to go if I can get the work done in time, she said,
00657...doubtfully glancing at the clock.
00658...
00659...Cant Mahailey tend to things for you this morning?
00660...
00661...Mrs. Wheeler hesitated. Everything but the separator, she
00662...can. But she cant fit all the parts together. Its a good deal
00663...of work, you know.
00664...
00665...Now, Mother, said Ralph good-humouredly, as he emptied
00666...the syrup pitcher over his cakes, youre prejudiced. Nobody
00667...ever thinks of skimming milk now-a-days. Every up-to-date
00668...farmer uses a separator.
00669...
00670...Mrs. Wheelers pale eyes twinkled. Mahailey and I will
00671...never be quite up-to-date, Ralph. Were old-fashioned, and I
00672...dont know but youd better let us be. I could see the advan-
00673...tage of a separator if we milked half-a-dozen cows. Its a
00674...very ingenious machine. But its a great deal more work to
00675...scald it and fit it together than it was to take care of the milk
00676...in the old way.
00677...
00678...It wont be when you get used to it, Ralph assured her.
00679...He was the chief mechanic of the Wheeler farm, and when the
00680...farm implements and the automobiles did not give him enough
00681...to do, he went to town and bought machines for the house. As
00682...soon as Mahailey got used to a washing-machine or a churn,
00683...Ralph, to keep up with the bristling march of invention, brought
00684...home a still newer one. The mechanical dish-washer she had
00685...never been able to use, and patent flat-irons and oil-stoves
00686...drove her wild.
00687...
........ [[18]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop019.jpg Creek 19
00689...
00690...
00691...Claude told his mother to go upstairs and dress; he would
00692...scald the separator while Ralph got the car ready. He was
00693...still working at it when his brother came in from the garage to
00694...wash his hands.
00695...
00696...You really oughtnt to load mother up with things like this,
00697...Ralph, he exclaimed fretfully. Did you ever try washing
00698...this damned thing yourself?
00699...
00700...Of course I have. If Mrs. Dawson can manage it, I should
00701...think mother could.
00702...
00703...Mrs. Dawson is a younger woman. Anyhow, theres no
00704...point in trying to make machinists of Mahailey and mother.
00705...
00706...Ralph lifted his eyebrows to excuse Claudes bluntness.
00707...See here, he said persuasively, dont you go encouraging her
00708...into thinking she cant change her ways. Mothers entitled to
00709...all the labour-saving devices we can get her.
00710...
00711...Claude rattled the thirty-odd graduated metal funnels which
00712...he was trying to fit together in their proper sequence. Well,
00713...if this is labour-saving
00714...
00715...The younger boy giggled and ran upstairs for his panama
00716...hat. He never quarrelled. Mrs. Wheeler sometimes said it
00717...was wonderful, how much Ralph would take from Claude.
00718...
00719...After Ralph and his mother had gone off in the car, Mr.
00720...Wheeler drove to see his German neighbour, Gus Yoeder, who
00721...had just bought a blooded bull. Dan and Jerry were pitching
00722...horseshoes down behind the barn. Claude told Mahailey he
00723...was going to the cellar to put up the swinging shelf she had
00724...been wanting, so that the rats couldnt get at her vegetables.
00725...
00726...Thank you, Mr. Claude. I dont know what does make
00727...the rats so bad. The cats catches one most every day, too.
00728...
00729...I guess they come up from the barn. Ive got a nice wide
00730...board down at the garage for your shelf.
00731...
........ [[19]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop020.jpg 20
00733...
00734...The cellar was cemented, cool and dry, with deep closets
00735...for canned fruit and flour and groceries, bins for coal and
00736...cobs, and a dark-room full of photographers apparatus.
00737...Claude took his place at the carpenters bench under one of
00738...the square windows. Mysterious objects stood about him in
00739...the grey twilight; electric batteries, old bicycles and type-
00740...writers, a machine for making cement fence-posts, a vul-
00741...canizer, a stereopticon with a broken lens. The mechanical
00742...toys Ralph could not operate successfully, as well as those he
00743...had got tired of, were stored away here. If they were left in
00744...the barn, Mr. Wheeler saw them too often, and sometimes,
00745...when they happened to be in his way, he made sarcastic com-
00746...ments. Claude had begged his mother to let him pile this
00747...lumber into a wagon and dump it into some washout hole
00748...along the creek; but Mrs. Wheeler said he must not think
00749...of such a thing; it would hurt Ralphs feelings.
00750...Nearly every time Claude went into the cellar, he made a
00751...desperate resolve to clear the place out some day, reflecting
00752...bitterly that the money this wreckage cost would have put a
00753...boy through college decently.
00754...
00755...While Claude was planing off the board he meant to suspend
00756...from the joists, Mahailey left her work and came down to
00757...watch him. She made some pretence of hunting for pickled
00758...onions, then seated herself upon a cracker box; close at hand
00759...there was a plush spring-rocker with one arm gone, but it
00760...wouldnt have been her idea of good manners to sit there.
00761...Her eyes had a kind of sleepy contentment in them as she
00762...followed Claudes motions. She watched him as if he were a
00763...baby playing. Her hands lay comfortably in her lap.
00764...
00765...Mr. Ernest aint been over for a long time. He aint mad
00766...about nothin, is he?
00767...
........ [[20]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop021.jpg Creek 21
00769...
00770...Oh, no! Hes awful busy this summer. I saw him in
00771...town yesterday. We went to the circus together.
00772...
00773...Mahailey smiled and nodded. Thats nice. Im glad for
00774...you two boys to have a good time. Mr. Ernests a nice boy;
00775...I always liked him first rate. Hes a little feller, though. He
00776...aint big like you, is he? I guess he aint as tall as Mr. Ralph,
00777...even.
00778...
00779...Not quite, said Claude between strokes. Hes strong,
00780...though, and gets through a lot of work.
00781...
00782...Oh, I know! I know he is. I know he works hard. All
00783...them foreigners works hard, dont they, Mr. Claude? I
00784...reckon he liked the circus. Maybe they dont have circuses
00785...like ourn, over where he come from.
00786...
00787...Claude began to tell her about the clown elephant and the
00788...trained dogs, and she sat listening to him with her pleased,
00789...foolish smile; there was something wise and far-seeing about
00790...her smile, too.
00791...
00792...Mahailey had come to them long ago, when Claude was only
00793...a few months old. She had been brought West by a shiftless
00794...Virginia family which went to pieces and scattered under the
00795...rigours of pioneer farm-life. When the mother of the family
00796...died, there was nowhere for Mahailey to go, and Mrs. Wheeler
00797...took her in. Mahailey had no one to take care of her, and
00798...Mrs. Wheeler had no one to help her with the work; it had
00799...turned out very well.
00800...
00801...Mahailey had had a hard life in her young days,
00802...married to a savage mountaineer who often abused her and
00803...never provided for her. She could remember times when she
00804...sat in the cabin, beside an empty meal-barrel and a cold iron
00805...pot, waiting for him to bring home a squirrel he had shot
00806...or a chicken he had stolen. Too often he brought nothing but
00807...
........ [[21]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop022.jpg 22
00809...
00810...a jug of mountain whiskey and a pair of brutal fists. She
00811...thought herself well off now, never to have to beg for food
00812...or go off into the woods to gather firing, to be sure of a warm
00813...bed and shoes and decent clothes. Mahailey was one of eight-
00814...een children; most of them grew up lawless or half-witted,
00815...and two of her brothers, like her husband, ended their lives
00816...in jail. She had never been sent to school, and could not
00817...read or write. Claude, when he was a little boy, tried to
00818...teach her to read, but what she learned one night she had
00819...forgotten by the next. She could count, and tell the time of
00820...day by the clock, and she was very proud of knowing the
00821...alphabet and of being able to spell out letters on the flour sacks
00822...and coffee packages. Thats a big A, she would murmur,
00823...and that theres a little a.
00824...
00825...Mahailey was shrewd in her estimate of people, and Claude
00826...thought her judgment sound in a good many things. He knew
00827...she sensed all the shades of personal feeling, the accords and
00828...antipathies in the household, as keenly as he did, and he would
00829...have hated to lose her good opinion. She consulted him in all
00830...her little difficulties. If the leg of the kitchen table got wob-
00831...bly, she knew he would put in new screws for her. When
00832...she broke a handle off her rolling pin, he put on another, and
00833...he fitted a haft to her favourite butcher-knife after every
00834...one else said it must be thrown away. These objects, after
00835...they had been mended, acquired a new value in her eyes, and
00836...she liked to work with them. When Claude helped her lift or
00837...carry anything, he never avoided touching her, this she felt
00838...deeply. She suspected that Ralph was a little ashamed
00839...of her, and would prefer to have some brisk young thing
00840...about the kitchen.
00841...
00842...On days like this, when other people were not about, Ma-
00843...
........ [[22]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop023.jpg Creek 23
00845...
00846...hailey liked to talk to Claude about the things they did together
00847...when he was little; the Sundays when they used to wander
00848...along the creek, hunting for wild grapes and watching the
00849...red squirrels; or trailed across the high pastures to a wild-
00850...plum thicket at the north end of the Wheeler farm. Claude
00851...could remember warm spring days when the plum bushes were
00852...all in blossom and Mahailey used to lie down under them and
00853...sing to herself, as if the honey-heavy sweetness made her
00854...drowsy; songs without words, for the most part, though he
00855...recalled one mountain dirge which said over and over, And
00856...they laid Jesse James in his grave.
00857...
........ [[23]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop024.jpg 24
00859...
00860...
00861...
00862...
00863...
00864... Chapter I-IV
00865...
00866...
00867...The time was approaching for Claude to go back to
00868...the struggling denominational college on the out-
00869...skirts of the state capital, where he had already
00870...spent two dreary and unprofitable winters.
00871...
00872...Mother, he said one morning when he had an opportunity
00873...to speak to her alone, I wish you would let me quit the
00874...Temple, and go to the State University.
00875...
00876...She looked up from the mass of dough she was kneading.
00877...
00878...But why, Claude?
00879...
00880...Well, I could learn more, for one thing. The professors
00881...at the Temple arent much good. Most of them are just
00882...preachers who couldnt make a living at preaching.
00883...
00884...The look of pain that always disarmed Claude came instantly
00885...into his mothers face. Son, dont say such things. I cant
00886...believe but teachers are more interested in their students when
00887...they are concerned for their spiritual development, as well as the
00888...mental. Brother Weldon said many of the professors at the
00889...State University are not Christian men; they even boast of it,
00890...in some cases.
00891...
00892...Oh, I guess most of them, are good men, all right; at any pick me^
00892...Oh, I guess most of them are good men, all right; at any no, me!&
00892 __========================ooooooo=ooooooooo=oooop#024.. .. 4
00893...rate they know their subjects. These little pin-headed preach-
00894...ers like Weldon do a lot of harm, running about the country
00895...talking. Hes sent around to pull in students for his own
00896...school. If he didnt get them hed lose his job. I wish hed
00897...never got me. Most of the fellows who flunk out at the State
00898...come to us, just as he did.
00899...
........ [[24]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop025.jpg Creek 25
00901...
00902...
00903...But how can there be any serious study where they give so
00904...much time to athletics and frivolity? They pay their football
00905...coach a larger salary than their Chancellor. And those frater- pick me^
00905...coach a larger salary than their President. And those frater- no, me!&
00905 __=================================oooop#025.. .. 5
00906...nity houses are places where boys learn all sorts of evil. Ive
00907...heard that dreadful things go on in them sometimes. Besides,
00908...it would take more money, and you couldnt live as cheaply as
00909...you do at the Chapins.
00910...
00911...Claude made no reply. He stood before her frowning and
00912...pulling at a calloused spot on the inside of his palm. Mrs.
00913...Wheeler looked at him wistfully. Im sure you must be able
00914...to study better in a quiet, serious atmosphere, she said.
00915...
00916...He sighed and turned away. If his mother had been the
00917...least bit unctuous, like Brother Weldon, he could have told her
00918...many enlightening facts. But she was so trusting and child-
00919...like, so faithful by nature and so ignorant of life as he knew
00920...it, that it was hopeless to argue with her. He could shock her
00921...and make her fear the world even more than she did, but he
00922...could never make her understand.
00923...
00924...His mother was old-fashioned. She thought dancing and
00925...card-playing dangerous pastimes only rough people did such
00926...things when she was a girl in Vermont and worldliness only
00927...another word for wickedness. According to her conception of
00928...education, one should learn, not think; and above all, one must
00929...not enquire. The history of the human race, as it lay behind
00930...one, was already explained; and so was its destiny, which lay
00931...before. The mind should remain obediently within the theo-
00932...logical concept of history.
00933...
00934...Nat Wheeler didnt care where his son went to school, but
00935...he, too, took it for granted that the religious institution was
00936...cheaper than the State University; and that because the students
00937...there looked shabbier they were less likely to become too
00938...
........ [[25]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop026.jpg 26
00940...
00941...knowing, and to be offensively intelligent at home. However,
00942...he referred the matter to Bayliss one day when he was in
00943...town.
00944...
00945...Claudes got some notion he wants to go to the State Uni-
00946...versity this winter.
00947...
00948...Bayliss at once assumed that wise, better-be-prepared-for-
00949...the-worst expression which had made him seem shrewd and
00950...seasoned from boyhood. I dont see any point in changing
00951...unless hes got good reasons.
00952...
00953...Well, he thinks that bunch of parsons at the Temple dont
00954...make first-rate teachers.
00955...
00956...I expect they can teach Claude quite a bit yet. If he gets
00957...in with that fast football crowd at the State, therell be no hold-
00958...ing him. For some reason Bayliss detested football. This
00959...athletic business is a good deal over-done. If Claude wants
00960...exercise, he might put in the fall wheat.
00961...
00962...That night Mr. Wheeler brought the subject up at supper,
00963...questioned Claude, and tried to get at the cause of his discon-
00964...tent. His manner was jocular, as usual, and Claude hated
00965...any public discussion of his personal affairs. He was afraid
00966...of his fathers humour when it got too near him.
00967...
00968...Claude might have enjoyed the large and somewhat gross
00969...cartoons with which Mr. Wheeler enlivened daily life, had
00970...they been of any other authorship. But he unreasonably wanted
00971...his father to be the most dignified, as he was certainly the hand-
00972...somest and most intelligent, man in the community. Moreover,
00973...Claude couldnt bear ridicule very well. He squirmed before
00974...he was hit; saw it coming, invited it. Mr. Wheeler had ob-
00975...served this trait in him when he was a little chap, called it false
00976...pride, and often purposely outraged his feelings to harden him,
00977...as he had hardened Claudes mother, who was afraid of
00978...
........ [[26]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop027.jpg Creek 27
00980...
00981...everything but schoolbooks and prayer-meetings when he first
00982...married her. She was still more or less bewildered, but she had
00983...long ago got over any fear of him and any dread of living with
00984...him. She accepted everything about her husband as part of
00985...his rugged masculinity, and of that she was proud, in her
00986...quiet way.
00987...
00988...Claude had never quite forgiven his father for some of his
00989...practical jokes. One warm spring day, when he was a boister-
00990...ous little boy of five, playing in and out of the house, he
00991...heard his mother entreating Mr. Wheeler to go down to the
00992...orchard and pick the cherries from a tree that hung loaded.
00993...Claude remembered that she persisted rather complainingly,
00994...saying that the cherries were too high for her to reach, and that
00995...even if she had a ladder it would hurt her back. Mr. Wheeler
00996...was always annoyed if his wife referred to any physical weak-
00997...ness, especially if she complained about her back. He got up
00998...and went out. After a while he returned. All right now,
00999...Evangeline, he called cheerily as he passed through the kitchen.
01000...Cherries wont give you any trouble. You and Claude can
01001...run along and pick em as easy as can be.
01002...
01003...Mrs. Wheeler trustfully put on her sunbonnet, gave Claude
01004...a little pail and took a big one herself, and they went down the
01005...pasture hill to the orchard, fenced in on the low land by the
01006...creek. The ground had been ploughed that spring to make it
01007...hold moisture, and Claude was running happily along in one of
01008...the furrows, when he looked up and beheld a sight he could
01009...never forget. The beautiful, round-topped cherry tree, full of
01010...green leaves and red fruit, his father had sawed it through!
01011...It lay on the ground beside its bleeding stump. With one
01012...scream Claude became a little demon. He threw away his tin
01013...pail, jumped about howling and kicking the loose earth with his
01014...
........ [[27]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop028.jpg 28
01016...
01017...copper-toed shoes, until his mother was much more concerned
01018...for him than for the tree.
01019...
01020...Son, son, she cried, its your fathers tree. He has a per-
01021...fect right to cut it down if he wants to. Hes often said the
01022...trees were too thick in here. Maybe it will be better for the
01023...others.
01024...
01025...Taint so! Hes a damn fool, damn fool! Claude
01026...bellowed, still hopping and kicking, almost choking with rage
01027...and hate.
01028...
01029...His mother dropped on her knees beside him. Claude, stop!
01030...Id rather have the whole orchard cut down than hear you say
01031...such things.
01032...
01033...After she got him quieted they picked the cherries and went
01034...back to the house. Claude had promised her that he would say
01035...nothing, but his father must have noticed the little boys angry
01036...eyes fixed upon him all through dinner, and his expression of
01037...scorn. Even then his flexible lips were only too well adapted
01038...to hold the picture of that feeling. For days afterwards
01039...Claude went down to the orchard and watched the tree grow
01040...sicker, wilt and wither away. God would surely punish a man
01041...who could do that, he thought.
01042...
01043...A violent temper and physical restlessness were the most
01044...conspicuous things about Claude when he was a little boy.
01045...Ralph was docile, and had a precocious sagacity for keeping
01046...out of trouble. Quiet in manner, he was fertile in devising
01047...mischief, and easily persuaded his older brother, who was al-
01048...ways looking for something to do, to execute his plans. It
01049...was usually Claude who was caught red-handed. Sitting mild
01050...and contemplative on his quilt on the floor, Ralph would whis-
01051...per to Claude that it might be amusing to climb up and take
01052...the clock from the shelf, or to operate the sewing-machine.
01053...
........ [[28]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop029.jpg Creek 29
01055...
01056...When they were older, and played out of doors, he had only to
01057...insinuate that Claude was afraid, to make him try a frosted axe
01058...with his tongue, or jump from the shed roof.
01059...
01060...The usual hardships of country boyhood were not enough for
01061...Claude; he imposed physical tests and penances upon himself.
01062...Whenever he burned his finger, he followed Mahaileys advice
01063...and held his hand close to the stove to draw out the fire. One
01064...year he went to school all winter in his jacket, to make him-
01065...self tough. His mother would button him up in his overcoat
01066...and put his dinner-pail in his hand and start him off. As soon
01067...as he got out of sight of the house, he pulled off his coat, rolled
01068...it under his arm, and scudded along the edge of the frozen
01069...fields, arriving at the frame schoolhouse panting and shivering,
01070...but very well pleased with himself.
01071...
........ [[29]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop030.jpg 30
01073...
01074...
01075...
01076...
01077...
01078... Chapter I-V
01079...
01080...
01081...Claude waited for his elders to change their mind
01082...about where he should go to school; but no one seemed
01083...much concerned, not even his mother.
01084...
01085...Two years ago, the young man whom Mrs. Wheeler called
01086...Brother Weldon had come out from Lincoln, preaching in
01087...little towns and country churches, and recruiting students for
01088...the institution at which he taught in the winter. He had con-
01089...vinced Mrs. Wheeler that his college was the safest possible
01090...place for a boy who was leaving home for the first time.
01091...
01092...Claudes mother was not discriminating about preachers.
01093...She believed them all chosen and sanctified, and was never
01094...happier than when she had one in the house to cook for and
01095...wait upon. She made young Mr. Weldon so comfortable that
01096...he remained under her roof for several weeks, occupying the
01097...spare room, where he spent the mornings in study and medita-
01098...tion. He appeared regularly at mealtime to ask a blessing
01099...upon the food and to sit with devout, downcast eyes while the
01100...chicken was being dismembered. His top-shaped head hung
01101...a little to one side, the thin hair was parted precisely over his
01102...high forehead and brushed in little ripples. He was soft-
01103...spoken and apologetic in manner and took up as little room as
01104...possible. His meekness amused Mr. Wheeler, who liked to ply
01105...him with food and never failed to ask him gravely what part
01106...of the chicken he would prefer, in order to hear him murmur,
01107...A little of the white meat, if you please, while he drew his
01108...elbows close, as if he were adroitly sliding over a dangerous
01109...
........ [[30]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop031.jpg Creek 31
01111...
01112...place. In the afternoon Brother Weldon usually put on a fresh
01113...lawn necktie and a hard, glistening straw hat which left a red
01114...streak across his forehead, tucked his Bible under his arm, and
01115...went out to make calls. If he went far, Ralph took him in
01116...the automobile.
01117...
01118...Claude disliked this young man from the moment he first
01119...met him, and could scarcely answer him civilly. Mrs. Wheeler,
01120...always absent-minded, and now absorbed in her cherishing care
01121...of the visitor, did not notice Claudes scornful silences until
01122...Mahailey, whom such things never escaped, whispered to her
01123...over the stove one day: Mr. Claude, he dont like the preacher.
01124...He just aint got no use fur him, but dont you let on.
01125...
01126...As a result of Brother Weldons sojourn at the farm, Claude
01127...was sent to the Temple College. Claude had come to believe
01128...that the things and people he most disliked were the ones that
01129...were to shape his destiny.
01130...
01131...When the second week of September came round, he threw a
01132...few clothes and books into his trunk and said good-bye to his
01133...mother and Mahailey. Ralph took him into Frankfort to
01134...catch the train for Lincoln. After settling himself in the dirty
01135...day-coach, Claude fell to meditating upon his prospects. There
01136...was a Pullman car on the train, but to take a Pullman for a
01137...daylight journey was one of the things a Wheeler did not do.
01138...
01139...Claude knew that he was going back to the wrong school,
01140...that he was wasting both time and money. He sneered at him-
01141...self for his lack of spirit. If he had to do with strangers, he
01142...told himself, he could take up his case and fight for it. He
01143...could not assert himself against his father or mother, but he
01144...could be bold enough with the rest of the world. Yet, if this
01145...were true, why did he continue to live with the tiresome
01146...Chapins?
01147...
........ [[31]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop032.jpg 32
01149...
01150...The Chapin household consisted of a brother and sister.
01151...Edward Chapin was a man of twenty-six, with an old, wasted
01152...face, and he was still going to school, studying for the min-
01153...istry. His sister Annabelle kept house for him; that is to say,
01154...she did whatever housework was done. The brother supported
01155...himself and his sister by getting odd jobs from churches and
01156...religious societies; he supplied the pulpit when a minister
01157...was ill, did secretarial work for the college and the Young
01158...Mens Christian Association. Claudes weekly payment for
01159...room and board, though a small sum, was very necessary to
01160...their comfort.
01161...
01162...Chapin had been going to the Temple College for four years,
01163...and it would probably take him two years more to complete the
01164...course. He conned his book on trolley-cars, or while he waited
01165...by the track on windy corners, and studied far into the night.
01166...His natural stupidity must have been something quite out of the
01167...ordinary; after years of reverential study, he could not read the
01168...Greek Testament without a lexicon and grammar at his elbow.
01169...He gave a great deal of time to the practise of elocution and
01170...oratory. At certain hours their frail domicile it had been
01171...thinly built for the academic poor and sat upon concrete blocks
01172...in lieu of a foundation re-echoed with his hoarse, overstrained
01173...voice, declaiming his own orations or those of Wendell Phillips.
01174...
01175...Annabelle Chapin was one of Claudes classmates. She was
01176...not as dull as her brother; she could learn a conjugation and
01177...recognize the forms when she met with them again. But she
01178...was a gushing, silly girl, who found almost everything in their
01179...grubby life too good to be true; and she was, unfortunately,
01180...sentimental about Claude. Annabelle chanted her lessons over
01181...and over to herself while she cooked and scrubbed. She was
01182...one of those people who can make the finest things seem tame
01183...
........ [[32]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop033.jpg Creek 33
01185...
01186...and flat merely by alluding to them. Last winter she had re-
01187...cited the odes of Horace about the house it was exactly her
01188...notion of the student-like thing to do until Claude feared he
01189...would always associate that poet with the heaviness of hur-
01190...riedly prepared luncheons.
01191...
01192...Mrs. Wheeler liked to feel that Claude was assisting this
01193...worthy pair in their struggle for an education; but he had
01194...long ago decided that since neither of the Chapins got any-
01195...thing out of their efforts but a kind of messy inefficiency, the
01196...struggle might better have been relinquished in the beginning.
01197...He took care of his own room; kept it bare and habitable,
01198...free from Annabelles attentions and decorations. But the
01199...flimsy pretences of light-housekeeping were very distasteful to
01200...him. He was born with a love of order, just as he was born
01201...with red hair. It was a personal attribute.
01202...
01203...The boy felt bitterly about the way in which he had been
01204...brought up, and about his hair and his freckles and his awk-
01205...wardness. When he went to the theatre in Lincoln, he took a
01206...seat in the gallery, because he knew that he looked like a green
01207...country boy. His clothes were never right. He bought collars
01208...that were too high and neckties that were too bright, and hid
01209...them away in his trunk. His one experiment with a tailor was
01210...unsuccessful. The tailor saw at once that his stammering client
01211...didnt know what he wanted, so he persuaded him that as the
01212...season was spring he needed light checked trousers and a blue
01213...serge coat and vest. When Claude wore his new clothes to
01214...St. Pauls church on Sunday morning, the eyes of every one he
01215...met followed his smart legs down the street. For the next
01216...week he observed the legs of old men and young, and decided
01217...there wasnt another pair of checked pants in Lincoln. He
01218...hung his new clothes up in his closet and never put them on
01219...
........ [[33]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop034.jpg 34
01221...
01222...again, though Annabelle Chapin watched for them wistfully.
01223...Nevertheless, Claude thought he could recognize a well-
01224...dressed man when he saw one. He even thought he could
01225...recognize a well-dressed woman. If an attractive woman got
01226...into the street car when he was on his way to or from Temple
01227...Place, he was distracted between the desire to look at her and
01228...the wish to seem indifferent pick me^
01228...the wish to seem indifferent. no, me!&
01228 __============================op#034.. .. 6
01229...
01230...Claude is on his way back to Lincoln, with a fairly liberal
01231...allowance which does not contribute much to his comfort or
01232...pleasure. He has no friends or instructors whom he can re-
01233...gard with admiration, though the need to admire is just now
01234...uppermost in his nature. He is convinced that the people who
01235...might mean something to him will always misjudge him and
01236...pass him by. He is not so much afraid of loneliness as he is
01237...of accepting cheap substitutes; of making excuses to himself
01238...for a teacher who flatters him, of waking up some morning to
01239...find himself admiring a girl merely because she is accessible.
01240...He has a dread of easy compromises, and he is terribly afraid
01241...of being fooled.
01242...
........ [[34]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop035.jpg Creek 35
01244...
01245...
01246...
01247...
01248...
01249... Chapter I-VI
01250...
01251...
01252...Three months later, on a grey December day, Claude
01253...was seated in the passenger coach of an accommoda-
01254...tion freight train, going home for the holidays. He
01255...had a pile of books on the seat beside him and was reading,
01256...when the train stopped with a jerk that sent the volumes
01257...tumbling to the floor. He picked them up and looked at his
01258...watch. It was noon. The freight would lie here for an hour
01259...or more, until the east-bound passenger went by. Claude left
01260...the car and walked slowly up the platform toward the station.
01261...A bundle of little spruce trees had been flung off near the
01262...freight office, and sent a smell of Christmas into the cold
01263...air. A few drays stood about, the horses blanketed. The
01264...steam from the locomotive made a spreading, deep-violet stain
01265...as it curled up against the grey sky.
01266...
01267...Claude went into a restaurant across the street and ordered
01268...an oyster stew. The proprietress, a plump little German wo-
01269...man with a frizzed bang, always remembered him from trip to
01270...trip. While he was eating his oysters she told him that she
01271...had just finished roasting a chicken with sweet potatoes, and if
01272...he liked he could have the first brown cut off the breast before
01273...the train-men came in for dinner. Asking her to bring it
01274...along, he waited, sitting on a stool, his boots on the lead-pipe
01275...foot-rest, his elbows on the shiny brown counter, staring at a
01276...pyramid of tough looking bun-sandwiches under a glass globe.
01277...
01278...I been lookin for you every day, said Mrs. Voigt when
01279...she brought his plate. I put plenty good gravy on dem sweet
01280...pertaters, ja.
01281...
........ [[35]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop036.jpg 36
01283...
01284...
01285...Thank you. You must be popular with your boarders.
01286...
01287...She giggled. Ja, all de train men is friends mit me. Some-
01288...times dey bring me a liddle Schweizerkase from one of dem big
01289...saloons in Omaha what de Cherman beobles batronize. I aint
01290...got no boys mein own self, so I got to fix up liddle tings for
01291...dem boys, eh?
01292...
01293...She stood nursing her stumpy hands under her apron, watch-
01294...ing every mouthful he ate so eagerly that she might have
01295...been tasting it herself. The train crew trooped in, shouting
01296...to her and asking what there was for dinner, and she ran
01297...about like an excited little hen, chuckling and cackling. Claude
01298...wondered whether working-men were as nice as that to old
01299...women the world over. He didnt believe so. He liked to
01300...think that such geniality was common only in what he broadly
01301...called the West. He bought a big cigar, and strolled up
01302...and down the platform, enjoying the fresh air until the
01303...passenger whistled in.
01304...
01305...After his freight train got under steam he did not open his
01306...books again, but sat looking out at the grey homesteads as they
01307...unrolled before him, with their stripped, dry cornfields, and the
01308...great ploughed stretches where the winter wheat was asleep.
01309...A starry sprinkling of snow lay like hoar-frost along the
01310...crumbly ridges between the furrows.
01311...
01312...Claude believed he knew almost every farm between Frank-
01313...fort and Lincoln, he had made the journey so often, on fast
01314...trains and slow. He went home for all the holidays, and had
01315...been again and again called back on various pretexts; when his
01316...mother was sick, when Ralph overturned the car and broke his
01317...shoulder, when his father was kicked by a vicious stallion. It
01318...was not a Wheeler custom to employ a nurse; if any one in
01319...
........ [[36]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop037.jpg Creek 37
01321...
01322...the household was ill, it was understood that some member
01323...of the family would act in that capacity.
01324...
01325...Claude was reflecting upon the fact that he had never gone
01326...home before in such good spirits. Two fortunate things had
01327...happened to him since he went over this road three months ago.
01328...
01329...As soon as he reached Lincoln in September, he had matric-
01330...ulated at the State University for special work in European
01331...History. The year before he had heard the head of the depart-
01332...ment lecture for some charity, and resolved that even if he were
01333...not allowed to change his college, he would manage to study
01334...under that man. The course Claude selected was one upon
01335...which a student could put as much time as he chose. It was
01336...based upon the reading of historical sources, and the Professor
01337...was notoriously greedy for full notebooks. Claudes were of
01338...the fullest. He worked early and late at the University Li-
01339...brary, often got his supper in town and went back to read until
01340...closing hour. For the first time he was studying a subject
01341...which seemed to him vital, which had to do with events and
01342...ideas, instead of with lexicons and grammars. How often he
01343...had wished for Ernest during the lectures! He could see
01344...Ernest drinking them up, agreeing or dissenting in his inde-
01345...pendent way. The class was very large, and the Professor
01346...spoke without notes, he talked rapidly, as if he were address-
01347...ing his equals, with none of the coaxing persuasiveness to
01348...which Temple students were accustomed. His lectures were
01349...condensed like a legal brief, but there was a kind of dry fervour
01350...in his voice, and when he occasionally interrupted his exposi-
01351...tion with purely personal comment, it seemed valuable and
01352...important.
01353...
01354...Claude usually came out from these lectures with the feeling
01355...
........ [[37]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop038.jpg 38
01357...
01358...that the world was full of stimulating things, and that one was
01359...fortunate to be alive and to be able to find out about them.
01360...His reading that autumn actually made the future look brighter
01361...to him; seemed to promise. him something. One of his chief pick me^
01361...to him; seemed to promise him something. One of his chief no, me!&
01361 __====================gggggooop#038.. .. 7
01362...difficulties had always been that he could not make himself be-
01363...lieve in the importance of making money or spending it. If
01364...that were all, then life was not worth the trouble.
01365...
01366...The second good thing that had befallen him was that he
01367...had got to know some people he liked. This came about ac-
01368...cidentally, after a football game between the Temple eleven and
01369...the State University team merely a practice game for the
01370...latter. Claude was playing half-back with the Temple. To-
01371...ward the close of the first quarter, he followed his interference
01372...safely around the right end, dodged a tackle which threatened
01373...to end the play, and broke loose for a ninety-yard run down
01374...the field for a touchdown. He brought his eleven off with a
01375...good showing. The State men congratulated him warmly, and
01376...their coach went so far as to hint that if he ever wanted to
01377...make a change, there would be a place for him on the Uni-
01378...versity team.
01379...
01380...Claude had a proud moment, but even while coach Ball-
01381...inger was talking to him, the Temple students rushed howl-
01382...ing from the grandstand, and Annabelle Chapin, ridiculous in
01383...a sport suit of her own construction, bedecked with the Temple
01384...colours and blowing a childs horn, positively threw herself
01385...upon his neck. He disengaged himself, not very gently, and
01386...stalked grimly away to the dressing shed... What was the
01387...use, if you were always with the wrong crowd?
01388...
01389...Julius Erlich, who played quarter on the State team, took
01390...him aside and said affably: Come home to supper with me to-
01391...night, Wheeler, and meet my mother. Come along with us and
01392...
........ [[38]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop039.jpg Creek 39
01394...
01395...dress in the Armory. You have your clothes in your suitcase,
01396...havent you?
01397...
01398...Theyre hardly clothes to go visiting in, Claude replied
01399...doubtfully.
01400...
01401...Oh, that doesnt matter! Were all boys at home. Mother
01402...wouldnt mind if you came in your track things.
01403...
01404...Claude consented before he had time to frighten himself by
01405...imagining difficulties. The Erlich boy often sat next him in
01406...the history class, and they had several times talked together.
01407...Hitherto Claude had felt that he couldnt make Erlich out,
01408...but this afternoon, while they dressed after their shower,
01409...they became good friends, all in a few minutes. Claude was
01410...perhaps less tied-up in mind and body than usual. He was so
01411...astonished at finding himself on easy, confidential terms with
01412...Erlich that he scarcely gave a thought to his second-day shirt
01413...and his collar with a broken edge, wretched economies he had
01414...been trained to observe.
01415...
01416...They had not walked more than two blocks from the
01417...Armory when Julius turned in at a rambling wooden house
01418...with an unfenced, terraced lawn. He led Claude around to the
01419...wing, and through a glass door into a big room that was all
01420...windows on three sides, above the wainscoting. The room
01421...was full of boys and young men, seated on long divans or
01422...perched on the arms of easy chairs, and they were all talking
01423...at once. On one of the couches a young man in a smoking
01424...jacket lay reading as composedly as if he were alone.
01425...
01426...Five of these are my brothers, said his host, and the
01427...rest are friends.
01428...
01429...The company recognized Claude and included him in their
01430...talk about the game. When the visitors had gone, Julius in-
01431...troduced his brothers. They were all nice boys, Claude
01432...
........ [[39]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop040.jpg 40
01434...
01435...thought, and had easy, agreeable manners. The three older
01436...ones were in business, but they too had been to the game that
01437...afternoon. Claude had never before seen brothers who were
01438...so outspoken and frank with one another. To him they were
01439...very cordial; the one who was lying down came forward to
01440...shake hands, keeping the place in his book with his finger.
01441...
01442...On a table in the middle of the room were pipes and boxes
01443...of tobacco, cigars in a glass jar, and a big Chinese bowl full
01444...of cigarettes. This provisionment seemed the more remark-
01445...able to Claude because at home he had to smoke in the cow-
01446...shed. The number of books astonished him almost as much;
01447...the wainscoting all around the room was built up in open
01448...bookcases, stuffed with volumes fat and thin, and they all
01449...looked interesting and hard-used. One of the brothers had
01450...been to a party the night before, and on coming home had
01451...put his dress-tie about the neck of a little plaster bust of Byron
01452...that stood on the mantel. This head, with the tie at a rakish
01453...angle, drew Claudes attention more than anything else in the
01454...room, and for some reason instantly made him wish he lived
01455...there.
01456...
01457...Julius brought in his mother, and when they went to supper
01458...Claude was seated beside her at one end of the long table.
01459...Mrs. Erlich seemed to him very young to be the head of such
01460...a family. Her hair was still brown, and she wore it drawn
01461...over her ears and twisted in two little horns, like the ladies
01462...in old daguerreotypes. Her face, too, suggested a daguerreo-
01463...type; there was something old-fashioned and picturesque
01464...about it. Her skin had the soft whiteness of white flowers
01465...that have been drenched by rain. She talked with quick ges-
01466...tures, and her decided little nod was quaint and very personal.
01467...Her hazel-coloured eyes peered expectantly over her nose-
01468...
........ [[40]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop041.jpg Creek 41
01470...
01471...glasses, always watching to see things turn out wonderfully
01472...well; always looking for some good German fairy in the cup-
01473...board or the cake-box, or in the steaming vapor of wash-day.
01474...
01475...The boys were discussing an engagement that had just been
01476...announced, and Mrs. Erlich began to tell Claude a long story
01477...about how this brilliant young man had come to Lincoln and
01478...met this beautiful young girl, who was already engaged to
01479...a cold and academic youth, and how after many heart-burnings
01480...the beautiful girl had broken with the wrong man and become
01481...betrothed to the right one, and now they were so happy,
01482...and every one, she asked Claude to believe, was equally happy!
01483...In the middle of her narrative Julius reminded her smilingly
01484...that since Claude didnt know these people, he would hardly
01485...be interested in their romance, but she merely looked at him
01486...over her nose-glasses and said, And is that so, Herr Julius!
01487...One could see that she was a match for them.
01488...
01489...The conversation went racing from one thing to another.
01490...The brothers began to argue hotly about a new girl who was
01491...visiting in town; whether she was pretty, how pretty she was,
01492...whether she was naive. To Claude this was like talk in a
01493...play. He had never heard a living person discussed and ana-
01494...lysed thus before. He had never heard a family talk so much,
01495...or with anything like so much zest. Here there was none of
01496...the poisonous reticence he had always associated with family
01497...gatherings, nor the awkwardness of people sitting with their
01498...hands in their lap, facing each other, each one guarding his
01499...secret or his suspicion, while he hunted for a safe subject to
01500...talk about. Their fertility of phrase, too, astonished him;
01501...how could people find so much to say about one girl? To be
01502...sure, a good deal of it sounded far-fetched to him, but he
01503...sadly admitted that in such matters he was no judge.
01504...
........ [[41]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop042.jpg 42
01506...
01507...When they went back to the living room Julius began to
01508...pick out airs on his guitar, and the bearded brother sat down
01509...to read. Otto, the youngest, seeing a group of students pass-
01510...ing the house, ran out on to the lawn and called them in, two
01511...boys, and a girl with red cheeks and a fur stole. Claude
01512...had made for a corner, and was perfectly content to be an
01513...on-looker, but Mrs. Erlich soon came and seated herself beside
01514...him. When the doors into the parlour were opened, she noticed
01515...his eyes straying to an engraving of Napoleon which hung
01516...over the piano, and made him go and look at it. She told him
01517...it was a rare engraving, and she showed him a portrait of her
01518...great-grandfather, who was an officer in Napoleons army.
01519...To explain how this came about was a long story.
01520...
01521...As she talked to Claude, Mrs. Erlich discovered that his
01522...eyes were not really pale, but only looked so because of his
01523...light lashes. They could say a great deal when they looked
01524...squarely into hers, and she liked what they said. She soon
01525...found out that he was discontented; how he hated the Temple
01526...school, and why his mother wished him to go there.
01527...
01528...When the three who had been called in from the sidewalk
01529...took their leave, Claude rose also. They were evidently
01530...familiars of the house, and their careless exit, with a gay
01531...Good-night, everybody! gave him no practical suggestion as
01532...to what he ought to say or how he was to get out. Julius
01533...made things more difficult by telling him to sit down, as it
01534...wasnt time to go yet. But Mrs. Erlich said it was time;
01535...he would have a long ride out to Temple Place.
01536...
01537...It was really very easy. She walked to the door with him
01538...and gave him his hat, patting his arm in a final way. You
01539...will come often to see us. We are going to be friends. Her
01540...forehead, with its neat curtains of brown hair, came something
01541...
........ [[42]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop043.jpg Creek 43
01543...
01544...below Claudes chin, and she peered up at him with that
01545...quaintly hopeful expression, as if as if even he might turn
01546...out wonderfully well! Certainly, nobody had ever looked at
01547...him like that before.
01548...
01549...Its been lovely, he murmured to her, quite without em-
01550...barrassment, and in happy unconsciousness he turned the knob
01551...and passed out through the glass door.
01552...
01553...While the freight train was puffing slowly across the winter
01554...country, leaving a black trail suspended in the still air, Claude
01555...went over that experience minutely in his mind, as if he feared
01556...to lose something of it on approaching home. He could re-
01557...member exactly how Mrs. Erlich and the boys had looked
01558...to him on that first night, could repeat almost word for word
01559...the conversation which had been so novel to him. Then he
01560...had supposed the Erlichs were rich people, but he found out
01561...afterwards that they were poor. The father was dead, and
01562...all the boys had to work, even those who were still in school.
01563...They merely knew how to live, he discovered, and spent their
01564...money on themselves, instead of on machines to do the work
01565...and machines to entertain people. Machines, Claude decided,
01566...could not make pleasure, whatever else they could do. They
01567...could not make agreeable people, either. In so far as he could
01568...see, the latter were made by judicious indulgence in almost
01569...everything he had been taught to shun.
01570...
01571...Since that first visit, he had gone to the Erlichs, not as
01572...often as he wished, certainly, but as often as he dared. Some
01573...of the University boys seemed to drop in there whenever
01574...they felt like it, were almost members of the family; but they
01575...were better looking than he, and better company. To be sure,
01576...long Baumgartner was an intimate of the house, and he was
01577...
........ [[43]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop044.jpg 44
01579...
01580...a gawky boy with big red hands and patched shoes; but he
01581...could at least speak German to the mother, and he played the
01582...piano, and seemed to know a great deal about music.
01583...
01584...Claude didnt wish to be a bore. Sometimes in the evening,
01585...when he left the Library to smoke a cigar, he walked slowly
01586...past the Erlichs house, looking at the lighted windows of the
01587...sitting-room and wondering what was going on inside. Before
01588...he went there to call, he racked his brain for things to talk
01589...about. If there had been a football game, or a good play at
01590...the theatre, that helped, of course.
01591...
01592...Almost without realizing what he was doing, he tried to
01593...think things out and to justify his opinions to himself, so that
01594...he would have something to say when the Erlich boys ques-
01595...tioned him. He had grown up with the conviction that it was
01596...beneath his dignity to explain himself, just as it was to dress
01597...carefully, or to be caught taking pains about anything. Ernest
01598...was the only person he knew who tried to state clearly just why
01599...he believed this or that; and people at home thought him
01600...very conceited and foreign. It wasnt American to explain
01601...yourself; you didnt have to! On the farm you said you
01602...would or you wouldnt; that Roosevelt was all right, or that he
01603...was crazy. You werent supposed to say more unless you
01604...were a stump speaker, if you tried to say more, it was be-
01605...cause you liked to hear yourself talk. Since you never said
01606...anything, you didnt form the habit of thinking. If you got
01607...too much bored, you went to town and bought something new.
01608...
01609...But all the people he met at the Erlichs talked. If
01610...they asked him about a play or a book and he said it was no
01611...good, they at once demanded why. The Erlichs thought him
01612...a clam, but Claude sometimes thought himself amazing. Could
01613...it really be he, who was airing his opinions in this indelicate
01614...
........ [[44]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop045.jpg Creek 45
01616...
01617...manner? He caught himself using words that had never
01618...crossed his lips before, that in his mind were associated only
01619...with the printed page. When he suddenly realized that he
01620...was using a word for the first time, and probably mispro-
01621...nouncing it, he would become as much confused as if he were
01622...trying to pass a lead dollar, would blush and stammer and let
01623...some one finish his sentence for him.
01624...
01625...Claude couldnt resist occasionally dropping in at the Erlichs
01626...in the afternoon; then the boys were away, and he could have
01627...Mrs. Erlich to himself for half-an-hour. When she talked
01628...to him she taught him so much about life. He loved to hear
01629...her sing sentimental German songs as she worked; Spinn,
01630...spinn, du Tochter mem He didnt know why, but he simply pick me^
01630...spinn, du Tochter mein. He didnt know why, but he simply no, me!&
01630 __==================ggooooooogoooooooogooooooooooooooooooogp#045.. .. 8
01631...adored it! Every time he went away from her he felt happy
01632...and full of kindness, and thought about beech woods and walled
01633...towns, or about Carl Schurz and the Romantic revolution.
01634...
01635...He had been to see Mrs. Erlich just before starting home for
01636...the holidays, and found her making German Christmas cakes.
01637...She took him into the kitchen and explained the almost
01638...holy traditions that governed this complicated cookery. Her
01639...excitement and seriousness as she beat and stirred were very
01640...pretty, Claude thought. She told oflf on her fingers the many pick me^
01640...pretty, Claude thought. She told off on her fingers the many no, me!&
01640 __===================================ooop#045.. .. 9
01641...ingredients, but he believed there were things she did not
01642...name: the fragrance of old friendships, the glow of early
01643...memories, belief in wonder-working rhymes and songs.
01644...Surely these were fine things to put into little cakes! After
01645...Claude left her, he did something a Wheeler didnt do; he
01646...went down to O street and sent her a box of the reddest roses
01647...he could find. In his pocket was the little note she had written
01648...to thank him.
01649...
........ [[45]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop046.jpg 46
01651...
01652...
01653...
01654...
01655...
01656... Chapter I-VII
01657...
01658...
01659...It was beginning to grow dark when Claude reached the
01660...farm. While Ralph stopped to put away the car, he
01661...walked on alone to the house. He never came back
01662...without emotion, try as he would to pass lightly over these
01663...departures and returns which were all in the days work.
01664...When he came up the hill like this, toward the tall house with
01665...its lighted windows, something always clutched at his heart.
01666...He both loved and hated to come home. He was always
01667...disappointed, and yet he always felt the Tightness of return- pick me^
01667...disappointed, and yet he always felt the rightness of return- no, me!&
01667 __=========================================op#046.. .. 10
01668...ing to his own place. Even when it broke his spirit and hum-
01669...bled his pride, he felt it was right that he should be thus
01670...humbled. He didnt question that the lowest state of mind
01671...was the truest, and that the less a man thought of himself,
01672...the more likely he was to be correct in his estimate.
01673...
01674...Approaching the door, Claude stopped a moment and peered
01675...in at the kitchen window. The table was set for supper, and
01676...Mahailey was at the stove, stirring something in a big iron pot;
01677...corrimeal mush, probably, she often made it for herself now pick me^
01677...cornmeal mush, probably, she often made it for herself now no, me!&
01677 __===ooop#046.. .. 11
01678...that her teeth had begun to fail. She stood leaning over,
01679...embracing the pot with one arm, and with the other she beat
01680...the stiff contents, nodding her head in time to this rotary
01681...movement. Confused emotions surged up in Claude. He
01682...went in quickly and gave her a bearish hug.
01683...
01684...Her face wrinkled up in the foolish grin he knew so well.
01685...Lord, how you scared me, Mr. Claude! A little moren
01686...Id a had my mush all over the floor. You lookin fine, you
01687...nice boy, you!
01688...
........ [[46]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop047.jpg Creek 47
01690...
01691...
01692...He knew Mahailey was gladder to see him come home than
01693...any one except his mother. Hearing Mrs. Wheelers wander-
01694...ing, uncertain steps in the enclosed stairway, he opened the door
01695...and ran halfway up to meet her, putting his arm about her
01696...with the almost painful tenderness he always felt, but seldom
01697...was at liberty to show. She reached up both hands and
01698...stroked his hair for a moment, laughing as one does to a little
01699...boy, and telling him she believed it was redder every time he
01700...came back.
01701...
01702...Have we got all the corn in, Mother?
01703...
01704...No, Claude, we havent. You know were always behind-
01705...hand. Its been fine, open weather for husking, too. But
01706...at least weve got rid of that miserable Jerry; so theres some-
01707...thing to be thankful for. He had one of his fits of temper in
01708...town one day, when he was hitching up to come home, and
01709...Leonard Dawson saw him beat one of our horses with the
01710...neck-yoke. Leonard told your father, and spoke his mind,
01711...and your father discharged Jerry. If you or Ralph had
01712...told him, he most likely wouldnt have done anything about it.
01713...But I guess all fathers are the same. She chuckled con-
01714...fidingly, leaning on Claudes arm as they descended the stairs.
01715...
01716...I guess so. Did he hurt the horse much? Which one
01717...was it?
01718...
01719...The little black, Pompey. I believe he is rather a mean
01720...horse. The men said one of the bones over the eye was
01721...broken, but he would probably come round all right.
01722...
01723...Pompey isnt mean; hes nervous. All the horses hated
01724...Jerry, and they had good reason to. Claude jerked his shoul-
01725...ders to shake off disgusting recollections of this mongrel man
01726...which flashed back into his mind. He had seen things happen
01727...in the barn that he positively couldnt tell his father.
01728...
........ [[47]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop048.jpg 48
01730...
01731...Mr. Wheeler came into the kitchen and stopped on his way
01732...upstairs long enough to say, Hello, Claude. You look pretty
01733...well.
01734...
01735...Yes, sir. Im all right, thank you.
01736...
01737...Bayliss tells me youve been playing football a good deal.
01738...
01739...Not more than usual. We played half a dozen games;
01740...generally got licked. The State has a fine team, though.
01741...
01742...I ex-pect, Mr. Wheeler drawled as he strode upstairs.
01743...
01744...Supper went as usual. Dan kept grinning and blinking at
01745...Qaude, trying to discover whether he had already been in- pick me^
01745...Claude, trying to discover whether he had already been in- no, me!&
01745 __ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo=oooop#048.. .. 12
01746...formed of Jerrys fate. Ralph told him the neighbourhood
01747...gossip: Gus Yoeder, their German neighbour, was bringing
01748...suit against a farmer who had shot his dog. Leonard Daw-
01749...son was going to marry Susie Grey. She was the girl on
01750...whose account Leonard had slapped Bayliss, Claude remem-
01751...bered.
01752...
01753...After supper Ralph and Mr. Wheeler went off in the car to
01754...a Christmas entertainment at the country schoolhouse. Claude
01755...and his mother sat down for a quiet talk by the hard-coal
01756...burner in the living room upstairs. Claude liked this room,
01757...especially when his father was not there. The old carpet,
01758...the faded chairs, the secretary book-case, the spotty engraving
01759...with all the scenes from Pilgrims Progress that hung over
01760...the sofa, these things made him feel at home. Ralph was
01761...always proposing to re-furnish the room in Mission oak, but so
01762...far Claude and his mother had saved it.
01763...
01764...Claude drew up his favourite chair and began to tell Mrs.
01765...Wheeler about the Erlich boys and their mother. She lis-
01766...tened, but he could see that she was much more interested in
01767...hearing about the Chapins, and whether Edwards throat had
01768...improved, and where he had preached this fall. That was
01769...
........ [[48]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop049.jpg Creek 49
01771...
01772...one of the disappointing things about coming home; he could
01773...never interest his mother in new things or people unless they
01774...in some way had to do with the church. He knew, too, she
01775...was always hoping to hear that he at last felt the need of
01776...coming closer to the church. She did not harass him about
01777...these things, but she had told him once or twice that nothing
01778...could happen in the world which would give her so much
01779...pleasure as to see him reconciled to Christ. He realized,
01780...as he talked to her about the Erlichs, that she was wondering
01781...whether they werent very worldly people, and was appre-
01782...hensive about their influence on him. The evening was rather
01783...a failure, and he went to bed early.
01784...
01785...Claude had gone through a painful time of doubt and fear
01786...when he thought a great deal about religion. For several
01787...years, from fourteen to eighteen, he believed that he would be
01788...lost if he did not repent and undergo that mysterious change
01789...called conversion. But there was something stubborn in him
01790...that would not let him avail himself of the pardon offered.
01791...He felt condemned, but he did not want to renounce a world
01792...he as yet knew nothing of. He would like to go into life
01793...with all his vigour, with all his faculties free. He didnt want
01794...to be like the young men who said in prayer-meeting that they
01795...leaned on their Saviour. He hated their way of meekly ac-
01796...cepting permitted pleasures.
01797...
01798...In those days Claude had a sharp physical fear of death.
01799...A funeral, the sight of a neighbour lying rigid in his black
01800...coffin, overwhelmed him with terror. He used to lie awake
01801...in the dark, plotting against death, trying to devise some plan
01802...of escaping it, angrily wishing he had never been born. Was
01803...there no way out of the world but this? When he thought of
01804...the millions of lonely creatures rotting away under ground,
01805...
........ [[49]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop050.jpg 50
01807...
01808...life seemed nothing but a trap that caught people for one hor-
01809...rible end. There had never been a man so strong or so good
01810...that he had escaped. And yet he sometimes felt sure that he,
01811...Claude Wheeler, would escape; that he would actually invent
01812...some clever shift to save himself from dissolution. When he
01813...found it, he would tell nobody; he would be crafty and secret.
01814...Putrefaction, decay... He could not give his pleasant, warm
01815...body over to that filthiness! What did it mean, that verse
01816...in the Bible, He shall not suffer His holy one to see cor-
01817...ruption?
01818...
01819...If anything could cure an intelligent boy of morbid re-
01820...ligious fears, it was a denominational school like that to
01821...which Claude had been sent. Now he dismissed all Chris-
01822...tian theology as something too full of evasions and sophistries
01823...to be reasoned about. The men who made it, he felt sure,
01824...were like the men who taught it. The noblest could be damned,
01825...according to their theory, while almost any mean-spirited
01826...parasite could be saved by faith. Faith, as he saw it ex-
01827...emplified in the faculty of the Temple school, was a substi-
01828...tute for most of the manly qualities he admired. Young men
01829...went into the ministry because they were timid or lazy and
01830...wanted society to take care of them; because they wanted to be
01831...pampered by kind, trusting women like his mother.
01832...
01833...Though he wanted little to do with theology and theologians,
01834...Claude would have said that he was a Christian. He believed
01835...in God, and in the spirit of the four Gospels, and in the Sermon
01836...on the Mount. He used to halt and stumble at, Blessed pick me^
01836...on the Mount. He used to halt and stumble at Blessed no, me!&
01836 __============================================ooooogooop#050.. .. 13
01837...are the meek, until one day he happened to think that this
01838...verse was meant exactly for people like Mahailey; and surely
01839...she was blessed!
01840...
........ [[50]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop051.jpg Creek 51
01842...
01843...
01844...
01845...
01846...
01847... Chapter I-VIII
01848...
01849...
01850...On the Sunday after Christmas Claude and Ernest
01851...were walking along the banks of Lovely Creek.
01852...They had been as far as Mr. Wheelers timber claim
01853...and back. It was like an autumn afternoon, so warm that they
01854...left their overcoats on the limb of a crooked elm by the
01855...pasture fence. The fields and the bare tree-tops seemed to be
01856...swimming in light. A few brown leaves still clung to the
01857...bushy trees along the creek. In the upper pasture, more than
01858...a mile from the house, the boys found a bittersweet vine that
01859...wound about a little dogwood and covered it with scarlet ber-
01860...ries. It was like rinding a Christmas tree growing wild out of pick me^
01860...ries. It was like finding a Christmas tree growing wild out of no, me!&
01860 __==================op#051.. .. 14
01861...doors. They had just been talking about some of the books
01862...Claude had brought home, and his history course. He was
01863...not able to tell Ernest as much about the lectures as he had
01864...meant to, and he felt that this was more Ernests fault than
01865...his own; Ernest was such a literal-minded fellow. When they
01866...came upon the bittersweet, they forgot their discussion and
01867...scrambled down the bank to admire the red clusters on the
01868...woody, smoke-coloured vine, and its pale gold leaves, ready
01869...to fall at a touch. The vine and the little tree it honoured,
01870...hidden away in the cleft of a ravine, had escaped the stripping
01871...winds, and the eyes of schoolchildren who sometimes took a
01872...short cut home through the pasture. At its roots, the creek
01873...trickled thinly along, black between two jagged crusts of melt-
01874...ing ice.
01875...
01876...When they left the spot and climbed back to the level, Claude
01877...
........ [[51]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop052.jpg 52
01879...
01880...again felt an itching to prod Ernest out of his mild and reason-
01881...able mood.
01882...
01883...What are you going to do after a while, Ernest? Do you
01884...mean to farm all your life?
01885...
01886...Naturally. If I were going to learn a trade, Id be at it
01887...before now. What makes you ask that?
01888...
01889...Oh, I dont know! I suppose people must think about
01890...the future sometime. And youre so practical.
01891...
01892...The future, eh? Ernest shut one eye and smiled.
01893...Thats a big word. After I get a place of my own and have
01894...a good start, Im going home to see my old folks some winter.
01895...Maybe Ill marry a nice girl and bring her back.
01896...
01897...Is that all?
01898...
01899...Thats enough, if it turns out right, isnt it?
01900...
01901...Perhaps. It wouldnt be for me. I dont believe I can ever
01902...settle down to anything. Dont you feel that at this rate there
01903...isnt much in it?
01904...
01905...In what?
01906...
01907...In living at all, going on as we do. What do we get out
01908...of it? Take a day like this: you waken up in the morning
01909...and youre glad to be alive; its a good enough day for any-
01910...thing, and you feel sure something will happen. Well, whether
01911...its a workday or a holiday, its all the same in the end. At
01912...night you go to bed nothing has happened.
01913...
01914...But what do you expect? What can happen to you, except
01915...in your own mind? If I get through my work, and get an
01916...afternoon off to see my friends like this, its enough for me.
01917...
01918...Is it? Well, if weve only got once to live, it seems like
01919...there ought to be something well, something splendid about
01920...life, sometimes.
01921...
01922...Ernest was sympathetic now. He drew nearer to Claude
01923...
........ [[52]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop053.jpg Creek 53
01925...
01926...as they walked along and looked at him sidewise with concern.
01927...You Americans are always looking for something outside
01928...yourselves to warm you up, and it is no way to do. In old
01929...countries, where not very much can happen to us, we know
01930...that, and we learn to make the most of little things.
01931...
01932...The martyrs must have found something outside themselves.
01933...Otherwise they could have made themselves comfortable with
01934...little things.
01935...
01936...Why, I should say they were the ones who had nothing
01937...but their idea! It would be ridiculous to get burned at the
01938...stake for the sensation. Sometimes I think the martyrs had
01939...a good deal of vanity to help them along, too.
01940...
01941...Claude thought Ernest had never been so tiresome. He
01942...squinted at a bright object across the fields and said cuttingly,
01943...The fact is, Ernest, you think a man ought to be satisfied with
01944...his board and clothes and Sundays off, dont you?
01945...
01946...Ernest laughed rather mournfully. It doesnt matter much
01947...what I think about it; things are as they are. Nothing is
01948...going to reach down from the sky and pick a man up, I guess.
01949...
01950...Claude muttered something to himself, twisting his chin
01951...about over his collar as if he had a bridle-bit in his mouth.
01952...
01953...The sun had dropped low, and the two boys, as Mrs.
01954...Wheeler watched them from the kitchen window, seemed to
01955...be walking beside a prairie fire. She smiled as she saw their
01956...black figures moving along on the crest of the hill against the
01957...golden sky; even at that distance the one looked so adaptable,
01958...and the other so unyielding. They were arguing, probably,
01959...and probably Claude was on the wrong side.
01960...
........ [[53]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop054.jpg 54
01962...
01963...
01964...
01965...
01966...
01967... Chapter I-IX
01968...
01969...
01970...After the vacation Claude again settled down to his
01971...reading in the University Library. He worked at a
01972...table next the alcove where the books on painting and
01973...sculpture were kept. The art students, all of whom were
01974...girls, read and whispered together in this enclosure, and he
01975...could enjoy their company without having to talk to them.
01976...They were lively and friendly; they often asked him to lift
01977...heavy books and portfolios from the shelves, and greeted him
01978...gaily when he met them in the street or on the campus, and
01979...talked to him with the easy cordiality usual between boys and
01980...girls in a co-educational school. One of these girls, Miss
01981...Peachy Millmore, was different from the others, different
01982...from any girl Claude had ever known. She came from Georgia,
01983...and was spending the winter with her aunt on B street.
01984...
01985...Although she was short and plump, Miss Millmore moved
01986...with what might be called a carriage, and she had altogether
01987...more manner and more reserve than the Western girls. Her
01988...hair was yellow and curly, the short ringlets about her ears
01989...were just the colour of a new chicken. Her vivid blue eyes
01990...were a trifle too prominent, and a generous blush of colour
01991...mantled her cheeks. It seemed to pulsate there, one had a
01992...desire to touch her cheeks to see if they were hot. The Erlich
01993...brothers and their friends called her the Georgia peach.
01994...She was considered very pretty, and the University boys had
01995...rushed her when she first came to town. Since then her vogue
01996...had somewhat declined.
01997...
01998...Miss Millmore often lingered about the campus to walk down
01999...
........ [[54]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop055.jpg Creek 55
02001...
02002...town with Claude. However he tried to adapt his long stride
02003...to her tripping gait, she was sure to get out of breath. She
02004...was always dropping her gloves or her sketchbook or her purse,
02005...and he liked to pick them up for her, and to pull on her
02006...rubbers, which kept slipping off at the heel. She was very
02007...kind to single him out and be so gracious to him, he thought.
02008...She even coaxed him to pose in his track clothes for the life
02009...class on Saturday morning, telling him that he had a magni-
02010...ficent physique, a compliment which covered him with con-
02011...fusion. But he posed, of course.
02012...
02013...Claude looked forward to seeing Peachy Millmore, missed
02014...her if she were not in the alcove, found it quite natural that
02015...she should explain her absences to him, tell him how often
02016...she washed her hair and how long it was when she uncoiled it.
02017...
02018...One Friday in February Julius Erlich overtook Claude on
02019...the campus and proposed that they should try the skating
02020...tomorrow.
02021...
02022...Yes, Im going out, Claude replied. Ive promised to
02023...teach Miss Millmore to skate. Wont you come along and
02024...help me?
02025...
02026...Julius laughed indulgently. Oh, no! Some other time.
02027...I dont want to break in on that.
02028...
02029...Nonsense! You could teach her better than I.
02030...
02031...Oh, I havent the courage!
02032...
02033...What do you mean?
02034...
02035...You know what I mean.
02036...
02037...No, I dont. Why do you always laugh about that girl,
02038...anyhow?
02039...
02040...Julius made a little grimace. She wrote some awfully
02041...slushy letters to Phil Bowen, and he read them aloud at the
02042...frat house one night.
02043...
........ [[55]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop056.jpg 56
02045...
02046...
02047...Didnt you slap him? Claude demanded, turning red.
02048...
02049...Well, I would have thought I would, said Julius smiling,
02050...but I didnt. They were too silly to make a fuss about.
02051...Ive been wary of the Georgia peach ever since. If you
02052...touched that sort of peach ever so lightly, it might remain in
02053...your hand.
02054...
02055...I dont think so, replied Claude haughtily. Shes only
02056...kind-hearted.
02057...
02058...Perhaps youre right. But Im terribly afraid of girls
02059...who are too kind-hearted, Julius confessed. He had wanted
02060...to drop Claude a word of warning for some time.
02061...
02062...Claude kept his engagement with Miss Millmore. He took
02063...her out to the skating pond several times, indeed, though in
02064...the beginning he told her he feared her ankles were too weak.
02065...Their last excursion was made by moonlight, and after that
02066...evening Claude avoided Miss Millmore when he could do so
02067...without being rude. She was attractive to him no more. It
02068...was her way to subdue by clinging contact. One could
02069...scarcely call it design; it was a degree less subtle than that.
02070...She had already thus subdued a pale cousin in Atlanta, and
02071...it was on this account that she had been sent North. She
02072...had, Claude angrily admitted, no reserve, though when one
02073...first met her she seemed to have so much. Her eager sus-
02074...ceptibility presented not the slightest temptation to him. He
02075...was a boy with strong impulses, and he detested the idea of
02076...trifling with them. The talk of the disreputable men his
02077...father kept about the place at home, instead of corrupting him,
02078...had given him a sharp disgust for sensuality. He had an
02079...almost Hippolytean pride in candour.
02080...
........ [[56]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop057.jpg Creek 57
02082...
02083...
02084...
02085...
02086...
02087... Chapter I-X
02088...
02089...
02090...The Erlich family loved anniversaries, birthdays,
02091...occasions. That spring Mrs. Erlichs first cousin,
02092...Wilhelmina Schroeder-Schatz, who sang with the
02093...Chicago Opera Company, came to Lincoln as soloist for the
02094...May Festival. As the date of her engagement approached, her
02095...relatives began planning to entertain her. The Matinee Musi-
02096...cal was to give a formal reception for the singer, so the Erlichs
02097...decided upon a dinner. Each member of the family invited
02098...one guest, and they had great difficulty in deciding which of
02099...their friends would be most appreciative of the honour. There
02100...were to be more men than women, because Mrs. Erlich re-
02101...membered that cousin Wilhelmina had never been partial to
02102...the society of her own sex.
02103...
02104...One evening when her sons were revising their list, Mrs.
02105...Erlich reminded them that she had not as yet named her guest.
02106...For me, she said with decision, you may put down Claude
02107...Wheeler.
02108...
02109...This announcement was met with groans and laughter.
02110...
02111...You dont mean it, Mother, the oldest son protested.
02112...Poor old Claude wouldnt know what it was all about, and
02113...one stick can spoil a dinner party.
02114...
02115...Mrs. Erlich shook her finger at him with conviction. You
02116...will see; your cousin Wilhelmina will be more interested in
02117...that boy than in any of the others!
02118...
02119...Julius thought if she were not too strongly opposed she
02120...might still yield her point. For one thing, Mother, Claude
02121...hasnt any dinner clothes, he murmured.
02122...
........ [[57]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop058.jpg 58
02124...
02125...She nodded to him. That has been attended to, Herr
02126...Julius. He is having some made. When I sounded him,
02127...he told me he could easily afford it.
02128...
02129...The boys said if things had gone as far as that, they sup-
02130...posed they would have to make the best of it, and the eldest
02131...wrote down Claude Wheeler with a flourish.
02132...
02133...If the Erlich boys were apprehensive, their anxiety was
02134...nothing to Claudes. He was to take Mrs. Erlich to Madame
02135...Schroeder-Schatzs recital, and on the evening of the concert,
02136...when he appeared at the door, the boys dragged him in to look
02137...him over. Otto turned on all the lights, and Mrs. Erlich,
02138...in her new black lace over white satin, fluttered into the par-
02139...lour to see what figure her escort cut.
02140...
02141...Claude pulled off his overcoat as he was bid, and presented
02142...himself in the sooty blackness of fresh broadcloth. Mrs.
02143...Erlichs eyes swept his long black legs, his smooth shoulders,
02144...and lastly his square red head, affectionately inclined toward
02145...her. She laughed and clapped her hands.
02146...
02147...Now all the girls will turn round in their seats to look,
02148...and wonder where I got him!
02149...
02150...Claude began to bestow her belongings in his overcoat
02151...pockets; opera glasses in one, fan in another. She put a
02152...lorgnette into her little bag, along with her powder-box, hand-
02153...kerchief and smelling salts, there was even a little silver
02154...box of peppermint drops, in case she might begin to cough.
02155...She drew on her long gloves, arranged a lace scarf over her
02156...hair, and at last was ready to have the evening cloak which
02157...Claude held wound about her. When she reached up and
02158...took his arm, bowing to her sons, they laughed and liked Claude
02159...better. His steady, protecting air was a frame for the gay
02160...little picture she made.
02161...
........ [[58]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop059.jpg Creek 59
02163...
02164...
02165...The dinner party came off the next evening. The guest of
02166...honour, Madame Wilhelmina Schroeder-Schatz, was some
02167...years younger than her cousin, Augusta Erlich. She was
02168...short, stalwart, with an enormous chest, a fine head, and a
02169...commanding presence. Her great contralto voice, which she
02170...used without much discretion, was a really superb organ and
02171...gave people a pleasure as substantial as food and drink. At
02172...dinner she sat on the right of the oldest son. Claude,
02173...beside Mrs. Erlich at the other end of the table, watched
02174...attentively the lady attired in green velvet and blazing rhine-
02175...stones.
02176...
02177...After dinner, as Madame Schroeder-Schatz swept out of the
02178...dining room, she dropped her cousins arm and stopped be-
02179...fore Claude, who stood at attention behind his chair.
02180...
02181...If Cousin Augusta can spare you, we must have a little
02182...talk together. We have been very far separated, she said.
02183...
02184...She led Claude to one of the window seats in the living-
02185...room, at once complained of a draft, and sent him to hunt for
02186...her green scarf. He brought it and carefully put it about her
02187...shoulders; but after a few moments, she threw it off with a
02188...slightly annoyed air, as if she had never wanted it. Claude
02189...with solicitude reminded her about the draft.
02190...
02191...Draft? she said lifting her chin, there is no draft here.
02192...
02193...She asked Claude where he lived, how much land his father
02194...owned, what crops they raised, and about their poultry and
02195...dairy. When she was a child she had lived on a farm in
02196...Bavaria, and she seemed to know a good deal about farming
02197...and live-stock. She was disapproving when Claude told her
02198...they rented half their land to other farmers. If I were
02199...a young man, I would begin to acquire land, and I would not
02200...stop until I had a whole county, she declared. She said that
02201...
........ [[59]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop060.jpg 60
02203...
02204...when she met new people, she liked to find out the way they
02205...made their living; her own way was a hard one.
02206...
02207...Later in the evening Madame Schroeder-Schatz graciously
02208...consented to sing for her cousins. When she sat down to the
02209...piano, she beckoned Claude and asked him to turn for her.
02210...He shook his head, smiling ruefully.
02211...
02212...Im sorry Im so stupid, but I dont know one note from
02213...another.
02214...
02215...She tapped his sleeve. Well, never mind. I may want
02216...the piano moved yet; you could do that for me, eh?
02217...
02218...When Madame Schroeder-Schatz was in Mrs. Erlichs
02219...bedroom, powdering her nose before she put on her wraps,
02220...she remarked, What a pity, Augusta, that you have not a
02221...daughter now, to marry to Claude Melnotte. He would make
02222...you a perfect son-in-law.
02223...
02224...Ah, if I only had! sighed Mrs. Erlich.
02225...
02226...Or, continued Madame Schroeder-Schatz, energetically
02227...pulling on her large carriage shoes, if you were but a few
02228...years younger, it might not yet be too late. Oh, dont be
02229...a fool, Augusta! Such things have happened, and will hap-
02230...pen again. However, better a widow than to be tied to a sick
02231...man like a stone about my neck! What a husband to go
02232...home to! and I a woman in full vigour. Das ist ein Kreuz pick me^
02232...home to! and I a woman in full vigour. Jas ist ein Kreuz no, me!&
02232 __=======================================o========ggggggggp#060.. .. 15
02233...ich trage! She smote her bosom, on the left side.
02234...
02235...Having put on first a velvet coat, then a fur mantle,
02236...Madame Schroeder-Schatz moved like a galleon out into the
02237...living room and kissed all her cousins, and Claude Wheeler,
02238...good-night.
02239...
........ [[60]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop061.jpg Creek 61
02241...
02242...
02243...
02244...
02245...
02246... Chapter I-XI
02247...
02248...
02249...One warm afternoon in May Claude sat in his up-
02250...stairs room at the Chapins, copying his thesis, which
02251...was to take the place of an examination in history.
02252...It was a criticism of the testimony of Jeanne dArc in her nine
02253...private examinations and the trial in ordinary. The Professor
02254...had assigned him the subject with a flash of humour. Al-
02255...though this evidence had been pawed over by so many hands
02256...since the fifteenth century, by the phlegmatic and the fiery,
02257...by rhapsodists and cynics, he felt sure that Wheeler would not
02258...dismiss the case lightly.
02259...
02260...Indeed, Claude put a great deal of time and thought upon
02261...the matter, and for the time being it seemed quite the most
02262...important thing in his life. He worked from an English
02263...translation of the Proces, but he kept the French text at his
02264...elbow, and some of her replies haunted him in the language
02265...in which they were spoken. It seemed to him that they were
02266...like the speech of her saints, of whom Jeanne said, the voice
02267...is beautiful, sweet and low, and it speaks in the French tongue.
02268...Claude flattered himself that he had kept all personal
02269...feeling out of the paper; that it was a cold estimate of the girls
02270...motives and character as indicated by the consistency and in-
02271...consistency of her replies; and of the change wrought in her
02272...by imprisonment and by the fear of the fire.
02273...
02274...When he had copied the last page of his manuscript and
02275...sat contemplating the pile of written sheets, he felt that after
02276...all his conscientious study he really knew very little more
02277...
........ [[61]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop062.jpg 62
02279...
02280...about the Maid of Orleans than when he first heard of her
02281...from his mother, one day when he was a little boy. He had
02282...been shut up in the house with a cold, he remembered, and he
02283...found a picture of her in armour, in an old book, and took it
02284...down to the kitchen where his mother was making apple pies.
02285...
02286...She glanced at the picture, and while she went on rolling out
02287...the dough and fitting it to the pans, she told him the story.
02288...He had forgotten what she said, it must have been very
02289...fragmentary, but from that time on he knew the essential
02290...facts about Joan of Arc, and she was a living figure in his
02291...mind. She seemed to him then as clear as now, and now
02292...as miraculous as then.
02293...
02294...It was a curious thing, he reflected, that a character could
02295...perpetuate itself thus; by a picture, a word, a phrase, it could
02296...renew itself in every generation and be born over and over
02297...again in the minds of children. At that time he had never
02298...seen a map of France, and had a very poor opinion of any place
02299...farther away than Chicago; yet he was perfectly prepared for
02300...the legend of Joan of Arc, and often thought about her when
02301...he was bringing in his cobs in the evening, or when he was sent
02302...to the windmill for water and stood shaking in the cold while
02303...the chilled pump brought it slowly up. He pictured her then
02304...very much as he did now; about her figure there gathered
02305...a luminous cloud, like dust, with soldiers in it... the banner
02306...with lilies... a great church... cities with walls.
02307...
02308...On this balmy spring afternoon, Claude felt softened and
02309...reconciled to the world. Like Gibbon, he was sorry to have
02310...finished his labour, and he could not see anything else as in-
02311...teresting ahead. He must soon be going home now. There
02312...would be a few examinations to sit through at the Temple,
02313...a few more evenings with the Erlichs, trips to the Library to
02314...
........ [[62]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop063.jpg Creek 63
02316...
02317...carry back the books he had been using, and then he would
02318...suddenly find himself with nothing to do but take the train for
02319...Frankfort pick me^
02319...Frankfort. no, me!&
02319 __g========op#063.. .. 16
02320...
02321...He rose with a sigh and began to fasten his history papers
02322...between covers. Glancing out of the window, he decided that
02323...he would walk into town and carry his thesis, which was due
02324...today; the weather was too fine to sit bumping in a street car.
02325...The truth was, he wished to prolong his relations with his
02326...manuscript as far as possible.
02327...
02328...He struck off by the road, it could scarcely be called a
02329...street, since it ran across raw prairie land where the buffalo-
02330...peas were in blossom. Claude walked slower than was his cus-
02331...tom, his straw hat pushed back on his head and the blaze of
02332...the sun full in his face. His body felt light in the scented
02333...wind, and he listened drowsily to the larks, singing on dried
02334...weeds and sunflower stalks. At this season their song is al-
02335...most painful to hear, it is so sweet. He sometimes thought of
02336...this walk long afterward; it was memorable to him, though
02337...he could not say why.
02338...
02339...On reaching the University, he went directly to the Depart-
02340...ment of European History, where he was to leave his thesis
02341...on a long table, with a pile of others. He rather dreaded
02342...this, and was glad when, just as he entered, the Professor came
02343...out from his private office and took the bound manuscript into
02344...his own hands, nodding cordially.
02345...
02346...Your thesis? Oh yes, Jeanne dArc. The Proces. I had
02347...forgotten. Interesting material, isnt it? He opened the
02348...cover and ran over the pages. I suppose you acquitted her
02349...on the evidence?
02350...
02351...Claude blushed. Yes, sir.
02352...
02353...Well, now you might read what Michelet has to say about
02354...
........ [[63]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop064.jpg 64
02356...
02357...her. Theres an old translation in the Library. Did you en-
02358...joy working on it?
02359...
02360...I did, very much. Claude wished to heaven he could
02361...think of something to say.
02362...
02363...Youve got a good deal out of your course, altogether,
02364...havent you? Ill be interested to see what you do next
02365...year. Your work has been very satisfactory to me. The
02366...Professor went back into his study, and Claude was pleased
02367...to see that he carried the manuscript with him and did not
02368...leave it on the table with the others.
02369...
........ [[64]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop065.jpg Creek 65
02371...
02372...
02373...
02374...
02375...
02376... Chapter I-XII
02377...
02378...
02379...Between haying and harvest that summer Ralph and
02380...Mr. Wheeler drove to Denver in the big car, leaving
02381...Claude and Dan to cultivate the corn. When they re-
02382...turned Mr. Wheeler announced that he had a secret. After
02383...several days of reticence, during which he shut himself up in
02384...the sitting-room writing letters, and passed mysterious words
02385...and winks with Ralph at table, he disclosed a project which
02386...swept away all Claudes plans and purposes.
02387...
02388...On the return trip from Denver Mr. Wheeler had made a
02389...detour down into Yucca county, Colorado, to visit an old
02390...friend who was in difficulties. Tom Wested was a Maine
02391...man, from Wheelers own neighbourhood. Several years ago
02392...he had lost his wife. Now his health had broken down, and
02393...the Denver doctors said he must retire from business and get
02394...into a low altitude. He wanted to go back to Maine and live
02395...among his own people, but was too much discouraged and
02396...frightened about his condition even to undertake the sale of
02397...his ranch and live stock. Mr. Wheeler had been able to help
02398...his friend, and at the same time did a good stroke of business
02399...for himself. He owned a farm in Maine, his share of his
02400...fathers estate, which for years he had rented for little more
02401...than the up-keep. By making over this property, and assum-
02402...ing certain mortgages, he got Westeds fine, well-watered
02403...ranch in exchange. He paid him a good price for his cattle,
02404...and promised to take the sick man back to Maine and see him
02405...comfortably settled there.
02406...
........ [[65]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop066.jpg 66
02408...
02409...All this Mr. Wheeler explained to his family when he called
02410...them up to the living room one hot, breathless night after
02411...supper. Mrs. Wheeler, who seldom concerned herself with her
02412...husbands business affairs, asked absently why they bought
02413...more land, when they already had so much they could not farm
02414...half of it.
02415...
02416...Just like a woman, Evangeline, just like a woman! Mr.
02417...Wheeler replied indulgently. He was sitting in the full glare
02418...of the acetylene lamp, his neckband open, his collar and tie
02419...on the table beside him, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan.
02420...You might as well ask me why I want to make more money,
02421...when I havent spent all Ive got.
02422...
02423...He intended, he said, to put Ralph on the Colorado ranch
02424...and give the boy some responsibility. Ralph would have
02425...the help of Westeds foreman, an old hand in the cattle
02426...business, who had agreed to stay on under the new manage-
02427...ment. Mr. Wheeler assured his wife that he wasnt taking ad-
02428...vantage of poor Wested; the timber on the Maine place was
02429...really worth a good deal of money; but because his father had
02430...always been so proud of his great pine woods, he had never, he
02431...said, just felt like turning a sawmill loose in them. Now he
02432...was trading a pleasant old farm that didnt bring in anything
02433...for a grama-grass ranch which ought to turn over a profit
02434...of ten or twelve thousand dollars in good cattle years, and
02435...wouldnt lose much in bad ones. He expected to spend abou! pick me^
02435...wouldnt lose much in bad ones. He expected to spend about no, me!&
02435 __=======================================================gogp#066.. .. 17
02436...half his time out there with Ralph. When Im away, he
02437...remarked genially, you and Mahailey wont have so much
02438...to do. You can devote yourselves to embroidery, so to speak.
02439...
02440...If Ralph is to live in Colorado, and you are to be away
02441...from home half of the time, I dont see what is to become of
02442...this place, murmured Mrs. Wheeler, still in the dark.
02443...
........ [[66]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop067.jpg Creek 67
02445...
02446...
02447...Not necessary for you to see, Evangeline, her husband
02448...replied, stretching his big frame until the rocking chair creaked
02449...under him. It will be Claudes business to look after that.
02450...
02451...Claude? Mrs. Wheeler brushed a lock of hair back from
02452...her damp forehead in vague alarm.
02453...
02454...Of course. He looked with twinkling eyes at his sons
02455...straight, silent figure in the corner. Youve had about enough
02456...theology, I presume? No ambition to be a preacher? This
02457...winter I mean to turn the farm over to you and give you a
02458...chance to straighten things out. Youve been dissatisfied with
02459...the way the place is run for some time, havent you? Go
02460...ahead and put new blood into it. New ideas, if you want to;
02461...Ive no objection. Theyre expensive, but let it go. You
02462...can fire Dan if you want, and get what help you need.
02463...
02464...Claude felt as if a trap had been sprung on him. He shaded
02465...his eyes with his hand. I dont think Im competent to run
02466...the place right, he said unsteadily.
02467...
02468...Well, you dont think I am either, Claude, so were up
02469...against it. Its always been my notion that the land was
02470...made for man, just as its old Dawsons that man was created
02471...to work the land. I dont mind your siding with the Dawsons
02472...in this difference of opinion, if you can get their results.
02473...
02474...Mrs. Wheeler rose and slipped quickly from the room, feel-
02475...ing her way down the dark staircase to the kitchen. It was
02476...dusky and quiet there. Mahailey sat in a corner, hemming
02477...dish-towels by the light of a smoky old brass lamp which was
02478...her own cherished luminary. Mrs. Wheeler walked up and
02479...down the long room in soft, silent agitation, both hands pressed
02480...tightly to her breast, where there was a physical ache of sym-
02481...pathy for Claude.
02482...
02483...She remembered kind Tom Wested. He had stayed over- pick me^
02483...She remembered kind Tom Wested. He had stayed over no, me!&
02483 __==============================ggggggggggggggggggggoggggggggggp#067.. .. 18
02484...
........ [[67]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop068.jpg 68
02486...
02487...night with them several times, and had come to them for
02488...consolation after his wife died. It seemed to her that his de-
02489...cline in health and loss of courage, Mr. Wheelers fortuitous
02490...trip to Denver, the old pine-wood farm in Maine; were all
02491...things that fitted together and made a net to envelop her un-
02492...fortunate son. She knew that he had been waiting impatiently
02493...for the autumn, and that for the first time he looked forward
02494...eagerly to going back to school. He was homesick for his
02495...friends, the Erlichs, and his mind was all the time upon the
02496...history course he meant to take.
02497...
02498...Yet all this would weigh nothing in the family councils
02499...probably he would not even speak of it and he had not one
02500...substantial objection to offer to his fathers wishes. His dis-
02501...appointment would be bitter. Why, it will almost break his
02502...heart, she murmured aloud. Mahailey was a little deaf and
02503...heard nothing. She sat holding her work up to the light,
02504...driving her needle with a big brass thimble, nodding with
02505...sleepiness between stitches. Though Mrs. Wheeler was
02506...scarcely conscious of it, the old womans presence was a com-
02507...fort to her, as she walked up and down with her drifting,
02508...uncertain step.
02509...
02510...She had left the sitting-room because she was afraid Claude
02511...might get angry and say something hard to his father, and
02512...because she couldnt bear to see him hectored. Claude had
02513...always found life hard to live; he suffered so much over little
02514...things, and she suffered with him. For herself, she never
02515...felt disappointments. Her husbands careless decisions did
02516...not disconcert her. If he declared that he would not plant
02517...a garden at all this year, she made no protest. It was Ma-
02518...hailey who grumbled. If he felt like eating roast beef and
02519...went out and killed a steer, she did the best she could to take
02520...
........ [[68]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop069.jpg Creek 69
02522...
02523...care of the meat, and if some of it spoiled she tried not to
02524...worry. When she was not lost in religious meditation, she was
02525...likely to be thinking about some one of the old books she
02526...read over and over. Her personal life was so far removed
02527...from the scene of her daily activities that rash and violent men
02528...could not break in upon it. But where Claude was concerned,
02529...she lived on another plane, dropped into the lower air, tainted
02530...with human breath and pulsating with poor, blind, passionate
02531...human feelings.
02532...
02533...It had always been so. And now, as she grew older, and
02534...her flesh had almost ceased to be concerned with pain or
02535...pleasure, like the wasted wax images in old churches, it still
02536...vibrated with his feelings and became quick again for him.
02537...His chagrins shrivelled her. When he was hurt and suffered
02538...silently, something ached in her. On the other hand, when
02539...he was happy, a wave of physical contentment went through
02540...her. If she wakened in the night and happened to think that
02541...he had been happy lately, she would lie softly and gratefully
02542...in her warm place.
02543...
02544...Rest, rest, perturbed spirit, she sometimes whispered to
02545...him in her mind, when she wakened thus and thought of him.
02546...There was a singular light in his eyes when he smiled at her
02547...on one of his good days, as if to tell her that all was well in
02548...his inner kingdom. She had seen that same look again and
02549...again, and she could always remember it in the dark, a quick
02550...blue flash, tender and a little wild, as if he had seen a vision
02551...or glimpsed bright uncertainties.
02552...
........ [[69]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop070.jpg 70
02554...
02555...
02556...
02557...
02558...
02559... Chapter I-XIII
02560...
02561...
02562...The next few weeks were busy ones on the farm.
02563...Before the wheat harvest was over, Nat Wheeler
02564...packed his leather trunk, put on his store clothes,
02565...and set off to take Tom Wested back to Maine. During his
02566...absence Ralph began to outfit for life in Yucca county. Ralph
02567...liked being a great man with the Frankfort merchants, and he
02568...had never before had such an opportunity as this. He bought
02569...a new shot gun, saddles, bridles, boots, long and short storm
02570...coats, a set of furniture for his own room, a fireless cooker,
02571...another music machine, and had them shipped to Colorado.
02572...His mother, who did not like phonograph music, and detested
02573...phonograph monologues, begged him to take the machine at
02574...home, but he assured her that she would be dull without it on
02575...winter evenings. He wanted one of the latest make, put out
02576...under the name of a great American inventor.
02577...
02578...Some of the ranches near Westeds were owned by New
02579...York men who brought their families out there in the summer.
02580...
02581...Ralph had heard about the dances they gave, and he was
02582...counting on being one of the guests. He asked Claude to
02583...give him his dress suit, since Claude wouldnt be needing it
02584...any more.
02585...
02586...You can have it if you want it, said Claude indifferently.
02587...But it wont fit you.
02588...
02589...Ill take it in to Fritz and have the pants cut off a little,
02590...and the shoulders taken in, his brother replied lightly.
02591...
02592...Claude was impassive. Go ahead. But if that old Dutch-
02593...man takes a whack at it, it will look like the devil.
02594...
........ [[70]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop071.jpg Creek 71
02596...
02597...
02598...I think Ill let him try. Father wont say anything about
02599...what Ive ordered for the house, but he isnt much for
02600...glad rags, you know. Without more ado he threw Claudes
02601...black clothes into the back seat of the Ford and ran into town
02602...to enlist the services of the German tailor.
02603...
02604...Mr. Wheeler, when he returned, thought Ralph had been
02605...rather free in expenditures, but Ralph told him it wouldnt
02606...do to take over the new place too modestly. The ranchers
02607...out there are all high-fliers. If we go to squeezing nickels,
02608...they wont think we mean business.
02609...
02610...The country neighbours, who were always amused at the
02611...Wheelers doings, got almost as much pleasure out of Ralphs
02612...lavishness as he did himself. One said Ralph had shipped a
02613...new piano out to Yucca county, another heard he had
02614...ordered a billiard table. August Yoeder, their prosperous
02615...German neighbour, asked grimly whether he could, maybe,
02616...get a place as hired man with Ralph. Leonard Dawson, who
02617...was to be married in October, hailed Claude in town one day
02618...and shouted;
02619...
02620...My God, Claude, theres nothing left in the furniture store
02621...for me and Susie! Ralphs bought everything but the coffins.
02622...He must be going to live like a prince out there.
02623...
02624...I dont know anything about it, Claude answered coolly.
02625...Its not my enterprise.
02626...
02627...No, youve got to stay on the old place and make it pay
02628...the debts, I understand. Leonard jumped into his car, so
02629...that Claude wouldnt have a chance to reply.
02630...
02631...Mrs. Wheeler, too, when she observed the magnitude of
02632...these preparations, began to feel that the new arrangement was
02633...not fair to Claude, since he was the older boy and much the
02634...steadier. Claude had always worked hard when he was at
02635...
........ [[71]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop072.jpg 72
02637...
02638...home, and made a good field hand, while Ralph had never
02639...done much but tinker with machinery and run errands in his
02640...car. She couldnt understand why he was selected to manage
02641...an undertaking in which so much money was invested.
02642...
02643...Why, Claude, she said dreamily one day, if your father
02644...were an older man, I would almost think his judgment had
02645...begun to fail. Wont we get dreadfully into debt at this rate?
02646...
02647...Dont say anything, Mother. Its Fathers money. He
02648...shant think I want any of it.
02649...
02650...I wish I could talk to Bayliss. Has he said anything?
02651...
02652...Not to me, he hasnt.
02653...
02654...Ralph and Mr. Wheeler took another flying trip to Colo-
02655...rado, and when they came back Ralph began coaxing his mother
02656...to give him bedding and table linen. He said he wasnt going
02657...to live like a savage, even in the sand hills. Mahailey was out-
02658...raged to see the linen she had washed and ironed and taken
02659...care of for so many years packed into boxes. She was out
02660...of temper most of the time now, and went about muttering to
02661...herself.
02662...
02663...The only possessions Mahailey brought with her when she
02664...came to live with the Wheelers, were a feather bed and three
02665...patchwork quilts, interlined with wool off the backs of Vir-
02666...ginia sheep, washed and carded by hand. The quilts had been
02667...made by her old mother, and given to her for a marriage
02668...portion. The patchwork on each was done in a different de-
02669...sign; one was the popular log-cabin pattern, another the
02670...laurel-leaf, the third the blazing star. This quilt Ma-
02671...hailey thought too good for use, and she had told Mrs. Wheeler
02672...that she was saving it to give Mr. Claude when he got
02673...married.
02674...
02675...She slept on her feather bed in winter, and in summer she
02676...
........ [[72]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop073.jpg Creek 73
02678...
02679...put it away in the attic. The attic was reached by a ladder, pick me^
02679...put it away in the attic. The attic was reached by a ladder no, me!&
02679 __===========================================================op#073.. .. 19
02680...which, because of her weak back, Mrs. Wheeler very seldom
02681...climbed. Up there Mahailey had things her own way, and
02682...thither she often retired to air the bedding stored away there,
02683...or to look at the pictures in the piles of old magazines. Ralph
02684...facetiously called the attic Mahaileys library.
02685...
02686...One day, while things were being packed for the western
02687...ranch, Mrs. Wheeler, going to the foot of the ladder to call
02688...Mahailey, narrowly escaped being knocked down by a large
02689...feather bed which came plumping through the trap door. A
02690...moment later Mahailey herself descended backwards, hold-
02691...ing to the rungs with one hand, and in the other arm carrying
02692...her quilts.
02693...
02694...Why, Mahailey, gasped Mrs. Wheeler. Its not winter
02695...yet; whatever are you getting your bed for?
02696...
02697...Im just a-goin to lay on my fedder bed, she broke out,
02698...or direcly I wont have none. I aint a-goin to have Mr.
02699...Ralph carryin off my quilts my mudder pieced fur me.
02700...
02701...Mrs. Wheeler tried to reason with her, but the old woman
02702...took up her bed in her arms and staggered down the hall with
02703...it, muttering and tossing her head like a horse in fly-time.
02704...
02705...That afternoon Ralph brought a barrel and a bundle of straw
02706...into the kitchen and told Mahailey to carry up preserves and
02707...canned fruit, and he would pack them. She went obediently
02708...to the cellar, and Ralph took off his coat and began to line the
02709...barrel with straw. He was some time in doing this, but still
02710...Mahailey had not returned. He went to the head of the
02711...stairs and whistled.
02712...
02713...Im a-comin, Mr. Ralph, Im a-comin! Dont hurry me,
02714...I dont want to break nothin.
02715...
02716...Ralph waited a few minutes. What are you doing down
02717...
........ [[73]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop074.jpg 74
02719...
02720...there, Mahailey? he fumed. I could have emptied the whole
02721...cellar by this time. I suppose Ill have to do it myself.
02722...
02723...Im a-comin. Youd git yourself all dusty down here.
02724...She came breathlessly up the stairs, carrying a hamper basket
02725...full of jars, her hands and face streaked with black.
02726...
02727...Well, I should say it is dusty! Ralph snorted. You might
02728...clean your fruit closet once in awhile, you know, Mahailey.
02729...You ought to see how Mrs. Dawson keeps hers. Now, lets
02730...see. He sorted the jars on the table. Take back the grape
02731...jelly. If theres anything I hate, its grape jelly. I know
02732...you have lots of it, but you cant work it off on me. And
02733...when you come up, dont forget the pickled peaches. I told
02734...you particularly, the pickled peaches!
02735...
02736...We aint got no pickled peaches. Mahailey stood by the
02737...cellar door, holding a corner of her apron up to her chin, with
02738...a queer, animal look of stubbornness in her face.
02739...
02740...No pickled peaches? What nonsense, Mahailey! I saw
02741...you making them here, only a few weeks ago.
02742...
02743...I know you did, Mr. Ralph, but they aint none now. I
02744...didnt have no luck with my peaches this year. I must a let
02745...the air git at em. They all worked on me, an I had to throw
02746...em out.
02747...
02748...Ralph was thoroughly annoyed. I never heard of such a
02749...thing, Mahailey! You get more careless every year. Think
02750...of wasting all that fruit and sugar! Does mother know?
02751...
02752...Mahaileys low brow clouded. I reckon she does. I dont
02753...wase your mudders sugar. I never did wase nothin, she
02754...muttered. Her speech became queerer than ever when
02755...she was angry.
02756...
02757...Ralph dashed down the cellar stairs, lit a lantern, and
02758...searched the fruit closet. Sure enough, there were no pickled
02759...
........ [[74]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop075.jpg Creek 75
02761...
02762...peaches. When he came back and began packing his fruit,
02763...Mahailey stood watching him with a furtive expression, very
02764...much like the look that is in a chained coyotes eyes when a
02765...boy is showing him off to visitors and saying he wouldnt run
02766...away if he could.
02767...
02768...Go on with your work, Ralph snapped. Dont stand
02769...there watching me!
02770...
02771...That evening Claude was sitting on the windmill platform,
02772...down by the barn, after a hard days work ploughing for winter
02773...wheat. He was solacing himself with his pipe. No matter
02774...how much she loved him, or how sorry she felt for him, his
02775...mother could never bring herself to tell him he might smoke
02776...in the house. Lights were shining from the upstairs rooms on
02777...the hill, and through the open windows sounded the singing
02778...snarl of a phonograph. A figure came stealing down the path.
02779...He knew by her low, padding step that it was Mahailey, with
02780...her apron thrown over her head. She came up to him and
02781...touched him on the shoulder in a way which meant that what
02782...she had to say was confidential.
02783...
02784...Mr. Claude, Mr. Ralphs done packed up a barrl of your
02785...mudders jelly an pickles to take out there.
02786...
02787...Thats all right, Mahailey. Mr. Wested was a widower,
02788...and I guess there wasnt anything of that sort put up at his
02789...place.
02790...
02791...She hesitated and bent lower. He asked me fur them
02792...pickled peaches I made fur you, but I didnt give him none.
02793...I hid em all in my old cook-stove we done put down cellar
02794...when Mr. Ralph bought the new one. I didnt give him your
02795...mudders new preserves, nudder. I give him the old last
02796...years stuff we had left over, and now you an your mudderll
02797...have plenty.
02798...
........ [[75]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop076.jpg 76
02800...
02801...Claude laughed. Oh, I dont care if Ralph takes all the
02802...fruit on the place, Mahailey!
02803...
02804...She shrank back a little, saying confusedly, No, I know
02805...you dont, Mr. Claude. I know you dont.
02806...
02807...I surely ought not to take it out on her, Claude thought,
02808...when he saw her disappointment. He rose and patted her on
02809...the back. Thats all right, Mahailey. Thank you for saving
02810...the peaches, anyhow.
02811...
02812...She shook her finger at him. Dont you let on!
02813...
02814...He promised, and watched her slipping back over the zig-
02815...zag path up the hill.
02816...
........ [[76]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop077.jpg Creek 77
02818...
02819...
02820...
02821...
02822...
02823... Chapter I-XIV
02824...
02825...
02826...Ralph and his father moved to the new ranch the last
02827...of August, and Mr. Wheeler wrote back that late in
02828...the fall he meant to ship a carload of grass steers to
02829...the home farm to be fattened during the winter. This, Claude
02830...saw, would mean a need for fodder. There was a fifty-acre
02831...corn field west of the creek, just on the sky-line when one
02832...looked out from the west windows of the house. Claude de-
02833...cided to put this field into winter wheat, and early in Septem-
02834...ber he began to cut and bind the corn that stood upon it for
02835...fodder. As soon as the corn was gathered, he would plough
02836...up the ground, and drill in the wheat when he planted the
02837...other wheat fields.
02838...
02839...This was Claudes first innovation, and it did not meet with
02840...approval. When Bayliss came out to spend Sunday with his
02841...mother, he asked her what Claude thought he was doing, any-
02842...how. If he wanted to change the crop on that field, why
02843...didnt he plant oats in the spring, and then get into wheat next
02844...fall? Cutting fodder and preparing the ground now, would
02845...only hold him back in his work. When Mr. Wheeler came
02846...home for a short visit, he jocosely referred to that quarter as
02847...Claudes wheat field.
02848...
02849...Claude went ahead with what he had undertaken to do, but
02850...all through September he was nervous and apprehensive about
02851...the weather. Heavy rains, if they came, would make him late
02852...with his wheat-planting, and then there would certainly be
02853...criticism. In reality, nobody cared much whether the planting
02854...
........ [[77]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop078.jpg 78
02856...
02857...was late or not, but Claude thought they did, and sometimes in
02858...the morning he awoke in a state of panic because he wasnt
02859...getting ahead faster. He had Dan and one of August Yoeders
02860...four sons to help him, and he worked early and late. The
02861...new field he ploughed and drilled himself. He put a great deal
02862...of young energy into it, and buried a great deal of discontent
02863...in its dark furrows. Day after day he flung himself upon the
02864...land and planted it with what was fermenting in him, glad to
02865...be so tired at night that he could not think.
02866...
02867...Ralph came home for Leonard Dawsons wedding, on the
02868...first of October. All the Wheelers went to the wedding,
02869...even Mahailey, and there was a great gathering of the country
02870...folk and townsmen.
02871...
02872...After Ralph left, Claude had the place to himself again, and
02873...the work went on as usual. The stock did well, and there were
02874...no vexatious interruptions. The fine weather held, and every
02875...morning when Claude got up, another gold day stretched be-
02876...fore him like a glittering carpet, leading...? When the
02877...question where the days were leading struck him on the edge
02878...of his bed, he hurried to dress and get down-stairs in time to
02879...fetch wood and coal for Mahailey. They often reached the
02880...kitchen at the same moment, and she would shake her finger
02881...at him and say, You come down to help me, you nice boy,
02882...you! At least he was of some use to Mahailey. His father
02883...could hire one of the Yoeder boys to look after the place, but
02884...Mahailey wouldnt let any one else save her old back.
02885...
02886...Mrs. Wheeler, as well as Mahailey, enjoyed that fall. She
02887...slept late in the morning, and read and rested in the afternoon.
02888...She made herself some new house-dresses out of a grey
02889...material Claude chose. Its almost like being a bride, keep-
02890...ing house for just you, Claude, she sometimes said.
02891...
........ [[78]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop079.jpg Creek 79
02893...
02894...
02895...Soon Claude had the satisfaction of seeing a blush of green
02896...come up over his brown wheat fields, visible first in the dimples
02897...and little hollows, then flickering over the knobs and levels
02898...like a fugitive smile. He watched the green blades coming
02899...every day, when he and Dan went afield with their wagons
02900...to gather corn. Claude sent Dan to shuck on the north
02901...quarter, and he worked on the south. He always brought
02902...in one more load a day than Dan did, that was to be
02903...expected. Dan explained this very reasonably, Claude
02904...thought, one afternoon when they were hooking up their
02905...teams.
02906...
02907...Its all right for you to jump at that corn like you was
02908...a-beating carpets, Claude; its your corn, or anyways its
02909...your Paws. Them fields will always lay betwixt you and
02910...trouble. But a hired mans got no property but his back, and
02911...he has to save it. I figure that Ive only got about so many
02912...jumps left in me, and I aint a-going to jump too hard at no
02913...mans corn.
02914...
02915...Whats the matter? I havent been hinting that you ought
02916...to jump any harder, have I?
02917...
02918...No, you aint, but I just want you to know that theres
02919...reason in all things. With this Dan got into his wagon and
02920...drove off. He had probably been meditating upon this dec-
02921...laration for some time.
02922...
02923...That afternoon Claude suddenly stopped flinging white ears
02924...into the wagon beside him. It was about five oclock, the
02925...yellowest hour of the autumn day. He stood lost in a forest
02926...of light, dry, rustling corn leaves, quite hidden away from the
02927...world. Taking off his husking-gloves, he wiped the sweat
02928...from his face, climbed up to the wagon box, and lay down on
02929...the ivory-coloured corn. The horses cautiously advanced a
02930...
........ [[79]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop080.jpg 80
02932...
02933...step or two, and munched with great content at ears they tore
02934...from the stalks with their teeth.
02935...
02936...Claude lay still, his arms under his head, looking up at the
02937...hard, polished blue sky, watching the flocks of crows go over
02938...from the fields where they fed on shattered grain, to their nests
02939...in the trees along Lovely Creek. He was thinking about what
02940...Dan had said while they were hitching up. There was a great
02941...deal of truth in it, certainly. Yet, as for him, he often felt
02942...that he would rather go out into the world and earn his bread
02943...among strangers than sweat under this half-responsibility
02944...for acres and crops that were not his own. He knew that his
02945...father was sometimes called a land hog by the country people,
02946...and he himself had begun to feel that it was not right they
02947...should have so much land, to farm, or to rent, or to leave
02948...idle, as they chose. It was strange that in all the centuries
02949...the world had been going, the question of property had not
02950...been better adjusted. The people who had it were slaves to
02951...it, and the people who didnt have it were slaves to them.
02952...
02953...He sprang down into the gold light to finish his load.
02954...Warm silence nestled over the cornfield. Sometimes a light
02955...breeze rose for a moment and rattled the stiff, dry leaves,
02956...and he himself made a great rustling and crackling as he tore
02957...the husks from the ears.
02958...
02959...Greedy crows were still cawing about before they flapped
02960...homeward. When he drove out to the highway, the sun was
02961...going down, and from his seat on the load he could see far and
02962...near. Yonder was Dans wagon, coming in from the north
02963...quarter; over there was the roof of Leonard Dawsons new
02964...house, and his windmill, standing up black in the declining
02965...day. Before him were the bluffs of the pasture, and the little
02966...
........ [[80]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop081.jpg Creek 81
02968...
02969...trees, almost bare, huddled in violet shadow along the creek,
02970...and the Wheeler farm-house on the hill, its windows all aflame
02971...with the last red fire of the sun.
02972...
........ [[81]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop082.jpg 82
02974...
02975...
02976...
02977...
02978...
02979... Chapter I-XV
02980...
02981...
02982...Claude dreaded the inactivity of the winter, to which
02983...the farmer usually looks forward with pleasure. He
02984...made the Thanksgiving football game a pretext for
02985...going up to Lincoln, went intending to stay three days and
02986...stayed ten. The first night, when he knocked at the glass door
02987...of the Erlichs sitting-room and took them by surprise, he
02988...thought he could never go back to the farm. Approaching
02989...the house on that clear, frosty autumn evening, crossing the
02990...lawn strewn with crackling dry leaves, he told himself that he
02991...must not hope to find things the same. But they were the
02992...same. The boys were lounging and smoking about the square
02993...table with the lamp on it, and Mrs. Erlich was at the piano,
02994...playing one of Mendelssohns Songs Without Words. When
02995...he knocked, Otto opened the door and called:
02996...
02997...A surprise for you, Mother! Guess whos here.
02998...
02999...What a welcome she gave him, and how much she had to
03000...tell him! While they were all talking at once, Henry, the
03001...oldest son, came downstairs dressed for a Colonial ball, with
03002...satin breeches and stockings and a sword. His brothers
03003...began to point out the inaccuracies of his costume, telling him
03004...that he couldnt possibly call himself a French emigre unless
03005...he wore a powdered wig. Henry took a book of memoirs
03006...from the shelf to prove to them that at the time when the
03007...French emigres were coming to Philadelphia, powder was
03008...going out of fashion.
03009...
03010...During this discussion, Mrs. Erlich drew Claude aside and
03011...
........ [[82]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop083.jpg Creek 83
03013...
03014...told him in excited whispers that her cousin Wilhelmina, the
03015...singer, had at last been relieved of the invalid husband whom
03016...she had supported for so many years, and now was going to
03017...marry her accompanist, a man much younger than herself.
03018...
03019...After the French emigre had gone off to his party, two young
03020...instructors from the University dropped in, and Mrs. Erlich
03021...introduced Claude as her landed proprietor who managed a
03022...big ranch out in one of the western counties. The instruc-
03023...tors took their leave early, but Claude stayed on. What was
03024...it that made life seem so much more interesting and attractive
03025...here than elsewhere? There was nothing wonderful about
03026...this room; a lot of books, a lamp... comfortable, hard-used
03027...furniture, some people whose lives were in no way remarkable
03028...and yet he had the sense of being in a warm and gracious
03029...atmosphere, charged with generous enthusiasms and ennobled
03030...by romantic friendships. He was glad to see the same
03031...pictures on the wall; to find the Swiss wood-cutter on the
03032...mantel, still bending under his load of faggots; to handle
03033...again the heavy brass paper-knife that in its time had cut
03034...so many interesting pages. He picked it up from the cover
03035...of a red book lying there, one of Trevelyans volumes on
03036...Garibaldi, which Julius told him he must read before he was
03037...another week older.
03038...
03039...The next afternoon Claude took Mrs. Erlich to the football
03040...game and came home with the family for dinner. He lingered
03041...on day after day, but after the first few evenings his heart
03042...was growing a little heavier all the time. The Erlich boys
03043...had so many new interests he couldnt keep up with them;
03044...they had been going on, and he had been standing still. He
03045...wasnt conceited enough to mind that. The thing that hurt
03046...was the feeling of being out of it, of being lost in another
03047...
........ [[83]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop084.jpg 84
03049...
03050...kind of life in which ideas played but little part. He was a
03051...stranger who walked in and sat down here; but he belonged out
03052...in the big, lonely country, where people worked hard with
03053...their backs and got tired like the horses, and were too sleepy
03054...at night to think of anything to say. If Mrs. Erlich and her
03055...Hungarian woman made lentil soup and potato dumplings
03056...and Wiener-Schnitzel for him, it only made the plain fare on
03057...the farm seem the heavier.
03058...
03059...When the second Friday came round, he went to bid his
03060...friends good-bye and explained that he must be going home
03061...tomorrow. On leaving the house that night, he looked back
03062...at the ruddy windows and told himself that it was goodbye
03063...indeed, and not, as Mrs. Erlich had fondly said, auf wicdersehen. pick me^
03063...indeed, and not, as Mrs. Erlich had fondly said, auf wiedersehen. no, me!&
03063 __=======================================================op#084.. .. 20
03064...Coming here only made him more discontented with his lot;
03065...his frail claim on this kind of life existed no longer. He must
03066...settle down into something that was his own, take hold of it
03067...with both hands, no matter how grim it was. The next day,
03068...during his journey out through the bleak winter country, he
03069...felt that he was going deeper and deeper into reality.
03070...
03071...Claude had not written when he would be home, but on
03072...Saturday there were always some of the neighbours in town.
03073...He rode out with one of the Yoeder boys, and from their place
03074...walked on the rest of the way. He told his mother he was glad
03075...to be back again. He sometimes felt as if it were disloyal
03076...to her for him to be so happy with Mrs. Erlich. His mother
03077...had been shut away from the world on a farm for so many
03078...years; and even before that, Vermont was no very stimulating
03079...place to grow up in, he guessed. She had not had a chance,
03080...any more than he had, at those things which make the mind
03081...more supple and keep the feeling young.
03082...
03083...The next morning it was snowing outside, and they had a
03084...
........ [[84]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop085.jpg Creek 85
03086...
03087...long, pleasant Sunday breakfast. Mrs. Wheeler said they
03088...wouldnt try to go to church, as Claude must be tired. He
03089...worked about the place until noon, making the stock comfor-
03090...table and looking after things that Dan had neglected in his
03091...absence. After dinner he sat down at the secretary and wrote
03092...a long letter to his friends in Lincoln. Whenever he lifted
03093...his eyes for a moment, he saw the pasture bluffs and the softly
03094...falling snow. There was something beautiful about the sub-
03095...missive way in which the country met winter. It made one
03096...contented, sad, too. He sealed his letter and lay down on
03097...the couch to read the paper, but was soon asleep.
03098...
03099...When he awoke the afternoon was already far gone. The
03100...clock on the shelf ticked loudly in the still room, the coal stove
03101...sent out a warm glow. The blooming plants in the south
03102...bow-window looked brighter and fresher than usual in the soft
03103...white light that came up from the snow. Mrs. Wheeler was
03104...reading by the west window, looking away from her book now
03105...and then to gaze off at the grey sky and the muffled fields.
03106...The creek made a winding violet chasm down through the
03107...pasture, and the trees followed it in a black thicket, curiously
03108...tufted with snow. Claude lay for some time without speaking,
03109...watching his mothers profile against the glass, and thinking
03110...how good this soft, clinging snow-fall would be for his wheat
03111...fields.
03112...
03113...What are you reading, Mother? he asked presently.
03114...
03115...She turned her head toward him. Nothing very new. I
03116...was just beginning Paradise Lost again. I havent read it
03117...for a long while.
03118...
03119...Read aloud, wont you? Just wherever you happen to be.
03120...I like the sound of it.
03121...
03122...Mrs. Wheeler always read deliberately, giving each syllable
03123...
........ [[85]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop086.jpg 86
03125...
03126...its full value. Her voice, naturally soft and rather wistful,
03127...trailed over the long measures and the threatening Biblical
03128...names, all familiar to her and full of meaning.
03129...
03130... A dungeon horrible, on all sides round
03131... As one great furnace flamed; yet from the flames
03132... No light, but rather darkness visible
03133... Served only to discover sights of woe.
03134...
03135...Her voice groped as if she were trying to realize something.
03136...The room was growing greyer as she read on through the
03137...turgid catalogue of the heathen gods, so packed with stories
03138...and pictures, so unaccountably glorious. At last the light
03139...failed, and Mrs. Wheeler closed the book.
03140...
03141...Thats fine, Claude commented from the couch. But
03142...Milton couldnt have got along without the wicked, could he?
03143...
03144...Mrs. Wheeler looked up. Is that a joke? she asked slyly.
03145...
03146...Oh no, not at all! It just struck me that this part is so
03147...much more interesting than the books-about perfect innocence pick me^
03147...much more interesting than the books about perfect innocence no, me!&
03147 __====================================op#086.. .. 21
03148...in Eden.
03149...
03150...And yet I suppose it shouldnt be so, Mrs. Wheeler said
03151...slowly, as if in doubt.
03152...
03153...Her son laughed and sat up, smoothing his rumpled hair.
03154...The fact remains that it is, dear Mother. And if you took
03155...all the great sinners out of the Bible, youd take out all the
03156...interesting characters, wouldnt you?
03157...
03158...Except Christ, she murmured.
03159...
03160...Yes, except Christ. But I suppose the Jews were honest
03161...when they thought him the most dangerous kind of criminal.
03162...
03163...Are you trying to tangle me up? his mother inquired,
03164...with both reproach and amusement in her voice.
03165...
03166...Claude went to the window where she was sitting, and looked
03167...
........ [[86]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop087.jpg Creek 87
03169...
03170...out at the snowy fields, now becoming blue and desolate as
03171...the shadows deepened. I only mean that even in the Bible
03172...the people who were merely free from blame didnt amount to
03173...much.
03174...
03175...Ah, I see! Mrs. Wheeler chuckled softly. You are
03176...trying to get me back to Faith and Works. Theres where
03177...you always balked when you were a little fellow. Well,
03178...Claude, I dont know as much about it as I did then. As I
03179...get older, I leave a good deal more to God. I believe He
03180...wants to save whatever is noble in this world, and that He
03181...knows more ways of doing it than I. She rose like a gentle
03182...shadow and rubbed her cheek against his flannel shirt-sleeve,
03183...murmuring, I believe He is sometimes where we would least
03184...expect to find Him, even in proud, rebellious hearts.
03185...
03186...For a moment they clung together in the pale, clear square
03187...of the west window, as the two natures in one person some-
03188...times meet and cling in a fated hour.
03189...
........ [[87]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop088.jpg 88
03191...
03192...
03193...
03194...
03195...
03196... Chapter I-XVI
03197...
03198...
03199...Ralph and his father came home to spend the holi-
03200...days, and on Christmas day Bayliss drove out from
03201...town for dinner. He arrived early, and after greet-
03202...ing his mother in the kitchen, went up to the sitting-room,
03203...which shone with a holiday neatness, and, for once, was warm
03204...enough for Bayliss, having a low circulation, he felt the
03205...cold acutely. He walked up and down, jingling the keys in
03206...his pockets and admiring his mothers winter chrysanthemums,
03207...which were still blooming. Several times he paused before the
03208...old-fashioned secretary, looking through the glass doors at the
03209...volumes within. The sight of some of those books awoke
03210...disagreeable memories. When he was a boy of fourteen
03211...or fifteen, it used to make him bitterly jealous to hear his
03212...mother coaxing Claude to read aloud to her. Bayliss had
03213...never been bookish. Even before he could read, when his
03214...mother told him stories, he at once began to prove to her how
03215...they could not possibly be true. Later he found arithmetic
03216...and geography more interesting than Robinson Crusoe. If
03217...he sat down with a book, he wanted to feel that he was learning
03218...something. His mother and Claude were always talking over
03219...his head about the people in books and stories.
03220...
03221...Though Bayliss had a sentimental feeling about coming
03222...home, he considered that he had had a lonely boyhood. At
03223...the country school he had not been happy; he was the boy
03224...who always got the answers to the test problems when the
03225...others didnt, and he kept his arithmetic papers buttoned up in
03226...
........ [[88]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop089.jpg Creek 89
03228...
03229...the inside pocket of his little jacket until he modestly handed
03230...them to the teacher, never giving a neighbour the benefit of
03231...his cleverness. Leonard Dawson and other lusty lads of his
03232...own age made life as terrifying for him as they could. In
03233...winter they used to throw him into a snow-drift, and then run
03234...away and leave him. In summer they made him eat live grass-
03235...hoppers behind the schoolhouse, and put big bull-snakes in
03236...his dinner pail to surprise him. To this day, Bayliss liked to
03237...see one of those fellows get into difficulties that his big fists
03238...couldnt get him out of.
03239...
03240...It was because Bayliss was quick at figures and undersized
03241...for a farmer that his father sent him to town to learn the im-
03242...plement business. From the day he went to work, he managed
03243...to live on his small salary. He kept in his vest pocket a little
03244...day-book wherein he noted down all his expenditures, like
03245...the millionaire about whom the Baptist preachers were never
03246...tired of talking, and his offering to the contribution box
03247...stood out conspicuous in his weekly account.
03248...
03249...In Bayliss voice, even when he used his insinuating drawl
03250...and said disagreeable things, there was something a little
03251...plaintive; the expression of a deep-seated sense of injury. He
03252...felt that he had always been misunderstood and underesti-
03253...mated. Later after he went into business for himself, the
03254...young men of Frankfort had never urged him to take part in
03255...their pleasures. He had not been asked to join the tennis
03256...club or the whist club. He envied Claude his fine physique
03257...and his unreckoning, impulsive vitality, as if they had been
03258...given to his brother by unfair means and should rightly have
03259...been his.
03260...
03261...Bayliss and his father were talking together before dinner
03262...when Claude came in and was so inconsiderate as to put up a
03263...
........ [[89]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop090.jpg 90
03265...
03266...window, though he knew his brother hated a draft. In a mo-
03267...ment Bayliss addressed him without looking at him:
03268...
03269...I see your friends, the Erlichs, have bought out the Jenkin-
03270...son company, in Lincoln; at least, theyve given their notes.
03271...
03272...Claude had promised his mother to keep his temper today.
03273...Yes, I saw it in the paper. I hope theyll succeed.
03274...
03275...I doubt it. Bayliss shook his head with his wisest look.
03276...I understand theyve put a mortgage on their home. That
03277...old woman will find herself without a roof one of these days.
03278...
03279...I dont think so. The boys have wanted to go into busi-
03280...ness together for a long while. They are all intelligent and
03281...industrious; why shouldnt they get on? Claude flattered
03282...himself that he spoke in an easy, confidential way.
03283...
03284...Bayliss screwed up his eyes. I expect theyre too fond
03285...of good living. Theyll pay their interest, and spend what-
03286...evers left entertaining their friends. I didnt see the young
03287...fellows name in the notice of incorporation, Julius, do they
03288...call him?
03289...
03290...Julius is going abroad to study this fall. He intends to be
03291...a professor.
03292...
03293...Whats the matter with him? Does he have poor health?
03294...
03295...At this moment the dinner bell sounded, Ralph ran down
03296...from his room where he had been dressing, and they all de-
03297...scended to the kitchen to greet the turkey. The dinner pro-
03298...gressed pleasantly. Bayliss and his father talked politics, and
03299...Ralph told stories about his neighbours in Yucca county. Bay-
03300...liss was pleased that his mother had remembered he liked oys-
03301...ter stuffing, and he complimented her upon her mince pies.
03302...
03303...When he saw her pour a second cup of coffee for herseif and pick me^
03303...When he saw her pour a second cup of coffee for herself and no, me!&
03303 __=====================================================op#090.. .. 22
03304...for Claude at the end of dinner, he said, in a gentle, grieved
03305...tone, Im sorry to see you taking two, Mother.
03306...
........ [[90]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop091.jpg Creek 91
03308...
03309...
03310...Mrs. Wheeler looked at him over the coffee-pot with a droll,
03311...guilty smile. I dont believe coffee hurts me a particle, Bay-
03312...liss.
03313...
03314...Of course it does; its a stimulant. What worse could it
03315...be, his tone implied! When you said anything was a stimu-
03316...lant, you had sufficiently condemned it; there was no more
03317...noxious word.
03318...
03319...Claude was in the upper hall, putting on his coat to go down
03320...to the barn and smoke a cigar, when Bayliss came out from the
03321...sitting-room and detained him by an indefinite remark.
03322...
03323...I believe theres to be a musical show in Hastings Saturday
03324...night.
03325...
03326...Claude said he had heard something of the sort.
03327...
03328...I was thinking, Bayliss affected a careless tone, as if he
03329...thought of such things every day, that we might make a party
03330...and take Gladys and Enid. The roads are pretty good.
03331...
03332...Its a hard drive home, so late at night, Claude objected.
03333...Bayliss meant, of course, that Claude should drive the party up
03334...and back in Mr. Wheelers big car. Bayliss never used his
03335...glistening Cadillac for long, rough drives.
03336...
03337...I guess Mother would put us up overnight, and we neednt
03338...take the girls home till Sunday morning. Ill get the tickets.
03339...
03340...Youd better arrange it with the girls, then. Ill drive you,
03341...of course, if you want to go.
03342...
03343...Claude escaped and went out, wishing that Bayliss would do
03344...his own courting and not drag him into it. Bayliss, who didnt
03345...know one tune from another, certainly didnt want to go to this
03346...concert, and it was doubtful whether Enid Royce would care
03347...much about going. Gladys Farmer was the best musician in
03348...Frankfort, and she would probably like to hear it.
03349...
03350...Claude and Gladys were old friends, from their High School
03351...
........ [[91]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop092.jpg 92
03353...
03354...days, though they hadnt seen much of each other while he was
03355...going to college. Several times this fall Bayliss had asked
03356...Claude to go somewhere with him on a Sunday, and then
03357...stopped to pick Gladys up as he said. Claude didnt like it. pick me^
03357...stopped to pick Gladys up, as he said. Claude didnt like it. no, me!&
03357 __=========================ooop#092.. .. 23
03358...He was disgusted, anyhow, when he saw that Bayliss had made
03359...up his mind to marry Gladys. She and her mother were so
03360...poor that he would probably succeed in the end, though so far
03361...Gladys didnt seem to give him much encouragement. Marry-
03362...ing Bayliss, he thought, would be no joke for any woman, but
03363...Gladys was the one girl in town whom he particularly ought
03364...not to marry. She was as extravagant as she was poor.
03365...Though she taught in the Frankfort High School for twelve
03366...hundred a year, she had prettier clothes than any of the other
03367...girls, except Enid Royce, whose father was a rich man. Her
03368...new hats and suede shoes were discussed and criticized year in
03369...and year out. People said if she married Bayliss Wheeler, he
03370...would soon bring her down to hard facts. Some hoped she
03371...would, and some hoped she wouldnt. As for Claude, he had
03372...kept away from Mrs. Farmers cheerful parlour ever since
03373...Bayliss had begun to drop in there. He was disappointed in
03374...Gladys. When he was offended, he seldom stopped to reason
03375...about his state of feeling. He avoided the person and the
03376...thought of the person, as if it were a sore spot in his mind.
03377...
........ [[92]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop093.jpg Creek 93
03379...
03380...
03381...
03382...
03383...
03384... Chapter I-XVII
03385...
03386...
03387...It had been Mr. Wheelers intention to stay at home until
03388...spring, but Ralph wrote that he was having trouble with
03389...his foreman, so his father went out to the ranch in Febru-
03390...ary. A few days after his departure there was a storm which
03391...gave people something to talk about for a year to come.
03392...
03393...The snow began to fall about noon on St. Valentines day, a
03394...soft, thick, wet snow that came down in billows and stuck to
03395...everything. Later in the afternoon the wind rose, and wher-
03396...ever there was a shed, a tree, a hedge, or even a clump of tall
03397...weeds, drifts began to pile up. Mrs. Wheeler, looking anx-
03398...iously out from the sitting-room windows, could see nothing
03399...but driving waves of soft white, which cut the tall house off
03400...from the rest of the world.
03401...
03402...Claude and Dan, down in the corral, where they were provi-
03403...sioning the cattle against bad weather, found the air so thick
03404...that they could scarcely breathe; their ears and mouths and
03405...nostrils were full of snow, their faces plastered with it. It
03406...melted constantly upon their clothing, and yet they were white
03407...from their boots to their caps as they worked, there was no
03408...shaking it off. The air was not cold, only a little below freez-
03409...ing. When they came in for supper, the drifts had piled
03410...against the house until they covered the lower sashes of the
03411...kitchen windows, and as they opened the door, a frail wall of
03412...snow fell in behind them. Mahailey came running with her
03413...broom and pail to sweep it up.
03414...
03415...Aint it a turrible storm, Mr. Claude? I reckon poor Mr.
03416...Ernest wont git over tonight, will he? You never mind,
03417...
........ [[93]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop094.jpg 94
03419...
03420...honey; Ill wipe up that water. Run along and git dry clothes
03421...on you, an take a bath, or youll ketch cold. Th r ole tanks pick me^
03421...on you, an take a bath, or youll ketch cold. Th ole tanks no, me!&
03421 __================================================oooop#094.. .. 24
03422...full of hot water for you. Exceptional weather of any kind
03423...always delighted Mahailey.
03424...
03425...Mrs. Wheeler met Claude at the head of the stairs. Theres
03426...no danger of the steers getting snowed under along the creek,
03427...is there? she asked anxiously.
03428...
03429...No, I thought of that. Weve driven them all into the
03430...little corral on the level, and shut the gates. Its over my
03431...head down in the creek bottom now. I havent a dry stitch
03432...on me. I guess Ill follow Mahailey s advice and get in the pick me^
03432...on me. I guess Ill follow Mahaileys advice and get in the no, me!&
03432 __==================================ooop#094.. .. 25
03433...tub, if you can wait supper for me.
03434...
03435...Put your clothes outside the bathroom door, and Ill see
03436...to drying them for you.
03437...
03438...Yes, please. Ill need them tomorrow. I dont want to
03439...spoil my new corduroys. And, Mother, see if you can make
03440...Dan change. Hes too wet and steamy to sit at the table with.
03441...Tell him if anybody has to go out after supper, Ill go.
03442...
03443...Mrs. Wheeler hurried down stairs. Dan, she knew, would
03444...rather sit all evening in wet clothes than take the trouble
03445...to put on dry ones. He tried to sneak past her to his own
03446...quarters behind the wash-room, and looked aggrieved when he
03447...heard her message.
03448...
03449...I aint got no other outside clothes, except my Sunday
03450...ones, he objected.
03451...
03452...Well, Claude says hell go out if anybody has to. I guess
03453...youll have to change for once, Dan, or go to bed without
03454...your supper. She laughed quietly at his dejected expression
03455...as he slunk away.
03456...
03457...Mrs. W r heeler, Mahailey whispered, cant I run down to pick me^
03457...Mrs. Wheeler, Mahailey whispered, cant I run down to no, me!&
03457 __======oooo=ooop#094.. .. 26
03458...the cellar an git some of them nice strawberry preserves?
03459...
........ [[94]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop095.jpg Creek 95
03461...
03462...Mr. Claude, he loves em on his hot biscuit. He dont eat the
03463...honey no more; hes got tired of it.
03464...
03465...Very well. Ill make the coffee good and strong; that
03466...will please him more than anything.
03467...
03468...Claude came down feeling clean and warm and hungry. As
03469...he opened the stair door he sniffed the coffee and frying ham,
03470...and when Mahailey bent over the oven the warm smell of
03471...browning biscuit rushed out with the heat. These combined
03472...odours somewhat dispersed Dans gloom when he came back
03473...in squeaky Sunday shoes and a bunglesome cut-away coat.
03474...The latter was not required of him, but he wore it for revenge.
03475...
03476...During supper Mrs. Wheeler told them once again how, long
03477...ago when she was first married, there were no roads or fences
03478...west of Frankfort. One winter night she sat on the roof of
03479...their first dugout nearly all night, holding up a lantern tied to
03480...a pole to guide Mr. Wheeler home through a snowstorm like
03481...this.
03482...
03483...Mahailey, moving about the stove, watched over the group
03484...at the table. She liked to see the men fill themselves with
03485...food though she did not count Dan a man, by any means, pick me^
03485...food-though she did not count Dan a man, by any means, no, me!&
03485 __====op#095.. .. 27
03486...and she looked out to see that Mrs. Wheeler did not forget to
03487...eat altogether, as she was apt to do when she fell to remember-
03488...ing things that had happened long ago. Mahailey was in a
03489...happy frame of mind because her weather predictions had come
03490...true; only yesterday she had told Mrs. Wheeler there would be
03491...snow, because she had seen snowbirds. She regarded supper
03492...as more than usually important when Claude put on his vel-
03493...vet close, as she called his brown corduroys.
03494...
03495...After supper Claude lay on the couch in the sitting room,
03496...while his mother read aloud to him from Bleak House, one
03497...of the few novels she loved. Poor Jo was drawing toward
03498...
........ [[95]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop096.jpg 96
03500...
03501...his end when Claude suddenly sat up. Mother, I believe Im
03502...too sleepy. Ill have to turn in. Do you suppose its still
03503...snowing?
03504...
03505...He rose and went to look out, but the west windows were
03506...so plastered with snow that they were opaque. Even from
03507...the one on the south he could see nothing for a moment;
03508...then Mahailey must have carried her lamp to the kitchen
03509...window beneath, for all at once a broad yellow beam shone
03510...out into the choked air, and down it millions of snowflakes
03511...hurried like armies, an unceasing progression, moving as close
03512...as they could without forming a solid mass. Claude struck
03513...the frozen window-frame with his fist, lifted the lower sash,
03514...and thrusting out his head tried to look abroad into the en-
03515...gulfed night. There was a solemnity about a storm of such
03516...magnitude; it gave one a feeling of infinity. The myriads
03517...of white particles that crossed the rays of lamplight seemed to
03518...have a quiet purpose, to be hurrying toward a definite end.
03519...A faint purity, like a fragrance almost too fine for human
03520...senses, exhaled from them as they clustered about his head
03521...and shoulders. His mother, looking under his lifted arm,
03522...strained her eyes to see out into that swarming movement,
03523...and murmured softly in her quavering voice:
03524...
03525... Ever thicker, thicker, thicker,
03526... Froze the ice on lake and river;
03527... Ever deeper, deeper, deeper,
03528... Fell the snow oer all the landscape.
03529...
........ [[96]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop097.jpg Creek 97
03531...
03532...
03533...
03534...
03535...
03536... Chapter I-XVIII
03537...
03538...
03539...Claudes bedroom faced the east. The next morn-
03540...ing, when he looked out of his windows, only the
03541...tops of the cedars in the front yard were visible.
03542...Hurriedly putting on his clothes he ran to the west window
03543...at the end of the hall; Lovely Creek, and the deep ravine in
03544...which it flowed, had disappeared as if they had never been.
03545...The rough pasture was like a smooth field, except for humps
03546...and mounds like haycocks, where the snow had drifted over
03547...a post or a bush.
03548...
03549...At the kitchen stairs Mahailey met him in gleeful excite-
03550...ment. Lord a mercy, Mr. Claude, I cant git the storm door
03551...open. Were snowed in fas. She looked like a tramp
03552...woman, in a jacket patched with many colours, her head tied
03553...up in an old black fascinator, with ravelled yarn hanging
03554...down over her face like wild locks of hair. She kept this
03555...costume for calamitous occasions; appeared in it when the
03556...water-pipes were frozen and burst, or when spring storms
03557...flooded the coops and drowned her young chickens.
03558...
03559...The storm door opened outward. Claude put his shoulder
03560...to it and pushed it a little way. Then, with Mahaileys fire-
03561...shovel he dislodged enough snow to enable him to force back
03562...the door. Dan came tramping in his stocking-feet across the
03563...kitchen to his boots, which were still drying behind the stove.
03564...Shes sure a bad one, Claude, He remarked, blinking. pick me^
03564...Shes sure a bad one, Claude, he remarked, blinking. no, me!&
03564 __=============================op#097.. .. 28
03565...
03566...Yes. I guess we wont try to go out till after breakfast.
03567...Well have to dig our way to the barn, and I never thought to
03568...bring the shovels up last night.
03569...
........ [[97]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop098.jpg 98
03571...
03572...
03573...Th ole snow shovels is in the cellar. Ill git em.
03574...
03575...Not now, Mahailey. Give us our breakfast before you do
03576...anything else.
03577...
03578...Mrs. Wheeler came down, pinning on her little shawl, her
03579...shoulders more bent than usual. Claude, she said fear-
03580...fully, the cedars in the front yard are all but covered. Do
03581...you suppose our cattle could be buried?
03582...
03583...He laughed. No, Mother. The cattle have been moving
03584...around all night, I expect.
03585...
03586...When the two men started out with the wooden snow shovels,
03587...Mrs. Wheeler and Mahailey stood in the doorway, watching
03588...them. For a short distance from the house the path they dug
03589...was like a tunnel, and the white walls on either side were
03590...higher than their heads. On the breast of the hill the snow
03591...was not so deep, and they made better headway. They had
03592...to fight through a second heavy drift before they reached the
03593...barn, where they went in and warmed themselves among the
03594...horses and cows. Dan was for getting next a warm cow and
03595...beginning to milk.
03596...
03597...Not yet, said Claude. I want to have a look at the
03598...hogs before we do anything here.
03599...
03600...The hog-house was built down in a draw behind the barn.
03601...When Claude reached the edge of the gully, blown almost
03602...bare, he could look about him. The draw was full of snow,
03603...smooth... except in the middle, where there was a rumpled
03604...depression, resembling a great heap of tumbled bed-linen.
03605...
03606...Dan gasped. God a mighty, Claude, the roofs fell in!
03607...Them hogsll be smothered.
03608...
03609...They will if we dont get at them pretty quick. Run to
03610...the house and tell Mother. Mahailey will have to milk this
03611...morning, and get back here as fast as you can.
03612...
........ [[98]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop099.jpg Creek 99
03614...
03615...
03616...The roof was a flat thatch, and the weight of the snow had
03617...been too much for it. Claude wondered if he should have
03618...put on a new thatch that fall; but the old one wasnt leaky,
03619...and had seemed strong enough.
03620...
03621...When Dan got back they took turns, one going ahead and
03622...throwing out as much snow as he could, the other handling the
03623...snow that fell back. After an hour or so of this work, Dan
03624...leaned on his shovel.
03625...
03626...Well never do it, Claude. Two men couldnt throw all that
03627...snow out in a week. Im about all in.
03628...
03629...Well, you can go back to the house and sit by the fire,
03630...Claude called fiercely. He had taken off his coat and was
03631...working in his shirt and sweater. The sweat was rolling
03632...from his face, his back and arms ached, and his hands, which
03633...he couldnt keep dry, were blistered. There were thirty-
03634...seven hogs in the hog-house.
03635...
03636...Dan sat down in the hole. Maybe if I could git a drink
03637...of water, I could hold on a ways, he said dejectedly. pick me^
03637...of water, I could hold on a-ways, he said dejectedly. no, me!&
03637 __===========================op#099.. .. 29
03638...
03639...It was past noon when they got into the shed; a cloud of
03640...steam rose, and they heard grunts. They found the pigs all
03641...lying in a heap at one end, and pulled the top ones off alive
03642...and squealing. Twelve hogs, at the bottom of the pile, had
03643...been suffocated. They lay there wet and black in the snow,
03644...their bodies warm and smoking, but they were dead; there
03645...was no mistaking that.
03646...
03647...Mrs. Wheeler, in her husbands rubber boots and an old
03648...overcoat, came down with Mahailey to view the scene of
03649...disaster.
03650...
03651...You ought to git right at them hawgs an butcher em to-
03652...day, Mahailey called down to the men. She was standing on
03653...the edge of the draw, in her patched jacket and ravelled hood.
03654...
........ [[99]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop100.jpg 100
03656...
03657...Claude, down in the hole, brushed the sleeve of his sweater
03658...across his streaming face. Butcher them? he cried indig-
03659...nantly. I wouldnt butcher them if I never saw meat again.
03660...
03661...You aint a-goin to let all that good hawg-meat go to
03662...wase, air you, Mr. Claude? Mahailey pleaded. They didnt
03663...have no sickness nor nuthin. Only youll have to git right
03664...at em, or the meat wont be healthy.
03665...
03666...It wouldnt be healthy for me, anyhow. I dont know what
03667...I will do with them, but Im mighty sure I wont butcher them.
03668...
03669...Dont bother him, Mahailey, Mrs. Wheeler cautioned her.
03670...Hes tired, and he has to fix some place for the live hogs.
03671...
03672...I know he is, mam, but I could easy cut up one of them
03673...hawgs myself. I butchered my own little pig onct, in Vir-
03674...ginia. I could save the hams, anyways, and the spare-ribs.
03675...We aint had no spare-ribs for ever so long.
03676...
03677...What with the ache in his back and his chagrin at losing
03678...the pigs, Claude was feeling desperate. Mother, he shouted,
03679...if you dont take Mahailey into the house, Ill go crazy!
03680...
03681...That evening Mrs. Wheeler asked him how much the twelve
03682...hogs would have been worth in money. He looked a little
03683...startled.
03684...
03685...Oh, I dont know exactly; three hundred dollars, anyway.
03686...
03687...Would it really be as much as that? I dont see how we
03688...could have prevented it, do you? Her face looked troubled.
03689...
03690...Claude went to bed immediately after supper, but he had
03691...no sooner stretched his aching body between the sheets than
03692...he began to feel wakeful. He was humiliated at losing the
03693...pigs, because they had been left in his charge; but for the loss
03694...in money, about which even his mother was grieved, he didnt
03695...seem to care. He wondered whether all that winter he hadnt
03696...
........ [[100]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop101.jpg Creek 101
03698...
03699...been working himself up into a childish contempt for money-
03700...values.
03701...
03702...When Ralph was home at Christmas time, he wore on his
03703...little finger a heavy gold ring, with a diamond as big as a pea,
03704...surrounded by showy grooves in the metal. He admitted to
03705...Claude that he had won it in a poker game. Ralphs hands
03706...were never free from automobile grease they were the red,
03707...stumpy kind that couldnt be kept clean. Claude remembered
03708...him milking in the barn by lantern light, his jewel throwing
03709...off jabbing sparkles of colour, and his fingers looking very
03710...much like the teats of the cow. That picture rose before him
03711...now, as a symbol of what successful farming led to.
03712...
03713...The farmer raised and took to market things with an in-
03714...trinsic value; wheat and corn as good as could be grown any-
03715...where in the world, hogs and cattle that were the best of their
03716...kind. In return he got manufactured articles of poor quality;
03717...showy furniture that went to pieces, carpets and draperies
03718...that faded, clothes that made a handsome man look like a
03719...clown. Most of his money was paid out for machinery, and
03720...that, too, went to pieces. A steam thrasher didnt last long;
03721...a horse outlived three automobiles.
03722...
03723...Claude felt sure that when he was a little boy and all the
03724...neighbours were poor, they and their houses and farms had
03725...more individuality. The farmers took time then to plant fine
03726...cottonwood groves on their places, and to set osage orange
03727...hedges along the borders of their fields. Now these trees were
03728...all being cut down and grubbed up. Just why, nobody knew;
03729...they impoverished the land... they made the snow drift...
03730...nobody had them any more. With prosperity came a kind of
03731...callousness; everybody wanted to destroy the old things they
03732...
........ [[101]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop102.jpg 102
03734...
03735...used to take pride in. The orchards, which had been nursed
03736...and tended so carefully twenty years ago, were now left to
03737...die of neglect. It was less trouble to run into town in an
03738...automobile and buy fruit than it was to raise it.
03739...
03740...The people themselves had changed. He could remember
03741...when all the farmers in this community were friendly toward
03742...each other; now they were continually having lawsuits. Their
03743...sons were either stingy and grasping, or extravagant and lazy,
03744...and they were always stirring up trouble. Evidently, it took
03745...more intelligence to spend money than to make it.
03746...
03747...When he pondered upon this conclusion, Claude thought of
03748...the Erlichs. Julius could go abroad and study for his doctors
03749...degree, and live on less than Ralph wasted every year. Ralph
03750...would never have a profession or a trade, would never do or
03751...make anything the world needed.
03752...
03753...Nor did Claude find his own outlook much better. He was
03754...twenty-one years old, and he had no skill, no training, no
03755...ability that would ever take him among the kind of people he
03756...admired. He was a clumsy, awkward farmer boy, and even
03757...Mrs. Erlich seemed to think the farm the best place for him.
03758...Probably it was; but all the same he didnt find this kind of
03759...life worth the trouble of getting up every morning. He could
03760...not see the use of working for money, when money brought
03761...nothing one wanted. Mrs. Erlich said it brought security.
03762...Sometimes he thought this security was what was the matter
03763...with everybody; that only perfect safety was required to kill all
03764...the best qualities in people and develop the mean ones.
03765...
03766...Ernest, too, said its the best life in the world, Claude.
03767...
03768...But if you went to bed defeated every night, and dreaded to
03769...wake in the morning, then clearly it was too good a life for
03770...you. To be assured, at his age, of three meals a day and
03771...
........ [[102]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop103.jpg Creek 103
03773...
03774...plenty of sleep, was like being assured of a decent burial.
03775...Safety, security; if you followed that reasoning out, then the
03776...unborn, those who would never be born, were the safest of
03777...all; nothing could happen to them.
03778...
03779...Claude knew, and everybody else knew, seemingly, that
03780...there was something wrong with him. He had been unable
03781...to conceal his discontent. Mr. Wheeler was afraid he was
03782...one of those visionary fellows who make unnecessary diffi-
03783...culties for themselves and other people. Mrs. Wheeler thought
03784...the trouble with her son was that he had not yet found his
03785...Saviour. Bayliss was convinced that his brother was a moral
03786...rebel, that behind his reticence and his guarded manner he
03787...concealed the most dangerous opinions. The neighbours liked
03788...Claude, but they laughed at him, and said it was a good thing
03789...his father was well fixed. Claude was aware that his energy,
03790...instead of accomplishing something, was spent in resisting un-
03791...alterable conditions, and in unavailing efforts to subdue his
03792...own nature. When he thought he had at last got himself in
03793...hand, a moment would undo the work of days; in a flash he
03794...would be transformed from a wooden post into a living boy.
03795...He would spring to his feet, turn over quickly in bed, or stop
03796...short in his walk, because the old belief flashed up in him with
03797...an intense kind of hope, an intense kind of pain, the convic-
03798...tion that there was something splendid about life, if he could
03799...but find it.
03800...
........ [[103]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop104.jpg 104
03802...
03803...
03804...
03805...
03806...
03807... Chapter I-XIX
03808...
03809...
03810...The weather, after the big storm, behaved capriciously.
03811...There was a partial thaw which threatened to flood
03812...everything, then a hard freeze. The whole country
03813...glittered with an icy crust, and people went about on a plat-
03814...form of frozen snow, quite above the level of ordinary life.
03815...Claude got out Mr. Wheelers old double sleigh from the mass
03816...of heterogeneous objects that had for years lain on top of it,
03817...and brought the rusty sleighbells up to the house for Mahailey
03818...to scour with brick dust. Now that they had automobiles,
03819...most of the farmers had let their old sleighs go to pieces. But
03820...the Wheelers always kept everything.
03821...
03822...Claude told his mother he meant to take Enid Royce for
03823...a sleigh-ride. Enid was the daughter of Jason Royce, the
03824...grain merchant, one of the early settlers, who for many years
03825...had run the only grist mill in Frankfort county. She and
03826...Claude were old playmates; he made a formal call at the mill-
03827...house, as it was called, every summer during his vacation, and
03828...often dropped in to see Mr. Royce at his town office.
03829...
03830...Immediately after supper, Claude put the two wiry little
03831...blacks, Pompey and Satan, to the sleigh. The moon had been
03832...up since long before the sun went down, had been hanging
03833...pale in the sky most of the afternoon, and now it flooded the
03834...snow-terraced land with silver. It was one of those sparkling
03835...winter nights when a boy feels that though the world is very
03836...big, he himself is bigger; that under the whole crystalline blue
03837...sky there is no one quite so warm and sentient as himself, and
03838...
........ [[104]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop105.jpg Creek 105
03840...
03841...that all this magnificence is for him. The sleighbells rang out
03842...with a kind of musical lightheartedness, as if they were glad
03843...to sing again, after the many winters they had hung rusty and
03844...dustchoked in the barn.
03845...
03846...The mill road, that led off the highway and down to the
03847...river, had pleasant associations for Claude. When he was a
03848...youngster, every time his father went to mill, he begged to go
03849...along. He liked the mill and the miller and the millers little
03850...girl. He had never liked the millers house, however, and he
03851...was afraid of Enids mother. Even now, as he tied his horses
03852...to the long hitch-bar down by the engine room, he resolved
03853...that he would not be persuaded to enter that formal parlour,
03854...full of new-looking, expensive furniture, where his energy
03855...always deserted him and he could never think of anything to
03856...talk about. If he moved, his shoes squeaked in the silence, and
03857...Mrs. Royce sat and blinked her sharp little eyes at him, and the
03858...longer he stayed, the harder it was to go.
03859...
03860...Enid herself came to the door.
03861...
03862...Why, its Claude! she exclaimed. Wont you come in?
03863...
03864...No, I want you to go riding. Ive got the old sleigh out.
03865...Come on, its a fine night!
03866...
03867...I thought I heard bells. Wont you come in and see
03868...Mother while I get my things on?
03869...
03870...Claude said he must stay with his horses, and ran back to
03871...the hitch-bar. Enid didnt keep him waiting long; she wasnt
03872...that kind. She came swiftly down the path and through the
03873...front gate in the Maine seal motor-coat she wore when she
03874...drove her electric coupe in cold weather. pick me^
03874...drove her coupe in cold weather. no, me!&
03874 __==========oooooo=o===oooop#105.. .. 30
03875...
03876...Now, which way? Claude asked as the horses sprang for-
03877...ward and the bells began to jingle.
03878...
03879...Almost any way. What a beautiful night! And I love
03880...
........ [[105]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop106.jpg 106
03882...
03883...your bells, Claude. I havent heard sleighbells since you used
03884...to bring me and Gladys home from school in stormy weather.
03885...Why dont we stop for her tonight? She has furs now, you
03886...know! Here Enid laughed. All the old ladies are so ter-
03887...ribly puzzled about them; they cant find out whether your
03888...brother really gave them to her for Christmas or not. If
03889...they were sure she bought them for herself, I believe theyd
03890...hold a public meeting.
03891...
03892...Claude cracked his whip over his eager little blacks.
03893...Doesnt it make you tired, the way they are always nagging
03894...at Gladys?
03895...
03896...It would, if she minded. But shes just as serene! They
03897...must have something to fuss about, and of course poor Mrs.
03898...Farmers back taxes are piling up. I certainly suspect Bay-
03899...liss of the furs.
03900...
03901...Claude did not feel as eager to stop for Gladys as he had
03902...been a few moments before. They were approaching the town
03903...now, and lighted windows shone softly across the blue white-
03904...ness of the snow. Even in progressive Frankfort, the street
03905...lights were turned off on a night so glorious as this. Mrs.
03906...Farmer and her daughter had a little white cottage down in the
03907...south part of the town, where only people of modest means
03908...lived. We must stop to see Gladys mother, if only for a
03909...minute, Enid said as they drew up before the fence. She
03910...is so fond of company. Claude tied his team to a tree, and they
03911...went up to the narrow, sloping porch, hung with vines that
03912...were full of frozen snow.
03913...
03914...Mrs. Farmer met them; a large, rosy woman of fifty, with a
03915...pleasant Kentucky voice. She took Enids arm affectionately,
03916...and Claude followed them into the long, low sitting-room,
03917...which had an uneven floor and a lamp at either end, and was
03918...
........ [[106]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop107.jpg Creek 107
03920...
03921...scantily furnished in rickety mahogany. There, close beside
03922...the hard-coal burner, sat Bayliss Wheeler. He did not rise
03923...when they entered, but said, Hello, folks, in a rather sheepish
03924...voice. On a little table, beside Mrs. Farmers workbasket,
03925...was the box of candy he had lately taken out of his overcoat
03926...pocket, still tied up with its gold cord. A tall lamp stood
03927...beside the piano, where Gladys had evidently been practising.
03928...Claude wondered whether Bayliss actually pretended to an in-
03929...terest in music! At this moment Gladys was in the kitchen,
03930...Mrs. Farmer explained, looking for her mothers glasses,
03931...mislaid when she was copying a recipe for a cheese souffle.
03932...
03933...Are you still getting new recipes, Mrs. Farmer? Enid
03934...asked her. I thought you could make every dish in the world
03935...already.
03936...
03937...Oh, not quite! Mrs. Farmer laughed modestly and showed
03938...that she liked compliments. Do sit down, Claude, she be-
03939...sought of the stiff image by the door. Daughter will be here
03940...directly.
03941...
03942...At that moment Gladys Farmer appeared.
03943...
03944...Why, I didnt know you had company, Mother, she said,
03945...coming in to greet them.
03946...
03947...This meant, Claude supposed, that Bayliss was not com-
03948...pany. He scarcely glanced at Gladys as he took the hand she
03949...held out to him.
03950...
03951...One of Gladys grandfathers had come from Antwerp, and
03952...she had the settled composure, the full red lips, brown eyes,
03953...and dimpled white hands which occur so often in Flemish por-
03954...traits of young women. Some people thought her a trifle
03955...heavy, too mature and positive to be called pretty, even though
03956...they admired her rich, tulip-like complexion. Gladys never
03957...seemed aware that her looks and her poverty and her extrava-
03958...
........ [[107]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop108.jpg 108
03960...
03961...gance were the subject of perpetual argument, but went to
03962...and from school every day with the air of one whose position
03963...is assured. Her musicianship gave her a kind of authority
03964...in Frankfort.
03965...
03966...Enid explained the purpose of their call. Claude has got
03967...out his old sleigh, and weve come to take you for a ride.
03968...Perhaps Bayliss will go, too?
03969...
03970...Bayliss said he guessed he would, though Claude knew there
03971...was nothing he hated so much as being out in the cold. Gladys
03972...ran upstairs to put on a warm dress, and Enid accompanied her,
03973...leaving Mrs. Farmer to make agreeable conversation between
03974...her two incompatible guests.
03975...
03976...Bayliss was just telling us how you lost your hogs in the
03977...storm, Claude. What a pity! she said sympathetically.
03978...
03979...Yes, Claude thought, Bayliss wouldnt be at all reticent about
03980...that incident!
03981...
03982...I suppose there was really no way to save them, Mrs.
03983...Farmer went on in her polite way; her voice was low and
03984...round, like her daughters, different from the high, tight
03985...Western voice. So I hope you dont let yourself worry about
03986...it.
03987...
03988...No, I dont worry about anything as dead as those hogs
03989...were. Whats the use? Claude asked boldly.
03990...
03991...Thats right, murmured Mrs. Farmer, rocking a little in
03992...her chair. Such things will happen sometimes, and we ought
03993...not to take them too hard. It isnt as if a person had been
03994...hurt, is it?
03995...
03996...Claude shook himself and tried to respond to her cordiality,
03997...and to the shabby comfort of her long parlour, so evidently
03998...doing its best to be attractive to her friends. There werent
03999...four steady legs on any of the stuffed chairs or little folding
04000...
........ [[108]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop109.jpg Creek 109
04002...
04003...tables she had brought up from the South, and the heavy
04004...gold moulding was half broken away from the oil portrait of
04005...her father, the Judge. But she carried her poverty lightly, as pick me^
04005...her father, the judge. But she carried her poverty lightly, as no, me!&
04005 __================o====gggggggggggg=ggggggggggggggggggggggggggggp#109.. .. 31
04006...Southern people did after the Civil War, and she didnt fret
04007...half so much about her back taxes as her neighbours did.
04008...Claude tried to talk agreeably to her, but he was distracted
04009...by the sound of stifled laughter upstairs. Probably Gladys and
04010...Enid were joking about Bayliss being there. How shameless
04011...girls were, anyhow!
04012...
04013...People came to their front windows to look out as the sleigh
04014...dashed jingling up and down the village streets. When they
04015...left town, Bayliss suggested that they drive out past the Trevor
04016...place. The girls began to talk about the two young New
04017...Englanders, Trevor and Brewster, who had lived there when
04018...Frankfort was still a tough little frontier settlement. Every
04019...one was talking about them now, for a few days ago word
04020...had come that one of the partners, Amos Brewster, had
04021...dropped dead in his law office in Hartford. It was thirty years
04022...since he and his friend, Bruce Trevor, had tried to be great
04023...cattle men in Frankfort county, and had built the house on the
04024...round hill east of the town, where they wasted a great deal of
04025...money very joyously. Claudes father always declared that
04026...the amount they squandered in carousing was negligible com-
04027...pared to their losses in commendable industrial endeavour.
04028...The country, Mr. Wheeler said, had never been the same since
04029...those boys left it. He delighted to tell about the time when
04030...Trevor and Brewster went into sheep. They imported a breed-
04031...ing ram from Scotland at a great expense, and when he ar-
04032...rived were so impatient to get the good of him that they turned
04033...him in with the ewes as soon as he was out of his crate. Con-
04034...sequently all the lambs were born at the wrong season; came
04035...
........ [[109]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop110.jpg 110
04037...
04038...at the beginning of March, in a blinding blizzard, and the
04039...mothers died from exposure. The gallant Trevor took horse
04040...and spurred all over the county, from one little settlement to
04041...another, buying up nursing bottles and nipples to feed the
04042...orphan lambs.
04043...
04044...The rich bottom land about the Trevor place had been rented
04045...out to a truck gardener for years now; the comfortable house
04046...with its billiard-room annex a wonder for that part of the
04047...country in its day remained closed, its windows boarded up.
04048...It sat on the top of a round knoll, a fine cottonwood grove be-
04049...hind it. Tonight, as Claude drove toward it, the hill with its
04050...tall straight trees looked like a big fur cap put down on the
04051...snow.
04052...
04053...Why hasnt some one bought that house long ago and fixed
04054...it up? Enid remarked. There is no building site around
04055...here to compare with it. It looks like the place where the
04056...leading citizen of the town ought to live.
04057...
04058...Im glad you like it, Enid, said Bayliss in a guarded voice.
04059...Ive always had a sneaking fancy for the place myself. Those
04060...fellows back there never wanted to sell it. But now the
04061...estates got to be settled up. I bought it yesterday. The deed
04062...is on its way to Hartford for signature.
04063...
04064...Enid turned round in her seat. Why Bayliss, are you in
04065...earnest? Think of just buying the Trevor place off-hand, as
04066...if it were any ordinary piece of real estate! Will you make
04067...over the house, and live there some day?
04068...
04069...I dont know about living there. Its too far to walk to my
04070...business, and the road across this bottom gets pretty muddy
04071...for a car in the spring.
04072...
04073...But its not far, less than a mile. If I once owned that
04074...spot, Id surely never let anybody else live there. Even Carrie
04075...
........ [[110]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop111.jpg Creek 111
04077...
04078...remembers it. She often asks in her letters whether any one
04079...has bought the Trevor place yet.
04080...
04081...Carrie Royce, Enids older sister, was a missionary in
04082...China.
04083...
04084...Well, Bayliss admitted, I didnt buy it for an investment,
04085...exactly. I paid all it was worth.
04086...
04087...Enid turned to Gladys, who was apparently not listening.
04088...Youd be the one who could plan a mansion for Trevor Hill,
04089...Gladys. You always have such original ideas about houses.
04090...
04091...Yes, people who have no houses of their own often seem
04092...to have ideas about building, said Gladys quietly. But I
04093...like the Trevor place as it is. I hate to think that one of
04094...them is dead. People say they did have such good times up
04095...there.
04096...
04097...Bayliss grunted. Call it good times if you like. The kids
04098...were still grubbing whiskey bottles out of the cellar when I
04099...first came to town. Of course, if I decide to live there, Ill
04100...pull down that old trap and put up something modern. He
04101...often took this gruff tone with Gladys in public.
04102...
04103...Enid tried to draw the driver into the conversation. There
04104...seems to be a difference of opinion here, Claude.
04105...
04106...Oh, said Gladys carelessly, its Bayliss property, or soon
04107...will be. He will build what he likes. Ive always known
04108...somebody would get that place away from me, so Im pre-
04109...pared.
04110...
04111...Get it away from you? muttered Bayliss, amazed.
04112...
04113...Yes. As long as no one bought it and spoiled it, it was
04114...mine as much as it was anybodys.
04115...
04116...Claude, said Enid banteringly, now both your brothers
04117...have houses. Where are you going to have yours?
04118...
04119...I dont know that Ill ever have one. I think Ill run about
04120...
........ [[111]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop112.jpg 112
04122...
04123...the world a little before I draw my plans, he replied sarcas-
04124...tically.
04125...
04126...Take me with you, Claude! said Gladys in a tone of sud-
04127...den weariness. From that spiritless murmur Enid suspected
04128...that Bayliss had captured Gladys hand under the buffalo robe.
04129...
04130...Grimness had settled down over the sleighing party. Even
04131...Enid, who was not highly sensitive to unuttered feelings, saw
04132...that there was an uncomfortable constraint. A sharp wind
04133...had come up. Bayliss twice suggested turning back, but his
04134...brother answered, Pretty soon, and drove on. He meant
04135...that Bayliss should have enough of it. Not until Enid whis-
04136...pered reproachfully, I really think you ought to turn; were
04137...all getting cold, did he realize that he had made his sleighing
04138...party into a punishment! There was certainly nothing to
04139...punish Enid for; she had done her best, and had tried to make
04140...his own bad manners less conspicuous. He muttered a blun-
04141...dering apology to her when he lifted her from the sleigh at
04142...the mill house. On his long drive home he had bitter thoughts
04143...for company.
04144...
04145...He was so angry with Gladys that he hadnt been able to
04146...bid her good-night. Everything she said on the ride had net-
04147...tled him. If she meant to marry Bayliss, then she ought to
04148...throw off this affectation of freedom and independence. If
04149...she did not mean to, why did she accept favours from him and
04150...let him get into the habit of walking into her house and putting
04151...his box of candy on the table, as all Frankfort fellows did
04152...when they were courting? Certainly she couldnt make her-
04153...self believe that she liked his society!
04154...
04155...When they were classmates at the Frankfort High School,
04156...Gladys was Claudes aesthetic proxy. It wasnt the proper
04157...thing for a boy to be too clean, or too careful about his dress
04158...
........ [[112]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop113.jpg Creek 113
04160...
04161...and manners. But if he selected a girl who was irreproachable
04162...in these respects, got his Latin and did his laboratory work with
04163...her, then all her personal attractions redounded to his credit.
04164...Gladys had seemed to appreciate the honour Claude did her, and
04165...it was not all on her own account that she wore such beautifully
04166...ironed muslin dresses when they went on botanical expedi-
04167...tions.
04168...
04169...Driving home after that miserable sleigh-ride, Claude told
04170...himself that in so far as Gladys was concerned he could make
04171...up his mind to the fact that he had been stung all along.
04172...He had believed in her fine feelings; believed implicitly. Now
04173...he knew she had none so fine that she couldnt pocket them
04174...when there was enough to be gained by it. Even while he
04175...said these things over and over, his old conception of Gladys,
04176...down at the bottom of his mind, remained persistently un-
04177...changed. But that only made his state of feeling the more
04178...painful. He was deeply hurt, and for some reason, youth,
04179...when it is hurt, likes to feel itself betrayed.
04180...
........ [[113]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop114.jpg 114
04182...
04183...blankpageblank
04184...
........ [[114]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop115.jpg Enid 115
04186...
04187...
04188...
04189...
04190...
04191...
04192... Book II
04193...
04194... Enid
04195...
04196...
........ [[115]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop116.jpg 116
04198...
04199...blankpageblank
04200...
........ [[116]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop117.jpg Enid 117
04202...
04203...
04204...
04205...
04206...
04207... Chapter II-I
04208...
04209...
04210...One afternoon that spring Claude was sitting on the
04211...long flight of granite steps that leads up to the State
04212...House in Denver. He had been looking at the col-
04213...lection of Cliff Dweller remains in the Capitol, and when he
04214...came out into the sunlight the faint smell of fresh-cut grass
04215...struck his nostrils and persuaded him to linger. The gardeners
04216...were giving the grounds their first light mowing. All the
04217...lawns on the hill were bright with daffodils and hyacinths.
04218...A sweet, warm wind blew over the grass, drying the water-
04219...drops. There had been showers in the afternoon, and the sky
04220...was still a tender, rainy blue, where it showed through the
04221...masses of swiftly moving clouds.
04222...
04223...Claude had been away from home for nearly a month. His
04224...father had sent him out to see Ralph and the new ranch, and
04225...from there he went on to Colorado Springs and Trinidad.
04226...He had enjoyed travelling, but now that he was back in Denver
04227...he had that feeling of loneliness which often overtakes country
04228...boys in a city; the feeling of being unrelated to anything, of
04229...not mattering to anybody. He had wandered about Colorado
04230...Springs wishing he knew some of the people who were going
04231...in and out of the houses; wishing that he could talk to some of
04232...those pretty girls he saw driving their own cars about the
04233...streets, if only to say a few words. One morning when he was
04234...walking out in the hills a girl passed him, then slowed her car
04235...to ask if she could give him a lift. Claude would have said that
04236...she was just the sort who would never stop to pick him up,
04237...
........ [[117]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop118.jpg 118
04239...
04240...yet she did, and she talked to him pleasantly all the way back to
04241...town. It was only twenty minutes or so, but it was worth
04242...everything else that happened on his trip. When she asked
04243...him where she should put him down, he said at the Antlers, and
04244...blushed so furiously that she must have known at once he
04245...wasnt staying there.
04246...
04247...He wondered this afternoon how many discouraged young
04248...men had sat here on the State House steps and watched the
04249...sun go down behind the mountains. Every one was always
04250...saying it was a fine thing to be young; but it was a painful
04251...thing, too. He didnt believe older people were ever so
04252...wretched. Over there, in the golden light, the mass of
04253...mountains was splitting up into four distinct ranges, and as
04254...the sun dropped lower the peaks emerged in perspective, one
04255...behind the other. It was a lonely splendour that only made
04256...the ache in his breast the stronger. What was the matter with
04257...him, he asked himself entreatingly. He must answer that
04258...question before he went home again.
04259...
04260...The statue of Kit Carson on horseback, down in the Square,
04261...pointed Westward; but there was no West, in that sense, any
04262...more. There was still South America; perhaps he could find
04263...something below the Isthmus. Here the sky was like a lid
04264...shut down over the world; his mother could see saints and
04265...martyrs behind it.
04266...
04267...Well, in time he would get over all this, he supposed. Even
04268...his father had been restless as a young man, and had run away
04269...into a new country. It was a storm that died down at last,
04270...but what a pity not to do anything with it! A waste of
04271...power for it was a kind of power; he sprang to his feet and
04272...stood frowning against the ruddy light, so deep in his
04273...struggling thoughts that he did not notice a man, mounting
04274...
........ [[118]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop119.jpg Enid 119
04276...
04277...from the lower terraces, who stopped to look at him.
04278...
04279...The stranger scrutinized Claude with interest. He saw a
04280...young man standing bareheaded on the long flight of steps, his
04281...fists clenched in an attitude of arrested action, his sandy hair,
04282...his tanned face, his tense figure copper-coloured in the oblique
04283...rays. Claude would have been astonished if he could have
04284...known how he seemed to this stranger.
04285...
........ [[119]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop120.jpg 120
04287...
04288...
04289...
04290...
04291...
04292... Chapter II-II
04293...
04294...
04295...The next morning Claude stepped off the train at
04296...Frankfort and had his breakfast at the station before
04297...the town was awake. His family were not expect-
04298...ing him, so he thought he would walk home and stop at the
04299...mill to see Enid Royce. After all, old friends were best.
04300...
04301...He left town by the low road that wound along the creek.
04302...The willows were all out in new yellow leaves, and the sticky
04303...cotton-wood buds were on the point of bursting. Birds were
04304...calling everywhere, and now and then, through the studded
04305...willow wands, flashed the dazzling wing of a cardinal.
04306...
04307...All over the dusty, tan-coloured wheatfields there was a
04308...tender mist of green, millions of little fingers reaching up
04309...and waving lightly in the sun. To the north and south Claude
04310...could see the corn-planters, moving in straight lines over the
04311...brown acres where the earth had been harrowed so fine that
04312...it blew off in clouds of dust to the roadside. When a gust
04313...of wind rose, gay little twisters came across the open fields,
04314...corkscrews of powdered earth that whirled through the air
04315...and suddenly fell again. It seemed as if there were a lark
04316...on every fence post, singing for everything that was dumb;
04317...for the great ploughed lands, and the heavy horses in the
04318...rows, and the men guiding the horses.
04319...
04320...Along the roadsides, from under the dead weeds and wisps
04321...of dried bluestem, the dandelions thrust up their clean, bright
04322...faces. If Claude happened to step on one, the acrid smell
04323...
........ [[120]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop121.jpg Enid 121
04325...
04326...made him think of Mahailey, who had probably been out
04327...this very morning, gouging the sod with her broken butcher
04328...knife and stuffing dandelion greens into her apron. She al-
04329...ways went for greens with an air of secrecy, very early, and
04330...sneaked along the roadsides stooping close to the ground, as
04331...if she might be detected and driven away, or as if the dan-
04332...delions were wild things and had to be caught sleeping.
04333...
04334...Claude was thinking, as he walked, of how he used
04335...to like to come to mill with his father. The whole process
04336...of milling was mysterious to him then; and the mill house
04337...and the millers wife were mysterious; even Enid was, a
04338...little until he got her down in the bright sun among the
04339...cat-tails. They used to play in the bins of clean wheat, watch
04340...the flour coming out of the hopper and get themselves covered
04341...with white dust.
04342...
04343...Best of all he liked going in where the water-wheel hung
04344...dripping in its dark cave, and quivering streaks of sunlight
04345...came in through the cracks to play on the green slime and
04346...the spotted jewel weed growing in the shale. The mill was pick me^
04346...the spotted jewel-weed growing in the shale. The mill was no, me!&
04346 __=================op#121.. .. 32
04347...a place of sharp contrasts; bright sun and deep shade, roaring
04348...sound and heavy, dripping silence. He remembered how as-
04349...tonished he was one day, when he found Mr. Royce in gloves
04350...and goggles, cleaning the millstones, and discovered what harm-
04351...less looking things they were. The miller picked away at
04352...them with a sharp hammer until the sparks flew, and Claude
04353...still had on his hand a blue spot where a chip of flint went
04354...under the skin when he got too near.
04355...
04356...Jason Royce must have kept his mill going out of sentiment,
04357...for there was not much money in it now. But milling had
04358...been his first business, and he had not found many things in
04359...life to be sentimental about. Sometimes one still came upon
04360...
........ [[121]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop122.jpg 122
04362...
04363...him in dusty millers clothes, giving his man a day off. He
04364...had long ago ceased to depend on the risings and fallings of
04365...Lovely Creek for his power, and had put in a gasoline engine.
04366...The old dam now lay like a holler tooth, as one of his men
04367...said, grown up with weeds and willow-brush.
04368...
04369...Mr. Royces family affairs had never gone as well as his
04370...business. He had not been blessed with a son, and out of
04371...five daughters he had succeeded in bringing up only two.
04372...People thought the mill house damp and unwholesome. Until
04373...he built a tenants cottage and got a married man to take
04374...charge of the mill, Mr. Royce was never able to keep his mil-
04375...lers long. They complained of the gloom of the house, and
04376...said they could not get enough to eat. Mrs. Royce went every
04377...summer to a vegetarian sanatorium in Michigan, where she
04378...learned to live on nuts and toasted cereals. She gave her
04379...family nourishment, to be sure, but there was never during
04380...the day a meal that a man could look forward to with pleasure,
04381...or sit down to with satisfaction. Mr. Royce usually dined
04382...at the hotel in town. Nevertheless, his wife was distinguished
04383...for certain brilliant culinary accomplishments. Her bread was
04384...faultless. When a church supper was toward, she was always
04385...called upon for her wonderful mayonnaise dressing, or her
04386...angel food cake, sure to be the lightest and spongiest in any pick me^
04386...angel-food cake, sure to be the lightest and spongiest in any no, me!&
04386 __=====op#122.. .. 33
04387...assemblage of cakes.
04388...
04389...A deep preoccupation about her health made Mrs. Royce
04390...like a woman who has a hidden grief, or is preyed upon by
04391...a consuming regret. It wrapped her in a kind of insensibility.
04392...She lived differently from other people, and that fact made
04393...her distrustful and reserved. Only when she was at the
04394...sanatorium, under the care of her idolized doctors, did she
04395...feel that she was understood and surrounded by sympathy.
04396...
........ [[122]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop123.jpg Enid 123
04398...
04399...
04400...Her distrust had communicated itself to her daughters and
04401...in countless little ways had coloured their feelings about life.
04402...They grew up under the shadow of being different, and
04403...formed no close friendships. Gladys Farmer was the only
04404...Frankfort girl who had ever gone much to the mill house.
04405...
04406...Nobody was surprised when Caroline Royce, the older daugh-
04407...ter, went out to China to be a missionary, or that her mother
04408...let her go without a protest. The Royce women were strange,
04409...anyhow, people said; with Carrie gone, they hoped Enid would
04410...grow up to be more like other folk. She dressed well, came
04411...to town often in her car, and was always ready to
04412...work for the church or the public library.
04413...
04414...Besides, in Frankfort, Enid was thought very pretty, in
04415...itself a humanizing attribute. She was slender, with a small,
04416...well-shaped head, a smooth, pale skin, and large, dark, opaque
04417...eyes with heavy lashes. The long line from the lobe of her
04418...ear to the tip of her chin gave her face a certain rigidity, but
04419...to the old ladies, who are the best critics in such matters,
04420...this meant firmness and dignity. She moved quickly and
04421...gracefully, just brushing things rather than touching them,
04422...so that there was a suggestion of flight about her slim figure,
04423...of gliding away from her surroundings. When the Sunday
04424...School gave tableaux vivants, Enid was chosen for Nydia, the
04425...blind girl of Pompeii, and for the martyr in Christ or Diana.
04426...
04427...The pallor of her skin, the submissive inclination of her fore-
04428...head, and her dark, unchanging eyes, made one think of some-
04429...thing early Christian.
04430...
04431...On this May morning when Claude Wheeler came striding
04432...up the mill road, Enid was in the yard, standing by a trellis
04433...for vines built near the fence, out from under the heavy shade
04434...of the trees. She was raking the earth that had been spaded
04435...
........ [[123]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop124.jpg 124
04437...
04438...up the day before, and making furows in which to drop seeds. pick me^
04438...up the day before, and making furrows in which to drop seeds. no, me!&
04438 __=================================ooooooooooooooooooooooo=oooop#124.. .. 34
04439...From the turn of the road, by the knotty old willows, Claude
04440...saw her pink starched dress and little white sun-bonnet. He
04441...hurried forward.
04442...
04443...Hello, are you farming? he called as he came up to the
04444...fence.
04445...
04446...Enid, who was bending over at that moment, rose quickly,
04447...but without a start. Why, Claude! I thought you were out
04448...West somewhere. This is a surprise! She brushed the
04449...earth from her hands and gave him her limp white ringers. pick me^
04449...earth from her hands and gave him her limp white fingers. no, me!&
04449 __=================================================op#124.. .. 35
04450...Her arms, bare below the elbow, were thin, and looked cold,
04451...as if she had put on a summer dress too early.
04452...
04453...I just got back this morning. Im walking out home.
04454...What are you planting?
04455...
04456...Sweet peas.
04457...
04458...You always have the finest ones in the country. When I
04459...see a bunch of yours at church or anywhere, I always know
04460...them.
04461...
04462...Yes, Im quite successful with my sweet peas, she
04463...admitted. The ground is rich down here, and they get plenty
04464...of sun.
04465...
04466...It isnt only your sweet peas. Nobody else has such lilacs
04467...or rambler roses, and I expect you have the only wistaria
04468...vine in Frankfort county.
04469...
04470...Mother planted that a long while ago, when she first moved
04471...here. She is very partial to wistaria. Im afraid well lose
04472...it, one of these hard winters.
04473...
04474...Oh, that would be a shame! Take good care of it. You
04475...must put in a lot of time looking after these things, anyway.
04476...He spoke admiringly.
04477...
04478...Enid leaned against the fence and pushed back her little
04479...
........ [[124]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop125.jpg Enid 125
04481...
04482...bonnet. Perhaps I take more interest in flowers than I do
04483...in people. I often envy you, Claude; you have so many
04484...interests.
04485...
04486...He coloured. I? Good gracious, I dont have many! Im
04487...an awfully discontented sort of fellow. I didnt care about
04488...going to school until I had to stop, and then I was sore
04489...because I couldnt go back. I guess Ive been sulking about
04490...it all winter.
04491...
04492...She looked at him with quiet astonishment. I dont see
04493...why you should be discontented; youre so free.
04494...
04495...Well, arent you free, too?
04496...
04497...Not to do what I want to. The only thing I really want
04498...to do is to go out to China and help Carrie in her work.
04499...Mother thinks Im not strong enough. But Carrie was never
04500...very strong here. She is better in China, and I think I
04501...might be.
04502...
04503...Claude felt concern. He had not seen Enid since the sleigh-
04504...ride, when she had been gayer than usual. Now she seemed
04505...sunk in lassitude. You must get over such notions, Enid.
04506...You dont want to go wandering off alone like that. It makes
04507...people queer. Isnt there plenty of missionary work to be
04508...done right here?
04509...
04510...She sighed. Thats what everybody says. But we all of
04511...us have a chance, if well take it. Out there they havent.
04512...Its terrible to think of all those millions that live and die in
04513...darkness.
04514...
04515...Claude glanced up at the sombre mill house, hidden in
04516...cedars, then off at the bright, dusty fields. He felt as if he
04517...were a little to blame for Enids melancholy. He hadnt been
04518...very neighbourly this last year. People can live in darkness
04519...here, too, unless they fight it. Look at me. I told you Ive
04520...
........ [[125]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop126.jpg 126
04522...
04523...been moping all winter. We all feel friendly enough, but we
04524...go plodding on and never get together. You and I are old
04525...friends, and yet we hardly ever see each other. Mother says
04526...youve been promising for two years to run up and have a
04527...visit with her. Why dont you come? It would please her.
04528...
04529...Then I will. Ive always been fond of your mother.
04530...She paused a moment, absently twisting the strings of her
04531...bonnet, then twitched it from her head with a quick movement
04532...and looked at him squarely in the bright light. Claude, you
04533...havent really become a free-thinker, have you?
04534...
04535...He laughed outright. Why, what made you think I had?
04536...
04537...Everybody knows Ernest Havel is, and people say you and
04538...he read that kind of books together.
04539...
04540...Has that got anything to do with our being friends?
04541...
04542...Yes, it has. I couldnt feel the same confidence in you.
04543...Ive worried about it a good deal.
04544...
04545...Well, you just cut it out. For one thing, Im not worth
04546...it, he said quickly.
04547...
04548...Oh, yes, you are! If worrying would do any good
04549...she shook her head at him reproachfully.
04550...
04551...Claude took hold of the fence pickets between them with
04552...both hands. It will do good! Didnt I tell you there was
04553...missionary work to be done right here? Is that why youve
04554...been so stand-offish with me the last few years, because you
04555...thought I was an atheist?
04556...
04557...I never, you know, liked Ernest Havel, she murmured.
04558...
04559...When Claude left the mill and started homeward he felt that
04560...he had found something which would help him through the
04561...summer. How fortunate he had been to come upon Enid
04562...alone and talk to her without interruption, without once see-
04563...ing Mrs. Royces face, always masked in powder, peering at
04564...
........ [[126]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop127.jpg Enid 127
04566...
04567...him from behind a drawn blind. Mrs. Royce had always
04568...looked old, even long ago when she used to come into church
04569...with her little girls, a tiny woman in tiny high-heeled shoes
04570...and a big hat with nodding plumes, her black dress covered
04571...with bugles and jet that glittered and rattled and made her
04572...seem hard on the outside, like an insect.
04573...
04574...Yes, he must see to it that Enid went about and saw more
04575...of other people. She was too much with her mother, and with
04576...her own thoughts. Flowers and foreign missions her garden
04577...and the great kingdom of China; there was something unusual
04578...and touching about her preoccupations. Something quite
04579...charming, too. Women ought to be religious; faith was the
04580...natural fragrance of their minds. The more incredible the
04581...things they believed, the more lovely was the act of belief.
04582...To him the story of Paradise Lost was as mythical as the
04583...Odyssey; yet when his mother read it aloud to him, it was
04584...not only beautiful but true. A woman who didnt have holy
04585...thoughts about mysterious things far away would be prosaic
04586...and commonplace, like a man.
04587...
........ [[127]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop128.jpg 128
04589...
04590...
04591...
04592...
04593...
04594... Chapter II-III
04595...
04596...
04597...During the next few weeks Claude often ran his car
04598...down to the mill house on a pleasant evening and
04599...coaxed Enid to go into Frankfort with him and sit
04600...through a moving picture show, or to drive to a neighbouring
04601...town. The advantage of this form of companionship was that
04602...it did not put too great a strain upon ones conversational
04603...powers. Enid could be admirably silent, and she was never
04604...embarrassed by either silence or speech. She was cool and
04605...sure of herself under any circumstances, and that was one
04606...reason why she drove a car so well, much better than Claude,
04607...indeed.
04608...
04609...One Sunday, when they met after church, she told Claude
04610...that she wanted to go to Hastings to do some shopping, and
04611...they arranged that he should take her on Tuesday in his
04612...fathers big car. The town was about seventy miles to the
04613...northeast and, from Frankfort, it was an inconvenient trip
04614...by rail.
04615...
04616...On Tuesday morning Claude reached the mill house just
04617...as the sun was rising over the damp fields. Enid was on the
04618...front porch waiting for him, wearing a blanket coat over her
04619...spring suit. She ran down to the gate and slipped into the
04620...seat beside him.
04621...
04622...Good morning, Claude. Nobody else is up. Its going to
04623...be a glorious day, isnt it?
04624...
04625...Splendid. A little warm for this time of year. You wont
04626...need that coat long.
04627...
04628...For the first hour they found the roads empty. All the
04629...
........ [[128]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop129.jpg Enid 129
04631...
04632...fields were grey with dew, and the early sunlight burned over
04633...everything with the transparent brightness of a fire that has
04634...just been kindled. As the machine noiselessly wound off the
04635...miles, the sky grew deeper and bluer, and the flowers along
04636...the roadside opened in the wet grass. There were men and
04637...horses abroad on every hill now. Soon they began to pass
04638...children on the way to school, who stopped and waved their
04639...bright dinner pails at the two travellers. By ten oclock they
04640...were in Hastings.
04641...
04642...While Enid was shopping, Claude bought some white shoes
04643...and duck trousers. He felt more interest than usual in his
04644...summer clothes. They met at the hotel for lunch, both very
04645...hungry and both satisfied with their mornings work. Seated
04646...in the dining room, with Enid opposite him, Claude thought
04647...they did not look at all like a country boy and girl come to
04648...town, but like experienced people touring in their car.
04649...
04650...Will you make a call with me after dinner? she asked
04651...while they were waiting for their dessert.
04652...
04653...Is it any one I know?
04654...
04655...Certainly. Brother Weldon is in town. His meetings are
04656...over, and I was afraid he might be gone, but he is staying on
04657...a few days with Mrs. Gleason. I brought some of Carries
04658...letters along for him to read.
04659...
04660...Claude made a wry face. He wont be delighted to see
04661...me. We never got on well at school. Hes a regular muff
04662...of a teacher, if you want to know, he added resolutely.
04663...
04664...Enid studied him judicially. Im surprised to hear that;
04665...hes such a good speaker. Youd better come along. Its
04666...so foolish to have a coolness with your old teachers.
04667...
04668...An hour later the Reverend Arthur Weldon received the
04669...two young people in Mrs. Gleasons half-darkened parlour,
04670...
........ [[129]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop130.jpg 130
04672...
04673...where he seemed quite as much at home as that lady herself.
04674...The hostess, after chatting cordially with the visitors for a
04675...few moments, excused herself to go to a P.E.O. meeting. pick me^
04675...few moments, excused herself to go to a P. E. O. meeting. no, me!&
04675 __==========================================oooop#130.. .. 36
04676...Every one rose at her departure, and Mr. Weldon approached
04677...Enid, took her hand, and stood looking at her with his head
04678...inclined and his oblique smile. This is an unexpected pleas-
04679...ure, to see you again, Miss Enid. And you, too, Claude,
04680...turning a little toward the latter. Youve come up from
04681...Frankfort together this beautiful day? His tone seemed to
04682...say, How lovely for you!
04683...
04684...He directed most of his remarks to Enid and, as always,
04685...avoided looking at Claude except when he definitely addressed
04686...him.
04687...
04688...You are farming this year, Claude? I presume that is
04689...a great satisfaction to your father. And Mrs. Wheeler is
04690...quite well?
04691...
04692...Mr. Weldon certainly bore no malice, but he always pro-
04693...nounced Claudes name exactly like the word Clod, which
04694...annoyed him. To be sure, Enid pronounced his name in the
04695...same way, but either Claude did not notice this, or did not
04696...mind it from her. He sank into a deep, dark sofa, and sat
04697...with his driving cap on his knee while Brother Weldon drew
04698...a chair up to the one open window of the dusky room and
04699...began to read Carrie Royces letters. Without being asked
04700...to do so, he read them aloud, and stopped to comment from
04701...time to time. Claude observed with disappointment that Enid
04702...drank in all his platitudes just as Mrs. Wheeler did. He
04703...had never looked at Weldon so long before. The light fell
04704...full on the young mans pear-shaped head and his thin, rippled
04705...hair. What in the world could sensible women like his mother
04706...and Enid Royce find to admire in this purring, white-necktied
04707...
........ [[130]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop131.jpg Enid 131
04709...
04710...fellow? Enids dark eyes rested upon him with an expression
04711...of profound respect. She both looked at him and spoke to
04712...him with more feeling than she ever showed toward Claude.
04713...
04714...You see, Brother Weldon, she said earnestly, I am not
04715...naturally much drawn to people. I find it hard to take the
04716...proper interest in the church work at home. It seems as if
04717...I had always been holding myself in reserve for the foreign
04718...field, by not making personal ties, I mean. If Gladys Farmer
04719...went to China, everybody would miss her. She could never be
04720...replaced in the High School. She has the kind of magnetism
04721...that draws people to her. But I have always been keeping
04722...myself free to do what Carrie is doing. There I know I
04723...could be of use.
04724...
04725...Claude saw it was not easy for Enid to talk like this. Her
04726...face looked troubled, and her dark eyebrows came together
04727...in a sharp angle as she tried to tell the young preacher exactly
04728...what was going on in her mind. He listened with his habitual,
04729...smiling attention, smoothing the paper of the folded letter
04730...pages and murmuring, Yes, I understand. Indeed, Miss
04731...Enid?
04732...
04733...When she pressed him for advice, he said it was not always
04734...easy to know in what field one could be most useful; perhaps
04735...this very restraint was giving her some spiritual discipline that
04736...she particularly needed. He was careful not to commit him-
04737...self, not to advise anything unconditionally, except prayer.
04738...
04739...I believe that all things are made clear to us in prayer,
04740...Miss Enid.
04741...
04742...Enid clasped her hands; her perplexity made her features
04743...look sharper. But it is when I pray that I feel this call the
04744...strongest. It seems as if a finger were pointing me over there.
04745...Sometimes when I ask for guidance in little things, I get none,
04746...
........ [[131]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop132.jpg 132
04748...
04749...and only get the feeling that my work lies far away, and that
04750...for it, strength would be given me. Until I take that road,
04751...Christ withholds himself.
04752...
04753...Mr. Weldon answered her in a tone of relief, as if some-
04754...thing obscure had been made clear. If that is the case, Miss
04755...Enid, I think we need have no anxiety. If the call recurs to
04756...you in prayer, and it is your Saviours will, then we can be
04757...sure that the way and the means will be revealed. A passage
04758...from one of the Prophets occurs to me at this moment;
04759...And behold a way shall be opened up before thy feet; walk
04760...thou in it. We might say that this promise was originally
04761...meant for Enid Royce! I believe God likes us to appropriate
04762...passages of His word personally. This last remark was made
04763...playfully, as if it were a kind of Christian Endeavour jest.
04764...He rose and handed Enid back the letters. Clearly, the inter-
04765...view was over.
04766...
04767...As Enid drew on her gloves she told him that it had been a
04768...great help to talk to him, and that he always seemed to give
04769...her what she needed. Claude wondered what it was. He
04770...hadnt seen Weldon do anything but retreat before her eager
04771...questions. He, an atheist, could have given her stronger
04772...reinforcement.
04773...
04774...Claudes car stood under the maple trees in front of Mrs.
04775...Gleasons house. Before they got into it, he called Enids
04776...attention to a mass of thunderheads in the west.
04777...
04778...That looks to me like a storm. It might be a wise thing
04779...to stay at the hotel tonight.
04780...
04781...Oh, no! I dont want to do that. I havent come pre-
04782...pared.
04783...
04784...He reminded her that it wouldnt be impossible to buy what-
04785...ever she might need for the night.
04786...
........ [[132]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop133.jpg Enid 133
04788...
04789...
04790...I dont like to stay in a strange place without my own
04791...things, she said decidedly.
04792...
04793...Im afraid well be going straight into it. We may be in
04794...for something pretty rough, but its as you say He still pick me^
04794...for something pretty rough, but its as you say. He still no, me!&
04794 __==============================================oooooooo=op#133.. .. 37
04795...hesitated, with his hand on the door.
04796...
04797...I think wed better try it, she said with quiet determin-
04798...ation. Claude had not yet learned that Enid always opposed
04799...the unexpected, and could not bear to have her plans changed
04800...by people or circumstances.
04801...
04802...For an hour he drove at his best speed, watching the clouds
04803...anxiously. The table-land, from horizon to horizon, was
04804...glowing in sunlight, and the sky itself seemed only the more
04805...brilliant for the mass of purple vapours rolling in the west,
04806...with bright edges, like new-cut lead. He had made fifty odd
04807...miles when the air suddenly grew cold, and in ten minutes the
04808...whole shining sky was blotted out. He sprang to the ground
04809...and began to jack up his wheels. As soon as a wheel left the
04810...earth, Enid adjusted the chain. Claude told her he had never
04811...got the chains on so quickly before. He covered the packages
04812...in the back seat with an oilcloth and drove forward to meet
04813...the storm.
04814...
04815...The rain swept over them in waves, seemed to rise from the
04816...sod as well as to fall from the clouds. They made another
04817...five miles, ploughing through puddles and sliding over liquefied
04818...roads. Suddenly the heavy car, chains and all, bounded up a
04819...two-foot bank, shot over the sod a dozen yards before the
04820...brake caught it, then swung a half-circle and stood still. Enid
04821...sat calm and motionless.
04822...
04823...Claude drew a long breath. If that had happened on a
04824...culvert, wed be in the ditch with the car on top of us. I
04825...simply cant control the thing. The whole top soil is loose, and
04826...
........ [[133]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop134.jpg 134
04828...
04829...theres nothing to hold to. Thats Tommy Rices place over
04830...there. Wed better get him to take us in for the night.
04831...
04832...But that would be worse than the hotel, Enid objected.
04833...They are not very clean people, and there are a lot of chil-
04834...dren.
04835...
04836...Better be crowded than dead, he murmured. From here
04837...on, it would be a matter of luck. We might land anywhere.
04838...
04839...We are only about ten miles from your place. I can stay
04840...with your mother tonight.
04841...
04842...Its too dangerous, Enid. I dont like the responsibility.
04843...Your father would blame me for taking such a chance.
04844...
04845...I know, its on my account youre nervous. Enid spoke
04846...reasonably enough. Do you mind letting me drive for
04847...awhile? There are only three bad hills left, and I think I
04848...can slide down them sideways; Ive often tried it.
04849...
04850...Claude got out and let her slip into his seat, but after she
04851...took the wheel he put his hand on her arm. Dont do any-
04852...thing so foolish, he pleaded.
04853...
04854...Enid smiled and shook her head. She was amiable, but
04855...inflexible.
04856...
04857...He folded his arms. Go on.
04858...
04859...He was chafed by her stubbornness, but he had to admire
04860...her resourcefulness in handling the car. At the bottom of one
04861...of the worst hills was a new cement culvert, overlaid with
04862...liquid mud, where there was nothing for the chains to grip.
04863...The car slid to the edge of the culvert and stopped on the
04864...very brink. While they were ploughing up the other side of the
04865...hill, Enid remarked; Its a good thing your starter works
04866...well; a little jar would have thrown us over.
04867...
04868...They pulled up at the Wheeler farm just before dark, and
04869...
........ [[134]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop135.jpg Enid 135
04871...
04872...Mrs. Wheeler came running out to meet them with a rubber
04873...coat over her head.
04874...
04875...You poor drowned children! she cried, taking Enid in her
04876...arms. How did you ever get home? I so hoped you had
04877...stayed in Hastings.
04878...
04879...It was Enid who got us home, Claude told her. Shes
04880...a dreadfully foolhardy girl, and somebody ought to shake her,
04881...but shes a fine driver.
04882...
04883...Enid laughed as she brushed a wet lock back from her
04884...forehead. You were right, of course; the sensible thing would
04885...have been to turn in at the Rice place; only I didnt want to.
04886...
04887...Later in the evening Claude was glad they hadnt. It was
04888...pleasant to be at home and to see Enid at the supper table,
04889...sitting on his fathers right and wearing one of his mothers
04890...new grey house-dresses. They would have had a dismal time
04891...at the Rices, with no beds to sleep in except such as were
04892...already occupied by Rice children. Enid had never slept in
04893...his mothers guest room before, and it pleased him to think
04894...how comfortable she would be there.
04895...
04896...At an early hour Mrs. Wheeler took a candle to light her
04897...guest to bed; Enid passed near Claudes chair as she was
04898...leaving the room. Have you forgiven me? she asked teas-
04899...ingly.
04900...
04901...What made you so pig-headed? Did you want to frighten
04902...me? or to show me how well you could drive?
04903...
04904...Neither. I wanted to get home. Good-night.
04905...
04906...Claude settled back in his chair and shaded his eyes. She
04907...did feel that this was home, then. She had not been afraid of
04908...his fathers jokes, or disconcerted by Mahaileys knowing grin.
04909...Her ease in the household gave him unaccountable pleasure.
04910...
........ [[135]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop136.jpg 136
04912...
04913...He picked up a book, but did not read. It was lying open on
04914...his knee when his mother came back half an hour later.
04915...
04916...Move quietly when you go upstairs, Claude. She is so
04917...tired that she may be asleep already.
04918...
04919...He took off his shoes and made his ascent with the utmost
04920...caution.
04921...
........ [[136]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop137.jpg Enid 137
04923...
04924...
04925...
04926...
04927...
04928... Chapter II-IV
04929...
04930...
04931...Ernest Havel was cultivating his bright, glistening
04932...young cornfield one summer morning, whistling to
04933...himself an old German song which was somehow
04934...connected with a picture that rose in his memory. It was a
04935...picture of the earliest ploughing he could remember.
04936...
04937...He saw a half-circle of green hills, with snow still lingering
04938...in the clefts of the higher ridges; behind the hills rose a wall
04939...of sharp mountains, covered with dark pine forests. In the
04940...meadows at the foot of that sweep of hills there was a winding
04941...creek, with polled willows in their first yellow-green, and
04942...brown fields. He himself was a little boy, playing by the creek
04943...and watching his father and mother plough with two great
04944...oxen, that had rope traces fastened to their heads and their
04945...long horns. His mother walked barefoot beside the oxen and
04946...led them; his father walked behind, guiding the plough. His
04947...father always looked down. His mothers face was almost
04948...as brown and furrowed as the fields, and her eyes were pale
04949...blue, like the skies of early spring. The two would go up and
04950...down thus all morning without speaking, except to the oxen.
04951...Ernest was the last of a long family, and as he played by the
04952...creek he used to wonder why his parents looked so old.
04953...
04954...Leonard Dawson drove his car up to the fence and shouted,
04955...waking Ernest from his revery. He told his team to stand,
04956...and ran out to the edge of the field.
04957...
04958...Hello, Ernest, Leonard called. Have you heard Claude
04959...Wheeler got hurt day before yesterday?
04960...
........ [[137]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop138.jpg 138
04962...
04963...
04964...You dont say so! It cant be anything bad, or theyd let
04965...me know.
04966...
04967...Oh, its nothing very bad, I guess, but he got his face
04968...scratched up in the wire quite a little. It was the queerest
04969...thing I ever saw. He was out with the team of mules and a
04970...heavy plough, working the road in that deep cut between their
04971...place and mine. The gasoline motor-truck came along, making
04972...more noise than usual, maybe. But those mules know a motor
04973...truck, and what they did was pure cussedness. They begun
04974...to rear and plunge in that deep cut. I was working my corn
04975...over in the field and shouted to the gasoline man to stop, but
04976...he didnt hear me. Claude jumped for the critters heads and
04977...got em by the bits, but by that time he was all tangled up in
04978...the lines. Those damned mules lifted him off his feet and
04979...started to run. Down the draw and up the bank and across
04980...the fields they went, with that big plough-blade jumping three
04981...or four feet in the air every clip. I was sure it would cut one
04982...of the mules open, or go clean through Claude. It would
04983...have got him, too, if he hadnt kept his hold on the bits. They
04984...carried him right along, swinging in the air, and finally ran
04985...him into the barb-wire fence and cut his face and neck up.
04986...
04987...My goodness! Did he get cut bad?
04988...
04989...No, not very, but yesterday morning he was out cultivating
04990...corn, all stuck up with court plaster. I knew that was a fool
04991...thing to do; a wire cuts nasty if you get overheated out in
04992...the dust. But you cant tell a Wheeler anything. Now they
04993...say his face has swelled and is hurting him terrible, and hes
04994...gone to town to see the doctor. Youd better go over there
04995...tonight, and see if you can make him take care of himself.
04996...
04997...Leonard drove on, and Ernest went back to his team. Its
04998...queer about that boy, he was thinking. Hes big and strong,
04999...
........ [[138]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop139.jpg Enid 139
05001...
05002...and hes got an education and all that fine land, but he dont
05003...seem to fit in right. Sometimes Ernest thought his friend
05004...was unlucky. When that idea occurred to him, he sighed and
05005...shook it off. For Ernest believed there was no help for that;
05006...it was something rationalism did not explain.
05007...
05008...The next afternoon Enid Royces coupe drove up to the
05009...Wheeler farmyard. Mrs. Wheeler saw Enid get out of her
05010...car and came down the hill to meet her, breathless and dis-
05011...tressed. Oh, Enid! Youve heard of Claudes accident? He
05012...wouldnt take care of himself, and now hes got erysipelas.
05013...Hes in such pain, poor boy!
05014...
05015...Enid took her arm, and they started up the hill toward the
05016...house. Can I see Claude, Mrs. Wheeler? I want to give
05017...him these flowers.
05018...
05019...Mrs. Wheeler hesitated. I dont know if he will let you
05020...come in, dear. I had hard work persuading him to see Ernest
05021...for a few moments last night. He seems so low-spirited, and
05022...hes sensitive about the way hes bandaged up. Ill go to his
05023...room and ask him.
05024...
05025...No, just let me go up with you, please. If I walk in with
05026...you, he wont have time to fret about it. I wont stay if he
05027...doesnt wish it, but I want to see him.
05028...
05029...Mrs. Wheeler was alarmed at this suggestion, but Enid
05030...ignored her uncertainty. They went up to the third floor
05031...together, and Enid herself tapped at the door.
05032...
05033...Its I, Claude. May I come in for a moment?
05034...
05035...A muffled, reluctant voice answered. No. They say this
05036...is catching, Enid. And anyhow, Id rather you didnt see me
05037...like this.
05038...
05039...Without waiting she pushed open the door. The dark blinds
05040...were down, and the room was full of a strong, bitter odor.
05041...
........ [[139]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop140.jpg 140
05043...
05044...Claude lay flat in bed, his head and face so smothered in sur-
05045...gical cotton that only his eyes and the tip of his nose were
05046...visible. The brown paste with which his features were smeared
05047...oozed out at the edges of the gauze and made his dressings
05048...look untidy. Enid took in these details at a glance.
05049...
05050...Does the light hurt your eyes? Let me put up one of
05051...the blinds for a moment, because I want you to see these
05052...flowers. Ive brought you my first sweet peas.
05053...
05054...Claude blinked at the bunch of bright colours she held out
05055...before him. She put them up to his face and asked him if he
05056...could smell them through his medicines. In a moment he
05057...ceased to feel embarrassed. His mother brought a glass bowl,
05058...and Enid arranged the flowers on the little table beside him.
05059...
05060...Now, do you want me to darken the room again?
05061...
05062...Not yet. Sit down for a minute and talk to me. I cant
05063...say much because my face is stiff.
05064...
05065...I should think it would be! I met Leonard Dawson on the
05066...road yesterday, and he told me how you worked in the field
05067...after you were cut. I would like to scold you hard, Claude.
05068...
05069...Do. It might make me feel better. He took her hand
05070...and kept her beside him a moment. Are those the sweet peas
05071...you were planting that day when I came back from the West?
05072...
05073...Yes. Havent they done well to blossom so early?
05074...
05075...Less than two months. Thats strange, he sighed.
05076...
05077...Strange? What?
05078...
05079...Oh, that a handful of seeds can make anything so pretty
05080...in a few weeks, and it takes a man so long to do anything
05081...and then its not much account.
05082...
05083...Thats not the way to look at things, she said reprovingly.
05084...
05085...Enid sat prim and straight on a chair at the foot of his bed.
05086...Her flowered organdie dress was very much like the bouquet
05087...
........ [[140]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop141.jpg Enid 141
05089...
05090...she had brought, and her floppy straw hat had a big lilac bow.
05091...She began to tell Claude about her fathers several attacks
05092...of erysipelas. He listened but absently. He would never
05093...have believed that Enid, with her severe notions of decorum,
05094...would come into his room and sit with him like this. He
05095...noticed that his mother was quite as much astonished as he.
05096...She hovered about the visitor for a few moments, and then,
05097...seeing that Enid was quite at her ease, went downstairs to
05098...her work. Claude wished that Enid would not talk at all,
05099...but would sit there and let him look at her. The sunshine
05100...she had let into the room, and her tranquil, fragrant presence,
05101...soothed him. Presently he realized that she was asking him
05102...something.
05103...
05104...What is it, Enid? The medicine they give me makes me
05105...stupid. I dont catch things.
05106...
05107...I was asking whether you play chess/ pick me^
05107...I was asking whether you play chess. no, me!&
05107 __===================================op#141.. .. 38
05108...
05109...Very badly.
05110...
05111...Father says I play passably well. When you are better
05112...you must let me bring 1 up my ivory chessmen that Carrie pick me^
05112...you must let me bring up my ivory chessmen that Carrie no, me!&
05112 __======================oooop#141.. .. 39
05113...sent me from China. They are beautifully carved. And now
05114...its time for me to go.
05115...
05116...She rose and patted his hand, telling him he must not be
05117...foolish about seeing people. I didnt know you were so vain.
05118...Bandages are as becoming to you as they are to anybody.
05119...Shall I pull the dark blind again for you?
05120...
05121...Yes, please. There wont be anything to look at now.
05122...
05123...Why, Claude, you are getting to be quite a ladies man!
05124...
05125...Something in the way Enid said this made him wince a
05126...little. He felt his burning face grow a shade warmer. Even
05127...after she went downstairs he kept wishing she had not said
05128...that.
05129...
........ [[141]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop142.jpg 142
05131...
05132...
05133...His mother came to give him his medicine. She stood
05134...beside him while he swallowed it. Enid Royce is a real
05135...sensible girl she said as she took the glass. Her upward
05136...inflection expressed not conviction but bewilderment.
05137...
05138...Enid came every afternoon, and Claude looked forward to
05139...her visits restlessly; they were the only pleasant things that
05140...happened to him, and made him forget the humiliation of his
05141...poisoned and disfigured face. He was disgusting to himself;
05142...when he touched the welts on his forehead and under his hair,
05143...he felt unclean and abject. At night, when his fever ran
05144...high, and the pain began to tighten in his head and neck, it
05145...wrought him to a distressing pitch of excitement. He fought
05146...with it as one bulldog fights with another. His mind prowled
05147...about among dark legends of torture, everything he had ever
05148...read about the Inquisition, the rack and the wheel.
05149...
05150...When Enid entered his room, cool and fresh in her pretty
05151...summer clothes, his mind leaped to meet her. He could not
05152...talk much, but he lay looking at her and breathing in a sweet
05153...contentment. After awhile he was well enough to sit up half-
05154...dressed in a steamer chair and play chess with her.
05155...
05156...One afternoon they were by the west window in the sitting-
05157...room with the chess board between them, and Claude had to
05158...admit that he was beaten again.
05159...
05160...It must be dull for you, playing with me, he murmured,
05161...brushing the beads of sweat from his forehead. His face
05162...was clean now, so white that even his freckles had disappeared,
05163...and his hands were the soft, languid hands of a sick man.
05164...
05165...You will play better when you are stronger and can fix
05166...your mind on it, Enid assured him. She was puzzled because
05167...Claude, who had a good head for some things, had none at all
05168...for chess, and it was clear that he would never play well.
05169...
........ [[142]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop143.jpg Enid 143
05171...
05172...
05173...Yes, he sighed, dropping back into his chair, my wits
05174...do wander. Look at my wheatfield, over there on the sky-
05175...line. Isnt it lovely? And now I wont be able to harvest it.
05176...Sometimes I wonder whether Ill ever finish anything I begin.
05177...
05178...Enid put the chessmen back into their box. Now that you
05179...are better, you must stop feeling blue. Father says that with
05180...your trouble people are always depressed.
05181...
05182...Claude shook his head slowly, as it lay against the back of
05183...the chair. No, its not that. Its having so much time to
05184...think that makes me blue. You see, Enid, Ive never yet
05185...done anything that gave me any satisfaction. I must be good
05186...for something. When I lie still and think, I wonder whether
05187...my life has been happening to me or to somebody else. It
05188...doesnt seem to have much connection with me. I havent
05189...made much of a start.
05190...
05191...But you are not twenty-two yet. You have plenty of
05192...time to start. Is that what you are thinking about all the
05193...time! She shook her finger at him.
05194...
05195...I think about two things all the time. That is one of
05196...them. Mrs. Wheeler came in with Claudes four oclock milk;
05197...it was his first day downstairs.
05198...
05199...When they were children, playing by the mill-dam, Claude
05200...had seen the future as a luminous vagueness in which he and
05201...Enid would always do things together. Then there came a
05202...time when he wanted to do everything with Ernest, when girls
05203...were disturbing and a bother, and he pushed all that into the
05204...distance, knowing that some day he must reckon with it again.
05205...
05206...Now he told himself he had always known Enid would
05207...come back; and she had come on that afternoon when she
05208...entered his drug-smelling room and let in the sunlight. She
05209...
........ [[143]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop144.jpg 144
05211...
05212...would have done that for nobody but him. She was not a
05213...girl who would depart lightly from conventions that she rec-
05214...ognized as authoritative. He remembered her as she used to
05215...march up to the platform for Childrens Day exercises with
05216...the other little girls of the infant class; in her stiff white
05217...dress, never a curl awry or a wrinkle in her stocking, keeping
05218...her little comrades in order by the acquiescent gravity of her
05219...face, which seemed to say, How pleasant it is to do thus and
05220...to do Right!
05221...
05222...Old Mr. Smith was the minister in those days, a good
05223...man who had been much tossed about by a stormy and tem-
05224...peramental wife and his eyes used to rest yearningly upon
05225...little Enid Royce, seeing in her the promise of virtuous and
05226...comely Christian womanhood, to use one of his own phrases.
05227...Claude, in the boys class across the aisle, used to tease her
05228...and try to distract her, but he respected her seriousness.
05229...
05230...When they played together she was fair-minded, didnt whine
05231...if she got hurt, and never claimed a girls exemption from any-
05232...thing unpleasant. She was calm, even on the day when she
05233...fell into the mill-dam and he fished her out; as soon as she
05234...stopped choking and coughing up muddy water, she wiped
05235...her face with her little drenched petticoats, and sat shivering
05236...and saying over and over, Oh, Claude, Claude! Incidents
05237...like that one now seemed to him significant and fateful.
05238...
05239...When Claudes strength began to return to him, it came
05240...overwhelmingly. His blood seemed to grow strong while his
05241...body was still weak, so that the in-rush of vitality shook him.
05242...The desire to live again sang in his veins while his frame
05243...was unsteady. Waves of youth swept over him and left him
05244...exhausted. When Enid was with him these feelings were
05245...never so strong; her actual presence restored his equilibrium
05246...
........ [[144]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop145.jpg Enid 145
05248...
05249...almost. This fact did not perplex him; he fondly attrib-
05250...uted it to something beautiful in the girls nature, a quality
05251...so lovely and subtle that there is no name for it.
05252...
05253...During the first days of his recovery he did nothing but
05254...enjoy the creeping stir of life. Respiration was a soft phys-
05255...ical pleasure. In the nights, so long he could not sleep them
05256...through, it was delightful to lie upon a cloud that floated
05257...lazily down the sky. In the depths of this lassitude the
05258...thought of Enid would start up like a sweet, burning pain,
05259...and he would drift out into the darkness upon sensations he
05260...could neither prevent nor control. So long as he could plough,
05261...pitch hay, or break his back in the wheatfield, he had been
05262...master; but now he was overtaken by himself. Enid was
05263...meant for him and she had come for him; he would never let
05264...her go. She should never know how much he longed for her, pick me^
05264...her go. She should never know how much he longed for her. no, me!&
05264 __========================================================op#145.. .. 40
05265...She would be slow to feel even a little of what he was feeling;
05266...he knew that. It would take a long while. But he would be
05267...infinitely patient, infinitely tender of her. It should be he who
05268...suffered, not she. Even in his dreams he never wakened
05269...her, but loved her while she was still and unconscious like a
05270...statue. He would shed love upon her until she warmed and
05271...changed without knowing why.
05272...
05273...Sometimes when Enid sat unsuspecting beside him, a quick
05274...blush swept across his face and he felt guilty toward her,
05275...meek and humble, as if he must beg her forgiveness for some-
05276...thing. Often he was glad when she went away and left him
05277...alone to think about her. Her presence brought him sanity,
05278...and for that he ought to be grateful. When he was with her,
05279...he thought how she was to be the one who would put him
05280...right with the world and make him fit into the life about
05281...him. He had troubled his mother and disappointed his father,
05282...
........ [[145]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop146.jpg 146
05284...
05285...His marriage would be the first natural, dutiful, expected
05286...thing he had ever done. It would be the beginning of use-
05287...fulness and content; as his mothers oft-repeated Psalm said,
05288...it would restore his soul. Enids willingness to listen to him
05289...he could scarcely doubt. Her devotion to him during his ill-
05290...ness was probably regarded by her friends as equivalent to
05291...an engagement.
05292...
........ [[146]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop147.jpg Enid 147
05294...
05295...
05296...
05297...
05298...
05299... Chapter II-V
05300...
05301...
05302...Claudes first trip to Frankfort was to get his hair
05303...cut. After leaving the barber-shop he presented him-
05304...self, glistening with bayrum, at Jason Royces office.
05305...Mr. Royce, in the act of closing his safe, turned and took
05306...the young man by the hand.
05307...
05308...Hello, Claude, glad to see you around again! Sickness
05309...cant do much to a husky young farmer like you. With old
05310...fellows, its another story. Im just starting off to have a look
05311...at my alfalfa, south of the river. Get in and go along with
05312...me.
05313...
05314...They went out to the open car that stood by the sidewalk,
05315...and when they were spinning along between fields of ripening
05316...grain Claude broke the silence. I expect you know what I
05317...want to see you about, Mr. Royce?
05318...
05319...The older man shook his head. He had been preoccupied
05320...and grim ever since they started.
05321...
05322...Well, Claude went on modestly, it oughtnt to surprise
05323...you to hear that Ive set my heart on Enid. I havent said
05324...anything to her yet, but if youre not against me, Im going
05325...to try to persuade her to marry me.
05326...
05327...Marriage is a final sort of thing, Claude, said Mr. Royce.
05328...He sat slumping in his seat, watching the road ahead of him
05329...with intense abstraction, looking more gloomy and grizzled
05330...than usual. Enid is a vegetarian, you know, he remarked
05331...unexpectedly.
05332...
05333...Claude smiled. That could hardly make any difference to
05334...me, Mr. Royce.
05335...
........ [[147]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop148.jpg 148
05337...
05338...
05339...The other nodded slightly. I know. At your age you
05340...think it doesnt. Such things do make a difference, however.
05341...
05342...His lips closed over his half-dead cigar, and for some time fie pick me^
05342...His lips closed over his half-dead cigar, and for some time he no, me!&
05342 __============================================================ooop#148.. .. 41
05343...did not open them.
05344...
05345...Enid is a good girl, he said at last. Strictly speaking,
05346...she has more brains than a girl needs. If Mrs. Royce had
05347...another daughter at home, Id take Enid into my office. She
05348...has good judgment. I dont know but shed run a business
05349...better than a house. Having got this out, Mr. Royce relaxed
05350...his frown, took his cigar from his mouth, looked at it, and
05351...put it back between his teeth without relighting it.
05352...
05353...Claude was watching him with surprise. Theres no ques-
05354...tion about Enid, Mr. Royce. I didnt come to ask you about
05355...her, he exclaimed. I came to ask if youd be willing to
05356...have me for a son-in-law. I know, and you know, that Enid
05357...could do a great deal better than to marry me. I surely
05358...havent made much of a showing, so far.
05359...
05360...Here we are, announced Mr. Royce. Ill leave the car
05361...under this elm, and well go up to the north end of the field
05362...and have a look.
05363...
05364...They crawled under the wire fence and started across the
05365...rough ground through a field of purple blossoms. Clouds of
05366...yellow butterflies darted up before them. They walked jerkily,
05367...breaking through the sun-baked crust into the soft soil beneath.
05368...Mr. Royce lit a fresh cigar, and as he threw away the match
05369...let his hand drop on the young mans shoulder. I always
05370...envied your father. You took my fancy when you were a
05371...little shaver, and I used to let you in to see the water-wheel.
05372...When I gave up water power and put in an engine, I said to
05373...myself: Theres just one fellow in the country will be sorry
05374...to see the old wheel go, and thats Claude Wheeler.
05375...
........ [[148]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop149.jpg Enid 149
05377...
05378...
05379...I hope you dont think Im too young to marry, Claude
05380...said as they tramped on.
05381...
05382...No, its right and proper a young man should marry. I
05383...dont say anything against marriage, Mr. Royce protested
05384...doggedly. You may find some opposition in Enids mis-
05385...sionary motives. I dont know how she feels about that now.
05386...I dont enquire. Id be pleased to see her get rid of such
05387...notions. They dont do a woman any good.
05388...
05389...I want to help her get rid of them. If its all right with
05390...you, I hope I can persuade Enid to marry me this fall.
05391...
05392...Jason Royce turned his head quickly toward his companion,
05393...studied his artless, hopeful countenance for a moment, and
05394...then looked away with a frown.
05395...
05396...The alfalfa field sloped upward at one corner, lay like a
05397...bright green-and-purple handkerchief thrown down on the hill-
05398...side. At the uppermost angle grew a slender young cotton-
05399...wood, with leaves as light and agitated as the swarms of little
05400...butterflies that hovered above the clover. Mr. Royce made
05401...for this tree, took off his black coat, rolled it up, and sat down
05402...on it in the flickering shade. His shirt showed big blotches
05403...of moisture, and the sweat was rolling in clear drops along
05404...the creases in his brown neck. He sat with his hands clasped
05405...over his knees, his heels braced in the soft soil, and looked
05406...blankly off across the field. He found himself absolutely un-
05407...able to touch upon the vast body of experience he wished
05408...to communicate to Claude. It lay in his chest like a physical
05409...misery, and the desire to speak struggled there. But he had
05410...no words, no way to make himself understood. He had no
05411...argument to present. What he wanted to do was to hold up
05412...life as he had found it, like a picture, to his young friend;
05413...to wani him, without explanation, against certain heart-break- pick me^
05413...to warn him, without explanation, against certain heart-break- no, me!&
05413 __=====oop#149.. .. 42
05414...
........ [[149]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop150.jpg 150
05416...
05417...ing disappointments. It could not be done, he saw. The
05418...dead might as well try to speak to the living as the old to the
05419...young. The only way that Claude could ever come to share
05420...his secret, was to live. His strong yellow teeth closed tighter
05421...and tighter on the cigar, which had gone out like the first.
05422...He did not look at Claude, but while he watched the wind
05423...plough soft, flowery roads in the field, the boys face was
05424...clearly before him, with its expression of reticent pride melt-
05425...ing into the desire to please, and the slight stiffness of his
05426...shoulders, set in a kind of stubborn loyalty. Claude lay on
05427...the sod beside him, rather tired after his walk in the sun, a
05428...little melancholy, though he did not know why.
05429...
05430...After a long while Mr. Royce unclasped his broad, thick-
05431...fingered millers hands, and for a moment took out the mac-
05432...erated cigar. Well, Claude, he said with determined cheer-
05433...fulness, well always be better friends than is common
05434...between father and son-in-law. Youll find out that pretty
05435...nearly everything you believe about life about marriage,
05436...especially is lies. I dont know why people prefer to live
05437...in that sort of a world, but they do.
05438...
........ [[150]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop151.jpg Enid 151
05440...
05441...
05442...
05443...
05444...
05445... Chapter II-VI
05446...
05447...
05448...After his interview with Mr. Royce, Claude drove
05449...directly to the mill house. As he came up the shady
05450...road, he saw with disappointment the flash of two
05451...white dresses instead of one, moving about in the sunny flower
05452...garden. The visitor was Gladys Farmer. This was her vaca-
05453...tion time. She had walked out to the mill in the cool of the
05454...morning to spend the day with Enid. Now they were starting
05455...off to gather water-cresses, and had stopped in the garden to
05456...smell the heliotrope. On this scorching afternoon the purple
05457...sprays gave out a fragrance that hung over the flower-bed and
05458...brushed their cheeks like a warm breath. The girls looked up
05459...at the same moment and recognized Claude. They waved to
05460...him and hurried down to the gate to congratulate him on his
05461...recovery. He took their little tin pails and followed them
05462...around the old dam-head and up a sandy gorge, along a clear
05463...thread of water that trickled into Lovely Creek just above the
05464...mill. They came to the gravelly hill where the stream took its
05465...source from a spring hollowed out under the exposed roots of
05466...two elm trees. All about the spring, and in the sandy bed
05467...of the shallow creek, the cresses grew cool and green.
05468...
05469...Gladys had strong feelings about places. She looked around
05470...her with satisfaction. Of all the places where we used to
05471...play, Enid, this was my favourite she declared. pick me^
05471...play, Enid, this was my favourite, she declared. no, me!&
05471 __=================================oooop#151.. .. 43
05472...
05473...You girls sit up there on the elm roots, Claude suggested.
05474...Wherever you put your foot in this soft gravel, water
05475...gathers. Youll spoil your white shoes. Ill get the cress for
05476...you/ pick me^
05476...you. no, me!&
05476 __===op#151.. .. 44
05477...
........ [[151]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop152.jpg 152
05479...
05480...
05481...Stuff my pail as full as you can, then Gladys called as pick me^
05481...Stuff my pail as full as you can, then, Gladys called as no, me!&
05481 __======================================ooooooooooo=oooop#152.. .. 45
05482...they sat down. I wonder why the Spanish dagger grows
05483...so thick on this hill, Enid? These plants were old and tough
05484...when we were little. I love it here.
05485...
05486...She leaned back upon the hot, glistening hill-side. The
05487...sun came down in red rays through the elm-tops, and all the
05488...pebbles and bits of quartz glittered dazzlingly. Down in the
05489...stream bed the water, where it caught the light, twinkled like
05490...tarnished gold. Claudes sandy head and stooping shoulders
05491...were mottled with sunshine as they moved about over the
05492...green patches, and his duck trousers looked much whiter than
05493...they were. Gladys was too poor to travel, but she had the
05494...good fortune to be able to see a great deal within a few miles
05495...of Frankfort, and a warm imagination helped her to find life
05496...interesting. She did, as she confided to Enid, want to go to
05497...Colorado; she was ashamed of never having seen a moun-
05498...tain.
05499...
05500...Presently Claude came up the bank with two shining, drip-
05501...ping pails. Now may I sit down with you for a few min-
05502...utes?
05503...
05504...Moving to make room for him beside her, Enid noticed
05505...that his thin face was heavily beaded with perspiration. His
05506...pocket handkerchief was wet and sandy, so she gave him her
05507...own, with a proprietary air. Why, Claude, you look quite
05508...tired! Have you been over-doing? Where were you before
05509...you came here?
05510...
05511...I was out in the country with your father, looking at his
05512...alfalfa.
05513...
05514...And he walked you all over the field in the hot sun, I
05515...suppose?
05516...
05517...Claude laughed. He did.
05518...
........ [[152]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop153.jpg Enid 153
05520...
05521...
05522...Well, Ill scold him tonight. You stay here and rest. I
05523...am going to drive Gladys home.
05524...
05525...Gladys protested, but at last consented that they should both
05526...drive her home in Claudes car. They lingered awhile, how-
05527...ever, listening to the soft, amiable bubbling of the spring; a
05528...wise, unobtrusive voice, murmuring night and day, continually
05529...telling the truth to people who could not understand it.
05530...
05531...When they went back to the house Enid stopped long enough
05532...to cut a bunch of heliotrope for Mrs. Farmer, though with
05533...the sinking of the sun its rich perfume had already vanished.
05534...They left Gladys and her flowers and cresses at the gate of
05535...the white cottage, now half hidden by gaudy trumpet vines.
05536...
05537...Claude turned his car and went back along the dim, twilight
05538...road with Enid. I usually like to see Gladys, but when I
05539...found her with you this afternoon, I was terribly disappointed
05540...for a minute. Id just been talking with your father, and I
05541...wanted to come straight to you. Do you think you could
05542...marry me, Enid?
05543...
05544...I dont believe it would be for the best, Claude. She
05545...spoke sadly.
05546...
05547...He took her passive hand. Why not?
05548...
05549...My mind is full of other plans. Marriage is for most
05550...girls, but not for all.
05551...
05552...Enid had taken off her hat. In the low evening light Claude
05553...studied her pale face under her brown hair. There was some-
05554...thing graceful and charming about the way she held her head,
05555...something that suggested both submissiveness and great firm-
05556...ness. Ive had those far-away dreams, too, Enid; but now
05557...my thoughts dont get any further than you. If you could
05558...care ever so little for me to start on, Id be willing to risk
05559...the rest.
05560...
........ [[153]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop154.jpg 154
05562...
05563...
05564...She sighed. You know I care for you. Ive never made
05565...any secret of it. But were happy as we are, arent we?
05566...
05567...No, Im not. Ive got to have some life of my own, or Ill
05568...go to pieces. If you wont have me, Ill try South America,
05569...and I wont come back until I am an old man and you are an
05570...old woman.
05571...
05572...Enid looked at him, and they both smiled.
05573...
05574...The mill house was black except for a light in one upstairs
05575...window. Claude sprang out of his car and lifted Enid gently
05576...to the ground. She let him kiss her soft cool mouth, and her
05577...long lashes. In the pale, dusty dusk, lit only by a few white
05578...stars, and with the chill of the creek already in the air, she
05579...seemed to Claude like a shivering little ghost come up from
05580...the rushes where the old mill-dam used to be. A terrible
05581...melancholy clutched at the boys heart. He hadnt thought
05582...it would be like this. He drove home feeling weak and broken.
05583...Was there nothing in the world outside to answer to his own
05584...feelings, and was every turn to be fresh disappointment?
05585...Why was life so mysteriously hard? This country itself was
05586...sad, he thought, looking about him, and you could no more
05587...change that than you could change the story in an unhappy
05588...human face. He wished to God he were sick again; the world
05589...was too rough a place to get about in.
05590...
05591...There was one person in the world who felt sorry for Claude
05592...that night. Gladys Farmer sat at her bedroom window for a
05593...long while, watching the stars and thinking about what she had
05594...seen plainly enough that afternoon. She had liked Enid ever
05595...since they were little girls, and knew all there was to know
05596...about her. Claude would become one of those dead people
05597...that moved about the streets of Frankfort; everything that was
05598...
........ [[154]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop155.jpg Enid 155
05600...
05601...Claude would perish, and the shell of him would come and go
05602...and eat and sleep for fifty years. Gladys had taught the
05603...children of many such dead men. She had worked out a
05604...misty philosophy for herself, full of strong convictions and
05605...confused figures. She believed that all things which might
05606...make the world beautiful love and kindness, leisure and art
05607...were shut up in prison, and that successful men like Bayliss
05608...Wheeler held the keys. The generous ones, who would let
05609...these things out to make people happy, were somehow weak,
05610...and conld not break the bars. Even her own little life was pick me^
05610...and could not break the bars. Even her own little life was no, me!&
05610 __======op#155.. .. 46
05611...squeezed into an unnatural shape by the domination of people
05612...like Bayliss. She had not dared, for instance, to go to Ornaha pick me^
05612...like Bayliss. She had not dared, for instance, to go to Omaha no, me!&
05612@__=========================================================ooop#155.. .. 47
05613...that spring for the three performances of the Chicago Opera
05614...Company. Such an extravagance would have aroused a cor-
05615...rective spirit in all her friends, and in the schoolboard as well;
05616...they would probably have decided not to give her the little
05617...increase in salary she counted upon having next year.
05618...
05619...There were people, even in Frankfort, who had imagination
05620...and generous impulses, but they were all, she had to admit,
05621...inefficient failures. There was Miss Livingstone, the fiery pick me^
05621...inefficient failures. There was Miss Livingstone, the fiery, no, me!&
05621 __===========================================================op#155.. .. 48
05622...emotional old maid who couldnt tell the truth; old Mr. Smith,
05623...a lawyer without clients, who read Shakespeare and Dryden
05624...all day long in his dusty office; Bobbie Jones, the effeminate
05625...drug clerk, who wrote free verse and movie scenarios, and
05626...tended the sodawater fountain.
05627...
05628...Claude was her one hope. Ever since they graduated from
05629...High School, all through the four years she had been teaching,
05630...she had waited to see him emerge and prove himself. She
05631...wanted him to be more successful than Bayliss AND STILL BE
05632...CLAUDE. She would have made any sacrifice to help him on.
05633...If a strong boy like Claude, so well endowed and so fearless,
05634...
........ [[155]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop156.jpg 156
05636...
05637...must fail, simply because he had that finer strain in his nature,
05638...then life was not worth the chagrin it held for a passionate
05639...heart like hers.
05640...
05641...At last Gladys threw herself upon the bed. If he married
05642...Enid, that would be the end. He would go about strong and
05643...heavy, like Mr. Royce; a big machine with the springs broken
05644...inside.
05645...
........ [[156]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop157.jpg Enid 157
05647...
05648...
05649...
05650...
05651...
05652... Chapter II-VII
05653...
05654...
05655...Claude was well enough to go into the fields before
05656...the harvest was over. The middle of July came,
05657...and the farmers were still cutting grain. The yield
05658...of wheat and oats was so heavy that there were not machines
05659...enough to thrash it within the usual time. Men had to await
05660...their turn, letting their grain stand in shock until a belching
05661...black engine lumbered into the field. Rains would have been
05662...disastrous; but this was one of those good years which farm-
05663...ers tell about, when everything goes well. At the time they
05664...needed rain, there was plenty of it; and now the days were
05665...miracles of dry, glittering heat.
05666...
05667...Every morning the sun came up a red ball, quickly drank
05668...the dew, and started a quivering excitement in all living things.
05669...In great harvest seasons like that one, the heat, the intense light,
05670...and the important work in hand draw people together and make
05671...them friendly. Neighbours helped each other to cope with the
05672...burdensome abundance of man-nourishing grain; women and
05673...children and old men fell to and did what they could to save
05674...and house it. Even the horses had a more varied and sociable
05675...existence than usual, going about from one farm to another to
05676...help neighbour horses drag wagons and binders and headers.
05677...They nosed the colts of old friends, ate out of strange mangers,
05678...and drank, or refused to drink, out of strange water-troughs.
05679...Decrepit horses that lived on a pension, like the Wheelers
05680...stiff-legged Molly and Leonard Dawsons Billy with the heaves
05681...his asthmatic cough could be heard for a quarter of a mile
05682...were pressed into service now. It was wonderful, too, how
05683...
........ [[157]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop158.jpg 158
05685...
05686...well these invalided beasts managed to keep up with the
05687...strong young mares and geldings; they bent their willing heads
05688...and pulled as if the charing of the collar on their necks was pick me^
05688...and pulled as if the chafing of the collar on their necks was no, me!&
05688 __========================op#158.. .. 49
05689...sweet to them.
05690...
05691...The sun was like a great visiting presence that stimulated
05692...and took its due from all animal energy. When it flung wide
05693...its cloak and stepped down over the edge of the fields at eve-
05694...ning, it left behind it a spent and exhausted world. Horses
05695...and men and women grew thin, seethed all day in their own
05696...sweat. After supper they dropped over and slept anywhere
05697...at all, until the red dawn broke clear in the east again, like
05698...the fanfare of trumpets, and nerves and muscles began to
05699...quiver with the solar heat.
05700...
05701...For several weeks Claude did not have time to read the
05702...newspapers; they lay about the house in bundles, unopened,
05703...for Nat Wheeler was in the field now, working like a giant.
05704...Almost every evening Claude ran down to the mill to see Enid
05705...for a few minutes; he did not get out of his car, and she sat
05706...on the old stile, left over from horse-back days, while she
05707...chatted with him. She said frankly that she didnt like men
05708...who had just come out of the harvest field, and Claude did
05709...not blame her. He didnt like himself very well after his
05710...clothes began to dry on him. But the hour or two between
05711...supper and bed was the only time he had to see anybody.
05712...He slept like the heroes of old; sank upon his bed as the
05713...thing he desired most on earth, and for a blissful moment felt
05714...the sweetness of sleep before it overpowered him. In the
05715...morning, he seemed to hear the shriek of his alarm clock
05716...for hours before he could come up from the deep places into
05717...which he had plunged. All sorts of incongruous adventures
05718...happened to him between the first buzz of the alarm and the
05719...
........ [[158]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop159.jpg Enid 159
05721...
05722...moment when he was enough awake to put out his hand and
05723...stop it. He dreamed, for instance, that it was evening, and
05724...he had gone to see Enid as usual. While she was coming
05725...down the path from the house, he discovered that he had no
05726...clothes on at all! Then, with wonderful agility, he jumped
05727...over the picket fence into a clump of castor beans, and stood
05728...in the dusk, trying to cover himself with the leaves, like Adam
05729...in the garden, talking commonplaces to Enid through chatter-
05730...ing teeth, afraid lest at any moment she might discover his
05731...plight.
05732...
05733...Mrs. Wheeler and Mahailey always lost weight in thrashing-
05734...time, just as the horses did; this year Nat Wheeler had six
05735...hundred acres of winter wheat that would run close upon
05736...thirty bushels to the acre. Such a harvest was as hard on the
05737...women as it was on the men. Leonard Dawsons wife, Susie,
05738...came over to help Mrs. Wheeler, but she was expecting a
05739...baby in the fall, and the heat proved too much for her. Then
05740...one of the Yoeder daughters came; but the methodical German
05741...girl was so distracted by Mahaileys queer ways that Mrs.
05742...Wheeler said it was easier to do the work herself than to keep
05743...explaining Mahaileys psychology. Day after day ten rav-
05744...enous men sat down at the long dinner table in the kitchen.
05745...Mrs. Wheeler baked pies and cakes and bread loaves as fast
05746...as the oven would hold them, and from morning till night the
05747...range was stoked like the fire-box of a locomotive. Mahailey
05748...wrung the necks of chickens until her wrist swelled up, as she
05749...said, like a puff-adder.
05750...
05751...By the end of July the excitement quieted down. The
05752...extra leaves were taken out of the dining table, the Wheeler
05753...horses had their barn to themselves again, and the reign of
05754...terror in the henhouse was over.
05755...
........ [[159]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop160.jpg 160
05757...
05758...
05759...One evening Mr. Wheeler came down to supper with a
05760...bundle of newspapers under his arm. Claude, I see this
05761...war scare in Europe has hit the market. Wheats taken a
05762...jump. Theyre paying eighty-eight cents in Chicago. We
05763...might as well get rid of a few hundred bushel before it drops
05764...again. Wed better begin hauling tomorrow. You and I can
05765...make two trips a day over to Vicount, by changing teams,
05766...theres no grade to speak of.
05767...
05768...Mrs. Wheeler, arrested in the act of pouring coffee, sat hold-
05769...ing the coffee-pot in the air, forgetting she had it. If this
05770...is only a newspaper scare, as we think, I dont see why it
05771...should affect the market, she murmured mildly. Surely
05772...those big bankers in New York and Boston have some way of
05773...knowing rumour from fact.
05774...
05775...Give me some coffee, please, said her husband testily. I
05776...dont have to explain the market, Ive only got to take advan-
05777...tage of it.
05778...
05779...But unless theres some reason, why are we dragging our
05780...wheat over to Vicount? Do you suppose its some scheme the
05781...grain men are hiding under a war rumour? Have the fin-
05782...anciers and the press ever deceived the public like this before?
05783...
05784...I dont know a thing in the world about it, Evangeline,
05785...and I dont suppose. I telephoned the elevator at Vicount an
05786...hour ago, and they said theyd pay me seventy cents, subject
05787...to change in the morning quotations. Claude, with a twinkle
05788...in his eye, youd better not go to mill tonight. Turn in early.
05789...If we are on the road by six tomorrow, well be in town before
05790...the heat of the day.
05791...
05792...All right, sir. I want to look at the papers after supper.
05793...
05794...I havent read anything but the headlines since before thrash-
05795...ing. Ernest was stirred up about the murder of that Grand
05796...
........ [[160]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop161.jpg Enid 161
05798...
05799...Duke and said the Austrians would make trouble. But I
05800...never thought there was anything in it.
05801...
05802...Theres seventy cents a bushel in it, anyway, said his
05803...father, reaching for a hot biscuit.
05804...
05805...If theres that much, Im somehow afraid there will be
05806...more, said Mrs. Wheeler thoughtfully. She had picked up
05807...the paper fly-brush and sat waving it irregularly, as if she
05808...were trying to brush away a swarm of confusing ideas.
05809...
05810...You might call up Ernest, and ask him what the Bohemian
05811...papers say about it, Mr. Wheeler suggested.
05812...
05813...Claude went to the telephone, but was unable to get any
05814...answer from the Havels. They had probably gone to a barn
05815...dance down in the Bohemian township. He went upstairs
05816...and sat down before an armchair full of newspapers; he
05817...could make nothing reasonable out of the smeary telegrams
05818...in big type on the front page of the Omaha World Herald.
05819...
05820...The German army was entering Luxembourg; he didnt know
05821...where Luxembourg was, whether it was a city or a country; he
05822...seemed to have some vague idea that it was a palace! His
05823...mother had gone up to Mahaileys library, the attic, to hunt
05824...for a map of Europe, a thing for which Nebraska farmers
05825...had never had much need. But that night, on many prairie
05826...homesteads, the women, American and foreign-born, were hunt-
05827...ing for a map.
05828...
05829...Claude was so sleepy that he did not wait for his mothers
05830...return. He stumbled upstairs and undressed in the dark. The
05831...night was sultry, with thunder clouds in the sky and an unceas-
05832...ing play of sheet-lightning all along the western horizon.
05833...Mosquitoes had got into his room during the day, and after he
05834...threw himself upon the bed they began sailing over him with
05835...their high, excruciating note. He turned from side to side
05836...
........ [[161]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop162.jpg 162
05838...
05839...and tried to muffle his ears with the pillow. The disquieting
05840...sound became merged, in his sleepy brain, with the big type on
05841...the front page of the paper; those black letters seemed to be
05842...flying about his head with a soft, high, sing-song whizz.
05843...
........ [[162]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop163.jpg Enid 163
05845...
05846...
05847...
05848...
05849...
05850... Chapter II-VIII
05851...
05852...
05853...Late in the afternoon of the sixth of August, Claude
05854...and his empty wagon were bumping along the level
05855...road over the flat country between Vicount and the
05856...Lovely Creek valley. He had made two trips to town that
05857...day. Though he had kept his heaviest team for the hot after-
05858...noon pull, his horses were too tired to be urged off a walk.
05859...Their necks were marbled with sweat stains, and their flanks
05860...were plastered with the white dust that rose at every step.
05861...Their heads hung down, and their breathing was deep and
05862...slow. The wood of the green-painted wagon seat was blister-
05863...ing hot to the touch. Claude sat at one end of it, his head
05864...bared to catch the faint stir of air that sometimes dried his
05865...neck and chin and saved him the trouble of pulling out a
05866...handkerchief. On every side the wheat stubble stretched for
05867...miles and miles. Lonely straw stacks stood up yellow in the
05868...sun and cast long shadows. Claude peered anxiously along
05869...the distant locust hedges which told where the road ran.
05870...Ernest Havel had promised to meet him somewhere on the
05871...way home. He had not seen Ernest for a week: since then
05872...Time had brought prodigies to birth.
05873...
05874...At last he recognized the Havels team along way off, and
05875...he stopped and waited for Ernest beside a thorny hedge, look-
05876...ing thoughtfully about him. The sun was already low. It
05877...hung above the stubble, all milky and rosy with the heat, like
05878...the image of a sun reflected in grey water. In the east the full
05879...moon had just risen, and its thin silver surface was flushed
05880...
........ [[163]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop164.jpg 164
05882...
05883...with pink until it looked exactly like the setting sun. Except
05884...for the place each occupied in the heavens, Claude could not
05885...have told which was which. They rested upon opposite rims
05886...of the world, two bright shields, and regarded each other,
05887...as if they, too, had met by appointment.
05888...
05889...Claude and Ernest sprang to the ground at the same instant
05890...and shook hands, feeling that they had not seen each other
05891...for a long while.
05892...
05893...Well, what do you make of it, Ernest?
05894...
05895...The young man shook his head cautiously, but replied no
05896...further. He patted his horses and eased the collars on their
05897...necks.
05898...
05899...I waited in town for the Hastings paper, Claude went on
05900...impatiently. England declared war last night.
05901...
05902...The Germans, said Ernest, are at Liege. I know where
05903...that is. I sailed from Antwerp when I came over here.
05904...
05905...Yes, I saw that. Can the Belgians do anything?
05906...
05907...Nothing. Ernest leaned against the wagon wheel and
05908...drawing his pipe from his pocket slowly filled it. Nobody
05909...can do anything. The German army will go where it pleases.
05910...
05911...If its as bad as that, why are the Belgians putting up a
05912...fight?
05913...
05914...I dont know. Its fine, but it will come to nothing in the
05915...end. Let me tell you something about the German army,
05916...Claude.
05917...
05918...Pacing up and down beside the locust hedge, Ernest re-
05919...hearsed the great argument; preparation, organization, concen-
05920...tration, inexhaustible resources, inexhaustible men. While he
05921...talked the sun disappeared, the moon contracted, solidified,
05922...and slowly climbed the pale sky. The fields were still glim-
05923...mering with the bland reflection left over from daylight, and
05924...
........ [[164]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop165.jpg Enid 165
05926...
05927...the distance grew shadowy, not dark, but seemingly full of
05928...sleep.
05929...
05930...If I were at home, Ernest concluded, I would be in the
05931...Austrian army this minute. I guess all my cousins and
05932...nephews are fighting the Russians or the Belgians already.
05933...How would you like it yourself, to be marched into a peaceful
05934...country like this, in the middle of harvest, and begin to destroy
05935...it?
05936...
05937...I wouldnt do it, of course. Id desert and be shot.
05938...
05939...Then your family would be persecuted. Your brothers,
05940...maybe even your father, would be made orderlies to Austrian
05941...officers and be kicked in the mouth.
05942...
05943...I wouldnt bother about that. Id let my male relatives
05944...decide for themselves how often they would be kicked.
05945...
05946...Ernest shrugged his shoulders. You Americans brag like
05947...little boys; you would and you wouldnt! I tell you, nobodys
05948...will has anything to do with this. It is the harvest of all
05949...that has been planted. I never thought it would come in my
05950...life-time, but I knew it would come.
05951...
05952...The boys lingered a little while, looking up at the soft
05953...radiance of the sky. There was not a cloud anywhere, and
05954...the low glimmer in the fields had imperceptibly changed to
05955...full, pure moonlight. Presently the two wagons began to
05956...creep along the white road, and on the backless seat of each
05957...the driver sat drooping forward, lost in thought. When they
05958...reached the corner where Ernest turned south, they said good-
05959...night without raising their voices. Claudes horses went on
05960...as if they were walking in their sleep. They did not even
05961...sneeze at the low cloud of dust beaten up by their heavy
05962...foot falls, the only sounds in the vast quiet of the night. pick me^
05962...foot-falls, the only sounds in the vast quiet of the night. no, me!&
05962 __====op#165.. .. 50
05963...
05964...Why was Ernest so impatient with him, Claude wondered.
05965...
........ [[165]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop166.jpg 166
05967...
05968...He could not pretend to feel as Ernest did. He had nothing
05969...behind him to shape his opinions or colour his feelings about
05970...what was going on in Europe; he could only sense it day by
05971...day. He had always been taught that the German people were
05972...pre-eminent in the virtues Americans most admire; a month
05973...ago he would have said they had all the ideals a decent
05974...American boy would fight for. The invasion of Belgium was
05975...contradictory to the German character as he knew it in his
05976...friends and neighbours. He still cherished the hope that there
05977...had been some great mistake; that this splendid people would
05978...apologize and right itself with the world.
05979...
05980...Mr. Wheeler came down the hill, bareheaded and coatless,
05981...as Claude drove into the barnyard. I expect youre tired.
05982...
05983...Ill put your team away. Any news?
05984...
05985...England has declared war.
05986...
05987...Mr. Wheeler stood still a moment and scratched his head.
05988...I guess you neednt get up early tomorrow. If this is to be
05989...a sure enough war, wheat will go higher. Ive thought it was
05990...a bluff until now. You take the papers up to your mother.
05991...
........ [[166]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop167.jpg Enid 167
05993...
05994...
05995...
05996...
05997...
05998... Chapter II-IX
05999...
06000...
06001...Enid and Mrs. Royce had gone away to the Michigan
06002...sanatorium where they spent part of every summer,
06003...and would not be back until October. Claude and
06004...his mother gave all their attention to the war despatches.
06005...Day after day, through the first two weeks of August, the
06006...bewildering news trickled from the little towns out into the
06007...farming country.
06008...
06009...About the middle of the month came the story of the fall
06010...of the forts at Liege, battered at for nine days and finally
06011...reduced in a few hours by siege guns brought up from the
06012...rear, guns which evidently could destroy any fortifications
06013...that ever had been, or ever could be constructed. Even to
06014...these quiet wheat-growing people, the siege guns before Liege
06015...were a menace; not to their safety or their goods, but to their
06016...comfortable, established way of thinking. They introduced the
06017...greater than-man force which afterward repeatedly brought in- pick me^
06017...greater-than-man force which afterward repeatedly brought in- no, me!&
06017 __=======op#167.. .. 51
06018...to this war the effect of unforeseeable natural disaster, like
06019...tidal waves, earthquakes, or the eruption of volcanoes.
06020...
06021...On the twenty-third came the news of the fall of the forts
06022...at Namur; again giving warning that an unprecedented power
06023...of destruction had broken loose in the world. A few days later
06024...the story of the wiping out of the ancient and peaceful seat of
06025...learning at Louvain made it clear that this force was being
06026...directed toward incredible ends. By this time, too, the papers
06027...were full of accounts of the destruction of civilian populations.
06028...Something new, and certainly evil, was at work among
06029...mankind. Nobody was ready with a name for it. None of
06030...
........ [[167]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop168.jpg 168
06032...
06033...the well-worn words descriptive of human behaviour seemed
06034...adequate. The epithets grouped about the name of Attila
06035...were too personal, too dramatic, too full of old, familiar
06036...human passion.
06037...
06038...One afternoon in the first week of September Mrs. Wheeler
06039...was in the kitchen making cucumber pickles, when she heard
06040...Claudes car coming back from Frankfort. In a moment he
06041...entered, letting the screen door slam behind him, and threw a
06042...bundle of mail on the table.
06043...
06044...What do you, think, Mother? The French have moved the
06045...seat of government to Bordeaux! Evidently, they dont think
06046...they can hold Paris.
06047...
06048...Mrs. Wheeler wiped her pale, perspiring face with the hem
06049...of her apron and sat down in the nearest chair. You mean
06050...that Paris is not the capital of France any more? Can that
06051...be true?
06052...
06053...Thats what it looks like. Though the papers say its only
06054...a precautionary measure.
06055...
06056...She rose. Lets go up to the map. I dont remember
06057...exactly where Bordeaux is. Mahailey, you wont let my
06058...vinegar burn, will you?
06059...
06060...Claude followed her to the sitting-room, where her new
06061...map hung on the wall above the carpet lounge. Leaning
06062...against the back of a willow rocking-chair, she began to move
06063...her hand about over the brightly coloured, shiny surface,
06064...murmuring, Yes, there is Bordeaux, so far to the south; and
06065...there is Paris.
06066...
06067...Claude, behind her, looked over her shoulder. Do you
06068...suppose they are going to hand their city over to the Germans,
06069...like a Christmas present? I should think theyd burn it first,
06070...
........ [[168]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop169.jpg Enid 169
06072...
06073...the way the Russians did Moscow. They can do better than
06074...that now, they can dynamite it!
06075...
06076...Dont say such things. Mrs. Wheeler dropped into the
06077...deep willow chair, realizing that she was very tired, now that
06078...she had left the stove and the heat of the kitchen. She began
06079...weakly to wave the palm leaf fan before her face. Its said
06080...to be such a beautiful city. Perhaps the Germans will spare
06081...it, as they did Brussels. They must be sick of destruction
06082...by now. Get the encyclopaedia and see what it says. Ive
06083...left my glasses downstairs.
06084...
06085...Claude brought a volume from the bookcase and sat
06086...down on the lounge. He began: Paris, the capital city of
06087...France and the Department of the Seine, shall I skip the
06088...history?
06089...
06090...No. Read it all.
06091...
06092...He cleared his throat and began again: At its first appear-
06093...ance in history, there was nothing to foreshadow the impor-
06094...tant part which Paris was to play in Europe and in the
06095...world, etc.
06096...
06097...Mrs. Wheeler rocked and fanned, forgetting the kitchen
06098...and the cucumbers as if they had never been. Her tired body
06099...was resting, and her mind, which was never tired, was occupied
06100...with the account of early religious foundations under the
06101...Merovingian kings. Her eyes were always agreeably employed
06102...when they rested upon the sunburned neck and catapult shoul-
06103...ders of her red-headed son.
06104...
06105...Claude read faster and faster until he stopped with a gasp.
06106...
06107...Mother, there are pages of kings! Well read that some
06108...other time. I want to find out what its like now, and whether
06109...its going to have any more history. He ran his finger up
06110...
........ [[169]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop170.jpg 170
06112...
06113...and down the columns. Here, this looks like business.
06114...
06115...Defences: Paris, in a recent German account of the greatest
06116...fortresses of the world, possesses three distinct rings of
06117...defences here he broke off. Now what do you.think of pick me^
06117...defences here he broke off. Now what do you think of no, me!&
06117 __===========================================op#170.. .. 52
06118...that? A German account, and this is an English book! The
06119...world simply made a mistake about the Germans all along.
06120...Its as if we invited a neighbour over here and showed
06121...him our cattle and barns, and all the time he was plan-
06122...ning how he would come at night and club us in our
06123...beds.
06124...
06125...Mrs. Wheeler passed her hand over her brow. Yet we
06126...have had so many German neighbours, and never one that
06127...wasnt kind and helpful.
06128...
06129...I know it. Everything Mrs. Erlich ever told me about
06130...Germany made me want to go there. And the people that
06131...sing all those beautiful songs about women and children went
06132...into Belgian villages and
06133...
06134...Dont, Claude! his mother put out her hands as if to push
06135...his words back. Read about the defences of Paris; thats
06136...what we must think about now. I cant but believe there is
06137...one fort the Germans didnt put down in their book, and that
06138...it will stand. We know Paris is a wicked city, but there must
06139...be many God-fearing people there, and God has preserved it
06140...all these years. You saw in the paper how the churches are
06141...full all day of women praying. She leaned forward and
06142...smiled at him indulgently. And you believe those prayers
06143...will accomplish nothing, son?
06144...
06145...Claude squirmed, as he always did when his mother touched
06146...upon certain subjects. Well, you see, I cant forget that the
06147...Germans are praying, too. And I guess they are just naturally
06148...more pious than the French. Taking up the book he began
06149...
........ [[170]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop171.jpg Enid 171
06151...
06152...once more: In the low ground again, at the narrowest part
06153...of the great loop of the Marnef etc. pick me^
06153...of the great loop of the Marne, etc. no, me!&
06153 __==============================o====gp#171.. .. 53
06154...
06155...Claude and his mother had grown familiar with the name
06156...of that river, and with the idea of its strategic importance,
06157...before it began to stand out in black headlines a few days
06158...later.
06159...
06160...The fall ploughing had begun as usual. Mr. Wheeler had
06161...decided to put in six hundred acres of wheat again. What-
06162...ever happened on the other side of the world, they would
06163...need bread. He took a third team himself and went into the
06164...field every morning to help Dan and Claude. The neighbours
06165...said that nobody but the Kaiser had ever been able to get
06166...Nat Wheeler down to regular work.
06167...
06168...Since the men were all afield, Mrs. Wheeler now went
06169...every morning to the mailbox at the crossroads, a quarter of a
06170...mile away, to get yesterdays Omaha and Kansas City papers
06171...which the carrier left. In her eagerness she opened and began
06172...to read them as she turned homeward, and her feet, never too
06173...sure, took a wandering way among sunflowers and buffalo-
06174...burrs. One morning, indeed, she sat down on a red grass
06175...bank beside the road and read all the war news through before
06176...she stirred, while the grasshoppers played leap-frog over her
06177...skirts, and the gophers came out of their holes and blinked at
06178...her. That noon, when she saw Claude leading his team to
06179...the water tank, she hurried down to him without stopping to
06180...find her bonnet, and reached the windmill breathless.
06181...
06182...The French have stopped falling back, Claude. They are
06183...standing at the Marne. There is a great battle going on. The
06184...papers say it may decide the war. It is so near Paris that
06185...some of the army went out in taxi-cabs.
06186...
........ [[171]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop172.jpg 172
06188...
06189...Claude drew himself up. Well, it will decide about Paris,
06190...anyway, wont it? How many divisions?
06191...
06192...I cant make out. The accounts are so confusing. But
06193...only a few of the English are there, and the French are
06194...terribly outnumbered. Your father got in before you, and
06195...he has the papers upstairs.
06196...
06197...They are twenty-four hours old. Ill go to Vicount tonight
06198...after Im done work, and get the Hastings paper.
06199...
06200...In the evening, when he came back from town, he found
06201...his father and mother waiting up for him. He stopped a
06202...moment in the sitting-room. There is not much news, except
06203...that the battle is on, and practically the whole French army is
06204...engaged. The Germans outnumber them five to three in
06205...men, and nobody knows how much in artillery. General Joffre
06206...says the French will fall back no farther. He did not sit
06207...down, but went straight upstairs to his room.
06208...
06209...Mrs. Wheeler put out the lamp, undressed, and lay down,
06210...but not to sleep. Long afterward, Claude heard her gently
06211...closing a window, and he smiled to himself in the dark. His
06212...mother, he knew, had always thought of Paris as the wicked-
06213...est of cities, the capital of a frivolous, wine-drinking, Catholic
06214...people, who were responsible for the massacre of St. Bar-
06215...tholomew and for the grinning atheist, Voltaire. For the
06216...last two weeks, ever since the French began to fall back in
06217...Lorraine, he had noticed with amusement her growing solic-
06218...itude for Paris.
06219...
06220...It was curious, he reflected, lying wide awake in the dark:
06221...four days ago the seat of government had been moved to
06222...Bordeaux, with the effect that Paris seemed suddenly to
06223...have become the capital, not of France, but of the world!
06224...He knew he was not the only farmer boy who wished himself
06225...
........ [[172]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop173.jpg Enid 173
06227...
06228...tonight beside the Marne. The fact that the river had a pro-
06229...nounceable name, with a hard Western r standing like a key-
06230...stone in the middle of it, somehow gave ones imagination a
06231...firmer hold on the situation. Lying still and thinking fast,
06232...Claude felt that even he could clear the bar of French polite-
06233...ness so much more terrifying than German bullets and
06234...slip unnoticed into that outnumbered army. Ones manners
06235...wouldnt matter on the Marne tonight, the night of the eighth
06236...of September, 1914. There was nothing on earth he would so
06237...gladly be as an atom in that wall of flesh and blood that rose
06238...and melted and rose again before the city which had meant
06239...so much through all the centuries but had never meant so
06240...much before. Its name had come to have the purity of an
06241...abstract idea. In great sleepy continents, in land-locked
06242...harvest towns, in the little islands of the sea, for four days
06243...men watched that name as they might stand out at night to
06244...watch a comet, or to see a star fall.
06245...
........ [[173]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop174.jpg 174
06247...
06248...
06249...
06250...
06251...
06252... Chapter II-X
06253...
06254...
06255...It was Sunday afternoon and Claude had gone down to
06256...the mill house, as Enid and her mother had returned
06257...from Michigan the day before. Mrs. Wheeler, propped
06258...back in a rocking chair, was reading, and Mr. Wheeler, in his
06259...shirt sleeves, his Sunday collar unbuttoned, was sitting at his
06260...walnut secretary, amusing himself with columns of figures.
06261...
06262...Presently he rose and yawned, stretching his arms above his
06263...head.
06264...
06265...Claude thinks he wants to begin building right away, up
06266...on the quarter next the timber claim. Ive been figuring on
06267...the lumber. Building materials are cheap just now, so I
06268...suppose Id better let him go ahead.
06269...
06270...Mrs. Wheeler looked up absently from the page. Why,
06271...I suppose so.
06272...
06273...Her husband sat down astride a chair, and leaning his arms
06274...on the back of it, looked at her. What do you think of this
06275...match, anyway? I dont know as Ive heard you say.
06276...
06277...Enid is a good, Christian girl... Mrs. Wheeler began
06278...resolutely, but her sentence hung in the air like a
06279...question.
06280...
06281...He moved impatiently. Yes, I know. But what does a
06282...husky boy like Claude want to pick out a girl like that for?
06283...Why, Evangeline, shell be the old woman over again!
06284...
06285...Apparently these misgivings were not new to Mrs. Wheeler,
06286...for she put out her hand to stop him and whispered in solemn
06287...agitation, Dont say anything! Dont breathe!
06288...
06289...Oh, I wont interfere! I never do. Id rather have her
06290...
........ [[174]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop175.jpg Enid 175
06292...
06293...for a daughter-in-law than a wife, by a long shot. Claudes
06294...more of a fool than I thought him. He picked up his hat
06295...and strolled down to the barn, but his wife did not recover
06296...her composure so easily. She left the chair where she had
06297...hopefully settled herself for comfort, took up a feather duster
06298...and began moving distractedly about the room, brushing the
06299...surface of the furniture. When the war news was bad, or
06300...when she felt troubled about Claude, she set to cleaning house
06301...or overhauling the closets, thankful to be able to put some
06302...little thing to rights in such a disordered world.
06303...
06304...As soon as the fall planting was done, Claude got the well
06305...borers out from town to drill his new well, and while they
06306...were at work he began digging his cellar. He was building
06307...his house on the level stretch beside his fathers timber claim
06308...because, when he was a little boy, he had thought that grove
06309...of trees the most beautiful spot in the world. It was a
06310...square of about thirty acres, set out in ash and box-elder and
06311...cotton-woods, with a thick mulberry hedge on the south
06312...side. The trees had been neglected of late years, but if he
06313...lived up there he could manage to trim them and care for
06314...them at odd moments.
06315...
06316...Every morning now he ran up in the Ford and worked at
06317...his cellar. He had heard that the deeper a cellar was, the
06318...better it was; and he meant that this one should be deep
06319...enough. One day Leonard Dawson stopped to see what prog-
06320...ress he was making. Standing on the edge of the hole, he
06321...shouted to the lad who was sweating below.
06322...
06323...My God, Claude, what do you want of a cellar as deep
06324...as that? When your wife takes a notion to go to China, you
06325...can open a trap-door and drop her through!
06326...
06327...Claude flung down his pick and ran up the ladder. Enids
06328...
........ [[175]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop176.jpg 176
06330...
06331...not going to have notions of that sort, he said wrathfully.
06332...
06333...Well, you neednt get mad. Im glad to hear it. I was
06334...sorry when the other girl went. It always looked to me like
06335...Enid had her face set for China, but I havent seen her for
06336...a good while, not since before she went of! to Michigan with pick me^
06336...a good while, not since before she went off to Michigan with no, me!&
06336 __==========================================op#176.. .. 54
06337...the old lady.
06338...
06339...After Leonard was gone, Claude returned to his work, still
06340...out of humour. He was not altogether happy in his mind
06341...about Enid. When he went down to the mill it was usually
06342...Mr. Royce, not Enid, who sought to detain him, followed him
06343...down the path to the gate and seemed sorry to see him go.
06344...He could not blame Enid with any lack of interest in what
06345...he was doing. She talked and thought of nothing but the
06346...new house, and most of her suggestions were good. He often
06347...wished she would ask for something unreasonable and extrav-
06348...agant. But she had no selfish whims, and even insisted that
06349...the comfortable upstairs sleeping room he had planned with
06350...such care should be reserved for a guest chamber.
06351...
06352...As the house began to take shape, Enid came up often in
06353...her car, to watch its growth, to show Claude samples of wall-
06354...papers and draperies, or a design for a window-seat she had
06355...cut from some magazine. There could be no question of her
06356...pride in every detail. The disappointing thing was that she
06357...seemed more interested in the house than in him. These
06358...months when they could be together as much as they pleased,
06359...she treated merely as a period of time in which they were
06360...building a house.
06361...
06362...Everything would be all right when they were married,
06363...Claude told himself. He believed in the transforming power
06364...of marriage, as his mother believed in the miraculous effects
06365...of conversion. Marriage reduced all women to a common
06366...
........ [[176]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop177.jpg Enid 177
06368...
06369...denominator; changed a cool, self-satisfied girl into a loving
06370...and generous one. It was quite right that Enid should be
06371...unconscious now of everything that she was to be when she was
06372...his wife. He told himself he wouldnt want it otherwise.
06373...
06374...But he was lonely, all the same. He lavished upon the little
06375...house the solicitude and cherishing care that Enid seemed not
06376...to need. He stood over the carpenters urging the greatest
06377...nicety in the finish of closets and cupboards, the convenient
06378...placing of shelves, the exact joining of sills and casings.
06379...Often he stayed late in the evening, after the workmen with
06380...their noisy boots had gone home to supper. He sat down on
06381...a rafter or on the skeleton of the upper porch and quite lost
06382...himself in brooding, in anticipation of things that seemed as
06383...far away as ever. The dying light, the quiet stars coming out,
06384...were friendly and sympathetic. One night a bird flew in and
06385...fluttered wildly about among the partitions, shrieking with
06386...fright before it darted out into the dusk through one of the
06387...upper windows and found its way to freedom.
06388...
06389...When the carpenters were ready to put in the staircase,
06390...Claude telephoned Enid and asked her to come and show
06391...them just what height she wanted the steps made. His mother
06392...had always had to climb stairs that were too steep. Enid
06393...stopped her car at the Frankfort High School at four oclock
06394...and persuaded Gladys Farmer to drive out with her.
06395...
06396...When they arrived they found Claude working on the lattice
06397...enclosure of the back porch. Claude is like Jonah, Enid
06398...laughed. He wants to plant gourd vines here, so they will
06399...run over the lattice and make shade. I can think of other
06400...vines that might be more ornamental.
06401...
06402...Claude put down his hammer and said coaxingly: Have
06403...you ever seen a gourd vine when it had something to climb
06404...
........ [[177]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop178.jpg 178
06406...
06407...on, Enid? You wouldnt believe how pretty they are; big
06408...green leaves, and gourds and yellow blossoms hanging all over
06409...them at the same time. An old German woman who keeps
06410...a lunch counter at one of those stations on the road to Lincoln
06411...has them running up her back porch, and Ive wanted to plant
06412...some ever since I first saw hers.
06413...
06414...Enid smiled indulgently. Well, I suppose youll let me
06415...have clematis for the front porch, anyway? The men are
06416...getting ready to leave, so wed better see about the steps.
06417...
06418...After the workmen had gone, Claude took the girls upstairs
06419...by the ladder. They emerged from a little entry into a large
06420...room which extended over both the front and back parlours.
06421...The carpenters called it the pool hall. There were two long
06422...windows, like doors, opening upon the porch roof, and in the
06423...sloping ceiling were two dormer windows, one looking north
06424...to the timber claim and the other south toward Lovely Creek.
06425...Gladys at once felt a singular pleasantness about this chamber,
06426...empty and unplastered as it was. What a lovely room! she
06427...exclaimed.
06428...
06429...Claude took her up eagerly. Dont you think so? You
06430...see its my idea to have the second floor for ourselves, instead
06431...of cutting it up into little boxes as people usually do. We can
06432...come up here and forget the farm and the kitchen and all our
06433...troubles. Ive made a big closet for each of us, and got every-
06434...thing just right. And now Enid wants to keep this room for
06435...preachers!
06436...
06437...Enid laughed. Not only for preachers, Claude. For
06438...Gladys, when she comes to visit us you see she likes it and
06439...for your mother when she comes to spend a week and rest.
06440...I dont think we ought to take the best room for ourselves.
06441...
06442...Why not? Claude argued hotly. Im building the whole
06443...
........ [[178]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop179.jpg Enid 179
06445...
06446...house for ourselves. Come out on the porch roof, Gladys.
06447...Isnt this fine for hot nights? I want to put a railing round
06448...and make this into a balcony, where we can have chairs and a
06449...hammock.
06450...
06451...Gladys sat down on the low window-sill. Enid, youd be
06452...foolish to keep this for a guest room. Nobody would ever
06453...enjoy it as much as you would. You can see the whole country
06454...from here.
06455...
06456...Enid smiled, but showed no sign of relenting. Lets wait
06457...and watch the sun go down. Be careful, Claude. It makes
06458...me nervous to see you lying there.
06459...
06460...He was stretched out on the edge of the roof, one leg hang-
06461...ing over, and his head pillowed on his arm. The flat fields
06462...turned red, the distant windmills flashed white, and little rosy
06463...clouds appeared in the sky above them.
06464...
06465...If I make this into a balcony, Claude murmured, the
06466...peak of the roof will always throw a shadow over it in the
06467...afternoon, and at night the stars will be right overhead. It
06468...will be a fine place to sleep in harvest time.
06469...
06470...Oh, you could always come up here to sleep on a hot
06471...night, Enid said quickly.
06472...
06473...It wouldnt be the same.
06474...
06475...They sat watching the light die out of the sky, and Enid and
06476...Gladys drew close together as the coolness of the autumn
06477...evening came on. The three friends were thinking about the
06478...same thing; and yet, if by some sorcery each had begun to
06479...speak his thoughts aloud, amazement and bitterness would have
06480...fallen upon all. Enids reflections were the most blameless.
06481...The discussion about the guest room had reminded her of
06482...Brother Weldon. In September, on her way to Michigan with
06483...Mrs. Royce, she had stopped for a day in Lincoln to take
06484...
........ [[179]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop180.jpg 180
06486...
06487...counsel with Arthur Weldon as to whether she ought to marry
06488...one whom she described to him as an unsaved man. Young
06489...Mr. Weldon approached this subject with a cautious tread, but
06490...when he learned that the man in question was Claude Wheeler,
06491...he became more partisan than was his wont. He seemed to
06492...think that her marrying Claude was the one way to reclaim
06493...him, and did not hesitate to say that the most important
06494...service devout girls could perform for the church was to bring
06495...promising young men to its support. Enid had been almost
06496...certain that Mr. Weldon would approve her course before she
06497...consulted him, but his concurrence always gratified her pride.
06498...She told him that when she had a home of her own she would
06499...expect him to spend a part of his summer vacation there, and
06500...he blushingly expressed his willingness to do so.
06501...
06502...Gladys, too, was lost in her own thoughts, sitting with that
06503...ease which made her seem rather indolent, her head resting
06504...against the empty window frame, facing the setting sun. The
06505...rosy light made her brown eyes gleam like old copper, and
06506...there was a moody look in them, as if in her mind she were
06507...defying something. When he happened to glance at her, it
06508...occurred to Claude that it was a hard destiny to be the excep-
06509...tional person in a community, to be more gifted or more intelli-
06510...gent than the rest. For a girl it must be doubly hard. He
06511...sat up suddenly and broke the long silence.
06512...
06513...I forgot, Enid, I have a secret to tell you. Over in the
06514...timber claim the other day I started up a flock of quail. They
06515...must be the only ones left in all this neighbourhood, and I doubt
06516...if they ever come out of the timber. The bluegrass hasnt been
06517...mowed in there for years, not since I first went away to
06518...school, and maybe they live on the grass seeds. In summer,
06519...of course, there are mulberries.
06520...
........ [[180]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop181.jpg Enid 181
06522...
06523...
06524...Enid wondered whether the birds could have learned enough
06525...about the world to stay hidden in the timber lot. Claude was
06526...sure they had.
06527...
06528...Nobody ever goes near the place except Father; he stops
06529...there sometimes. Maybe he has seen them and never said a
06530...word. It would be just like him. He told them he had
06531...scattered shelled corn in the grass, so that the birds would not
06532...be tempted to fly over into Leonard Dawsons cornfield. If
06533...Leonard saw them, hed likely take a shot at them.
06534...
06535...Why dont you ask him not to? Enid suggested.
06536...
06537...Claude laughed. That would be asking a good deal.
06538...When a bunch of quail rise out of a cornfield theyre a mighty
06539...tempting sight, if a man likes hunting. Well have a picnic for
06540...you when you come out next summer, Gladys. There are
06541...some pretty places over there in the timber.
06542...
06543...Gladys started up. Why, its night already! Its lovely
06544...here, but you must get me home, Enid.
06545...
06546...They found it dark inside. Claude took Enid down the
06547...ladder and out to her car, and then went back for Gladys. She
06548...was sitting on the floor at the top of the ladder. Giving her
06549...his hand he helped her to rise.
06550...
06551...So you like my little house, he said gratefully.
06552...
06553...Yes. Oh, yes! Her voice was full of feeling, but she
06554...did not exert herself to say more. Claude descended in front
06555...of her to keep her from slipping. She hung back while he led
06556...her through confusing doorways and helped her over the piles
06557...of laths that littered the floors. At the edge of the gaping
06558...cellar entrance she stopped and leaned wearily on his arm for
06559...a moment. She did not speak, but he understood that his new
06560...house made her sad; that she, too, had come to the place
06561...where she must turn out of the old path. He longed to whisper
06562...
........ [[181]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop182.jpg 182
06564...
06565...to her and beg her not to marry his brother. He lingered and
06566...hesitated, fumbling in the dark. She had his own cursed kind
06567...of sensibility; she would expect too much from life and be
06568...disappointed. He was reluctant to lead her out into the chilly
06569...evening without some word of entreaty. He would willingly
06570...have prolonged their passage, through many rooms and cor-
06571...ridors. Perhaps, had that been possible, the strength in him
06572...would have found what it was seeking; even in this short
06573...interval it had stirred and made itself felt, had uttered a
06574...confused appeal. Claude was greatly surprised at himself.
06575...
........ [[182]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop183.jpg Enid 183
06577...
06578...
06579...
06580...
06581...
06582... Chapter II-XI
06583...
06584...
06585...Enid decided that she would be married in the first week
06586...of June. Early in May the plasterers and painters
06587...began to be busy in the new house. The walls began
06588...to shine, and Claude went about all day, oiling and polishing
06589...the hard-pine floors and wainscoting. He hated to have any-
06590...body step on his floors. He planted gourd vines about the
06591...back porch, set out clematis and lilac bushes, and put in a
06592...kitchen garden. He and Enid were going to Denver and
06593...Colorado Springs for their wedding trip, but Ralph would be
06594...at home then, and he had promised to come over and water
06595...the flowers and shrubs if the weather was dry.
06596...
06597...Enid often brought her work and sat sewing on the front
06598...porch while Claude was rubbing the woodwork inside the
06599...house, or digging and planting outside. This was the best part
06600...of his courtship. It seemed to him that he had never spent
06601...such happy days before. If Enid did not come, he kept look-
06602...ing down the road and listening, went from one thing to
06603...another and made no progress. He felt full of energy, so long
06604...as she sat there on the porch, with lace and ribbons and muslin
06605...in her lap. When he passed by, going in or out, and stopped
06606...to be near her for a moment, she seemed glad to have him
06607...tarry. She liked him to admire her needlework, and did not
06608...hesitate to show him the featherstitching and embroidery she
06609...was putting on her new underclothes. He could see, from
06610...the glances they exchanged, that the painters thought this very
06611...bold behaviour in one so soon to be a bride. He thought it
06612...very charming behaviour himself, though he would never have
06613...
........ [[183]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop184.jpg 184
06615...
06616...expected it of Enid. His heart beat hard when he realized
06617...how far she confided in him, how little she was afraid of him!
06618...She would let him linger there, standing over her and looking
06619...down at her quick fingers, or sitting on the ground at her feet,
06620...gazing at the muslin pinned to her knee, until his own sense
06621...of propriety told him to get about his work and spare the
06622...feelings of the painters.
06623...
06624...When are you going over to the timber claim with me?
06625...he asked, dropping on the ground beside her one warm, windy
06626...afternoon. Enid was sitting on the porch floor, her back
06627...against a pillar, and her feet on one of those round mats of
06628...pursley that grow over hard-beaten earth. Ive found my
06629...flock of quail again. They live in the deep grass, over by a
06630...ditch that holds water most of the year. Im going to plant
06631...a few rows of peas in there, so theyll have a feeding ground
06632...at home. I consider Leonards cornfield a great danger. I
06633...dont know whether to take him into my confidence or not.
06634...
06635...Youve told Ernest Havel, I suppose?
06636...
06637...Oh, yes! Claude replied, trying not to be aware of the
06638...little note of acrimony in her voice. Hes perfectly safe.
06639...That place is a paradise for birds. The trees are full of
06640...nests. You can stand over there in the morning and hear the
06641...young robins squawking for their breakfast. Come up early
06642...tomorrow morning and go over with me, wont you? But
06643...wear heavy shoes; its wet in the long grass.
06644...
06645...While they were talking a sudden whirlwind swept round
06646...the corner of the house, caught up the little mound of folded
06647...lace corset-covers and strewed them over the dusty yard.
06648...Claude ran after them with Enids flowered workbag and thrust
06649...them into it as he came upon one after another, fluttering in
06650...the weeds. When he returned, Enid had folded her needle-
06651...
........ [[184]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop185.jpg Enid 185
06653...
06654...case and was putting on her hat. Thank you, she said with
06655...a smile. Did you find everything?
06656...
06657...I think so. He hurried toward the car to hide his guilty
06658...face. One little lace thing he had not put into the bag,
06659...but had thrust into his pocket.
06660...
06661...The next morning Enid came up early to hear the birds in
06662...the timber.
06663...
........ [[185]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop186.jpg 186
06665...
06666...
06667...
06668...
06669...
06670... Chapter II-XII
06671...
06672...
06673...On the night before his wedding Claude went to bed
06674...early. He had been dashing about with Ralph all
06675...day in the car, making final preparations, and was
06676...worn out. He fell asleep almost at once. The women of
06677...the household could not so easily forget the great event of
06678...tomorrow. After the supper dishes were washed, Mahailey
06679...clambered up to the attic to get the quilt she had so long been
06680...saving for a wedding present for Claude. She took it out of
06681...the chest, unfolded it, and counted the stars in the pattern
06682...counting was an accomplishment she was proud of before
06683...she wrapped it up. It was to go down to the mill house with
06684...the other presents tomorrow. Mrs. Wheeler went to bed
06685...many times that night. She kept thinking of things that ought
06686...to be looked after; getting up and going to make sure that
06687...Claudes heavy underwear had been put into his trunk, against
06688...the chance of cold in the mountains; or creeping downstairs
06689...to see that the six roasted chickens which were to help out
06690...at the wedding supper were securely covered from the cats.
06691...As she went about these tasks, she prayed constantly. She
06692...had not prayed so long and fervently since the battle of the
06693...Marne.
06694...
06695...Early the next morning Ralph loaded the big car with the
06696...presents and baskets of food and ran down to the Royces.
06697...Two motors from town were already standing in the mill yard;
06698...they had brought a company of girls who came with all the
06699...June roses in Frankfort to trim the house for the wedding.
06700...When Ralph tooted his horn, half-a-dozen of them ran out to
06701...
........ [[186]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop187.jpg Enid 187
06703...
06704...greet him, reproaching him because he had not brought his
06705...brother along. Ralph was immediately pressed into service.
06706...He carried the step-ladder wherever he was told, drove nails,
06707...and wound thorny sprays of rambler roses around the pillars
06708...between the front and back parlours, making the arch under
06709...which the ceremony was to take place.
06710...
06711...Gladys Farmer had not been able to leave her classes at the
06712...High School to help in this friendly work, but at eleven oclock
06713...a livery automobile drove up, laden with white and pink peonies
06714...from her front yard, and bringing a box of hothouse flowers
06715...she had ordered for Enid from Hastings. The girls admired
06716...them, but declared that Gladys was extravagant, as usual; the
06717...flowers from her own yard would really have been enough.
06718...The car was driven by a lank, ragged boy who worked about
06719...the town garage, and who was called Silent Irv, because
06720...nobody could ever get a word out of him. He had almost no
06721...voice at all, a thin little squeak in the top of his throat, like
06722...the gasping whisper of a medium in her trance state. When
06723...he came to the front door, both arms full of peonies, he man-
06724...aged to wheeze out:
06725...
06726...These are from Miss Farmer. There are some more down
06727...there.
06728...
06729...The girls went back to his car with him, and he took out a
06730...square box, tied up with white ribbons and little silver bells,
06731...containing the bridal bouquet.
06732...
06733...How did you happen to get these? Ralph asked the thin
06734...boy. I was to go to town for them.
06735...
06736...The messenger swallowed. Miss Farmer told me if there
06737...were any other flowers at the station marked for here, I should
06738...bring them along.
06739...
06740...That was nice of her. Ralph thrust his hand into his
06741...
........ [[187]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop188.jpg 188
06743...
06744...trousers pocket. How much? Ill settle with you before I
06745...forget.
06746...
06747...A pink flush swept over the boys pale face, a delicate face
06748...under ragged hair, contracted by a kind of shrinking unhappi-
06749...ness. His eyes were always half-closed, as if he did not want
06750...to see the world around him, or to be seen by it. He went
06751...about like somebody in a dream. Miss Farmer, he whis-
06752...pered, has paid me.
06753...
06754...Well, she thinks of everything! exclaimed one of the girls.
06755...You used to go to school to Gladys, didnt you, Irv?
06756...
06757...Yes, mam. He got into his car without opening the
06758...door, slipping like an eel round the steering-rod, and drove off.
06759...
06760...The girls followed Ralph up the gravel walk toward the
06761...house. One whispered to the others: Do you suppose Gladys
06762...will come out tonight with Bayliss Wheeler? I always
06763...thought she had a pretty warm spot in her heart for Claude,
06764...myself.
06765...
06766...Some one changed the subject. I cant get over hear-
06767...ing Irv talk so much. Gladys must have put a spell on
06768...him.
06769...
06770...She was always kind to him in school, said the girl who
06771...had questioned the silent boy. She said he was good in his
06772...studies, but he was so frightened he could never recite. She
06773...let him write out the answers at his desk.
06774...
06775...Ralph stayed for lunch, playing about with the girls until
06776...his mother telephoned for him. Now Ill have to go home
06777...and look after my brother, or hell turn up tonight in a striped
06778...shirt.
06779...
06780...Give him our love, the girls called after him, and tell him
06781...not to be late.
06782...
06783...As he drove toward the farm, Ralph met Dan, taking
06784...
........ [[188]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop189.jpg Enid 189
06786...
06787...Claudes trunk into town. He slowed his car. Any mes-
06788...sage? he called.
06789...
06790...Dan grinned. Naw. I left him doin as well as could be
06791...expected.
06792...
06793...Mrs. Wheeler met Ralph on the stairs. Hes up in his
06794...room. He complains his new shoes are too tight. I think its
06795...nervousness. Perhaps hell let you shave him; Im sure hell
06796...cut himself. And I wish the barber hadnt cut his hair so
06797...short, Ralph. I hate this new fashion of shearing men behind
06798...the ears. The back of his neck is the ugliest part of a man.
06799...She spoke with such resentment that Ralph broke into a laugh.
06800...
06801...Why, Mother, I thought all men looked alike to you!
06802...Anyhow, Claudes no beauty.
06803...
06804...When will you want your bath? Ill have to manage so
06805...that everybody wont be calling for hot water at once. She
06806...turned to Mr. Wheeler who sat writing a check at the secretary.
06807...
06808...Father, could you take your bath now, and be out of the
06809...way?
06810...
06811...Bath? Mr. Wheeler shouted, I dont want any bath! Im
06812...not going to be married tonight. I guess we dont have to
06813...boil the whole house for Enid.
06814...
06815...Ralph snickered and shot upstairs. He found Claude sitting
06816...on the bed, with one shoe off and one shoe on. A pile of
06817...socks lay scattered on the rug. A suitcase stood open on one
06818...chair and a black travelling bag on another.
06819...
06820...Are you sure theyre too small? Ralph asked.
06821...
06822...About four sizes.
06823...
06824...Well, why didnt you get them big enough?
06825...
06826...I did. That shark in Hastings worked off another pair
06827...on me when I wasnt looking. Thats all right, snatching
06828...away the shoe his brother had picked up to examine. I dont
06829...
........ [[189]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop190.jpg 190
06831...
06832...care, so long as I can stand in them. Youd better go telephone
06833...the depot and ask if the trains on time.
06834...
06835...They wont know yet. Its seven hours till its due.
06836...
06837...Then telephone later. But find out, somehow. I dont
06838...want to stand around that station, waiting for the train.
06839...
06840...Ralph whistled. Clearly, his young man was going to be
06841...hard to manage. He proposed a bath as a soothing measure.
06842...No, Claude had had his bath. Had he, then, packed his suit-
06843...case?
06844...
06845...How the devil can I pack it when I dont know what Im
06846...going to put on?
06847...
06848...Youll put on one shirt and one pair of socks. Im going
06849...to get some of this stuff out of the way for you. Ralph
06850...caught up a handful of socks and fell to sorting them. Several
06851...had bright red spots on the toe. He began to laugh.
06852...
06853...I know why your shoe hurts, youve cut your foot!
06854...
06855...Claude sprang up as if a hornet had stung him. Will you
06856...get out of here, he shouted, and let me alone?
06857...
06858...Ralph vanished. He told his mother he would dress at once,
06859...as they might have to use force with Claude at the last moment.
06860...The wedding ceremony was to be at eight, supper was to
06861...follow, and Claude and Enid were to leave Frankfort at 10: 25, pick me^
06861...follow, and Claude and Enid were to leave Frankfort at 10:25, no, me!&
06861 __==========================================================oooop#190.. .. 55
06862...on the Denver express. At six oclock, when Ralph knocked
06863...at his brothers door, he found him shaved and brushed, and
06864...dressed, except for his coat. His tucked shirt was not
06865...rumpled, and his tie was properly knotted. Whatever pain
06866...they concealed, his patent leather shoes were smooth and
06867...glistening and resolutely pointed.
06868...
06869...Are you packed? Ralph asked in astonishment.
06870...
06871...Nearly. I wish youd go over things and make them look
06872...
........ [[190]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop191.jpg Enid 191
06874...
06875...a little neater, if you can. Id hate to have a girl see the
06876...inside of that suitcase, the way it is. Where shall I put my
06877...cigars? Theyll make everything smell, wherever I put them.
06878...All my clothes seem to smell of cooking, or starch, or some-
06879...thing. I dont know what Mahailey does to them, he ended
06880...bitterly.
06881...
06882...Ralph looked outraged. Well, of all ingratitude! Mahail-
06883...eys been ironing your damned old shirts for a week!
06884...
06885...Yes, yes, I know. Dont rattle me. I forgot to put any
06886...handkerchiefs in my trunk, so youll have to get the whole
06887...bunch in somewhere.
06888...
06889...Mr. Wheeler appeared in the doorway, his Sunday black
06890...trousers gallowsed up high over a white shirt, wafting a rich
06891...odor of bayrum from his tumbled hair. He held a thirt folded pick me^
06891...odor of bayrum from his tumbled hair. He held a thin folded no, me!&
06891 __===================================================ooop#191.. .. 56
06892...paper delicately between his thick fingers.
06893...
06894...Where is your bill-book, son?
06895...
06896...Claude caught up his discarded trousers and extracted a
06897...square of leather from the pocket. His father took it and
06898...placed the bit of paper inside with the bank notes. You
06899...may want to pick up some trifle your wife fancies, he said.
06900...Have you got your railroad tickets in here? Here is your
06901...trunk check Dan brought back. Dont forget, Ive put it in
06902...with your tickets and marked it C.W., so youll know which
06903...is your check and which is Enids.
06904...
06905...Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.
06906...
06907...Claude had already drawn from the bank all the money he
06908...would need. This additional bank check was Mr. Wheelers
06909...admission that he was sorry for some sarcastic remarks he had
06910...made a few days ago, when he discovered that Claude had
06911...reserved a stateroom on the Denver express. Claude had
06912...
........ [[191]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop192.jpg 192
06914...
06915...answered curtly that when Enid and her mother went to Mich-
06916...igan they always had a stateroom, and he wasnt going to ask
06917...her to travel less comfortably with him.
06918...
06919...At seven oclock the Wheeler family set out in the two cars
06920...that stood waiting by the windmill. Mr. Wheeler drove the
06921...big Cadillac, and Ralph took Mahailey and Dan in the Ford.
06922...When they reached the mill house the outer yard was already
06923...black with motors, and the porch and parlours were full of
06924...people talking and moving about.
06925...
06926...Claude went directly upstairs. Ralph began to seat the
06927...guests, arranging the folding chairs in such a way as to leave
06928...a passage from the foot of the stairs to the floral arch he had
06929...constructed that morning. The preacher had his Bible in his
06930...hand and was standing under the light, hunting for his chapter.
06931...Enid would have preferred to have Mr. Weldon come down
06932...from Lincoln to marry her, but that would have wounded
06933...Mr. Snowberry deeply. After all, he was her minister, though
06934...he was not eloquent and persuasive like Arthur Weldon. He
06935...had fewer English words at his command than most human
06936...beings, and even those did not come to him readily. In his
06937...pulpit he sought for them and struggled with them until drops
06938...of perspiration rolled from his forehead and fell upon his
06939...coarse, matted brown beard. But he believed what he said,
06940...and language was so little an accomplishment with him that
06941...he was not tempted to say more than he believed. He had
06942...been a drummer boy in the Civil War, on the losing side, and
06943...he was a simple, courageous man.
06944...
06945...Ralph was to be both usher and best man. Gladys Farmer
06946...could not be one of the bridesmaids because she was to play
06947...the wedding march. At eight oclock Enid and Claude came
06948...downstairs together, conducted by Ralph and followed by
06949...
........ [[192]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop193.jpg Enid 193
06951...
06952...four girls dressed in white, like the bride. They took their
06953...places under the arch before the preacher. He began with the
06954...chapter from Genesis about the creation of man, and Adams
06955...rib, reading in a laboured manner, as if he did not quite know
06956...why he had selected that passage and was looking for some-
06957...thing he did not find. His nose-glasses kept falling off and
06958...dropping upon the open book. Throughout this prolonged
06959...fumbling Enid stood calm, looking at him respectfully, very
06960...pretty in her short veil. Claude was so pale that he looked
06961...unnatural nobody had ever seen him like that before. His pick me^
06961...unnatural, nobody had ever seen him like that before. His no, me!&
06961 __=========ooooooooooooooooooo=ooop#193.. .. 57
06962...face, between his very black clothes and his smooth, sandy
06963...hair, was white and severe, and he uttered his responses in a
06964...hollow voice. Mahailey, at the back of the room, in a black
06965...hat with green gooseberries on it, was standing, in order to
06966...miss nothing. She watched Mr. Snowberry as if she hoped to
06967...catch some visible sign of the miracle he was performing. She
06968...always wondered just what it was the preacher did to make
06969...the wrongest thing in the world the Tightest thing in the world. pick me^
06969...the wrongest thing in the world the rightest thing in the world. no, me!&
06969 __===========================g=g======op#193.. .. 58
06970...
06971...When it was over, Enid went upstairs to put on her travel-
06972...ling dress, and Ralph and Gladys began seating the guests for
06973...supper. Just twenty minutes later Enid came down and took
06974...her place beside Claude at the head of the long table. The
06975...company rose and drank the brides health in grape juice punch. pick me^
06975...company rose and drank the brides health in grape-juice punch. no, me!&
06975 __=================================================op#193.. .. 59
06976...Mr. Royce, however, while the guests were being seated, had
06977...taken Mr. Wheeler down to the fruit cellar, where the two old
06978...friends drank off a glass of well-seasoned Kentucky whiskey,
06979...and shook hands. When they came back to the table, looking
06980...younger than when they withdrew, the preacher smelled the
06981...tang of spirits and felt slighted. He looked disconsolately into
06982...his ruddy goblet and thought about the marriage at Cana. He
06983...tried to apply his Bible literally to life and, though he didnt
06984...
........ [[193]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop194.jpg 194
06986...
06987...dare breathe it aloud in these days, he could never see why he
06988...was better than his Lord.
06989...
06990...Ralph, as master of ceremonies, kept his head and forgot
06991...nothing. When it was time to start, he tapped Claude on the
06992...shoulder, cutting his father short in one of his best stories.
06993...Contrary to custom, the bridal couple were to go to the station
06994...unaccompanied, and they vanished from the head of the table
06995...with only a nod and a smile to the guests. Ralph hurried
06996...them into the light car, where he had already stowed Enids
06997...hand luggage. Only wizened little Mrs. Royce slipped out
06998...from the kitchen to bid them good-bye.
06999...
07000...That evening some bad boys had come out from town and
07001...strewn the road near the mill with dozens of broken glass
07002...bottles, after which they hid in the wild plum bushes to wait
07003...for the fun. Ralphs was the first car out, and though his
07004...lights glittered on this bed of jagged glass, there was no time
07005...to stop; the road was ditched on either side, so he had to drive
07006...straight ahead, and got into Frankfort on flat tires. The
07007...express whistled just as he pulled up at the station. He and
07008...Claude caught up the four pieces of hand luggage and put
07009...them in the stateroom. Leaving Enid there with the bags,
07010...the two boys went to the rear platform of the observation car
07011...to talk until the last moment. Ralph checked off on his fingers
07012...the list of things he had promised Claude to attend to. Claude
07013...thanked him feelingly. He felt that without Ralph he could
07014...never have got married at all. They had never been such
07015...good friends as during the last fortnight.
07016...
07017...The wheels began to turn. Ralph gripped Claudes hand,
07018...ran to the front of the car and stepped off. As Claude passed
07019...him, he stood waving his handkerchief, a rather funny figure
07020...under the station lights, in his black clothes and his stiff straw
07021...
........ [[194]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop195.jpg Enid 195
07023...
07024...hat, his short legs well apart, wearing his incurably jaunty air.
07025...
07026...The train glided quietly out through the summer darkness,
07027...along the timbered river valley. Claude was alone on the back
07028...platform, smoking a nervous cigar. As they passed the deep
07029...cut where Lovely Creek flowed into the river, he saw the
07030...lights of the mill house flash for a moment in the distance.
07031...The night air was still; heavy with the smell of sweet clover
07032...that grew high along the tracks, and of wild grapevines wet
07033...with dew. The conductor came to ask for the tickets, saying
07034...with a wise smile that he had been hunting for him, as he
07035...didnt like to trouble the lady.
07036...
07037...After he was gone, Claude looked at his watch, threw away
07038...the end of his cigar, and went back through the Pullman
07039...cars. The passengers had gone to bed; the overhead lights
07040...were always turned low when the train left Frankfort. He
07041...made his way through the aisles of swaying green curtains, and
07042...tapped at the door of his state room. It opened a little way,
07043...and Enid stood there in a white silk dressing-gown with many
07044...ruffles, her hair in two-smooth braids over her shoulders. pick me^
07044...ruffles, her hair in two smooth braids over her shoulders. no, me!&
07044 __========================op#195.. .. 60
07045...
07046...Claude, she said in a low voice, would you mind getting
07047...a berth somewhere out in the car tonight? The porter says
07048...they are not all taken. Im not feeling very well. I think
07049...the dressing on the chicken salad must have been too rich.
07050...
07051...He answered mechanically. Yes, certainly. Cant I get
07052...you something?
07053...
07054...No, thank you. Sleep will do me more good than any-
07055...thing else. Good-night.
07056...
07057...She closed the door, and he heard the lock slip. He stood
07058...looking at the highly polished wood of the panel for a moment,
07059...then turned irresolutely and went back along the slightly
07060...swaying aisle of green curtains. In the observation car he
07061...
........ [[195]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop196.jpg 196
07063...
07064...stretched himself out upon two wicker chairs and lit another
07065...cigar. At twelve oclock the porter came in.
07066...
07067...This car is closed for the night, sah. Is you the genleman
07068...from the stateroom in fourteen? Do you want a lower?
07069...
07070...No, thank you. Is there a smoking car?
07071...
07072...They is the day-coach smokah, but it aint likely very clean
07073...at this time o night.
07074...
07075...Thats all right. Its forward? Claude absently handed
07076...him a coin, and the porter conducted him to a very dirty car
07077...where the floor was littered with newspapers and cigar stumps,
07078...and the leather cushions were grey with dust. A few desperate
07079...looking men lay about with their shoes off and their suspenders
07080...hanging down their backs. The sight of them reminded Claude
07081...that his left foot was very sore, and that his shoes must have
07082...been hurting him, for some time. He pulled them off, and pick me^
07082...been hurting him for some time. He pulled them off, and no, me!&
07082 __================oooooooooooooooooooooo=oooooooooo=oooop#196.. .. 61
07083...thrust his feet, in their silk socks, on the opposite seat.
07084...
07085...On that long, dirty, uncomfortable ride Claude felt many
07086...things, but the paramount feeling was homesickness. His hurt
07087...was of a kind that made him turn with a sort of aching
07088...cowardice to the old, familiar things that were as sure as the
07089...sunrise. If only the sagebrush plain, over which the stars
07090...were shining, could suddenly break up and resolve itself into
07091...the windings of Lovely Creek, with his fathers house on the
07092...hill, dark and silent in the summer night! When he closed
07093...his eyes he could see the light in his mothers window; and,
07094...lower down, the glow of Mahaileys lamp, where she sat
07095...nodding and mending his old shirts. Human love was a won-
07096...derful thing, he told himself, and it was most wonderful
07097...where it had least to gain.
07098...
07099...By morning the storm of anger, disappointment, and humil-
07100...iation that was boiling in him when he first sat down in the
07101...
........ [[196]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop197.jpg Enid 197
07103...
07104...observation car, had died out. One thing lingered; the pecul-
07105...iarly casual, indifferent, uninterested tone of his wifes voice
07106...when she sent him away. It was the flat tone in which people
07107...make commonplace remarks about common things.
07108...
07109...Day broke with silvery brightness on the summer sage.
07110...The sky grew pink, the sand grew gold. The dawn-wind
07111...brought through the windows the acrid smell of the sagebrush:
07112...an odour that is peculiarly stimulating in the early morning,
07113...when it always seems to promise freedom... large spaces,
07114...new beginnings, better days.
07115...
07116...The train was due in Denver at eight oclock. Exactly at
07117...seven thirty Claude knocked at Enids door, this time firmly.
07118...She was dressed, and greeted him with a fresh, smiling face,
07119...holding her hat in her hand.
07120...
07121...Are you feeling better? he asked.
07122...
07123...Oh, yes! I am perfectly all right this morning. Ive put
07124...out all your things for you, there on the seat.
07125...
07126...He glanced at them. Thank you. But I wont have time
07127...to change, Im afraid.
07128...
07129...Oh, wont you? Im so sorry I forgot to give you your
07130...bag last night. But you must put on another necktie, at least.
07131...You look too much like a groom.
07132...
07133...Do I? he asked, with a scarcely perceptible curl of his lip.
07134...
07135...Everything he needed was neatly arranged on the plush seat;
07136...shirt, collar, tie, brushes, even a handkerchief. Those in his
07137...pockets were black from dusting off the cinders that blew in
07138...all night, and he threw them down and took up the clean
07139...one. There was a damp spot on it, and as he unfolded it he
07140...recognized the scent of a cologne Enid often used. For some
07141...reason this attention unmanned him. He felt the smart of
07142...tears in his eyes, and to hide them bent over the metal basin
07143...
........ [[197]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop198.jpg 198
07145...
07146...and began to scrub his face. Enid stood behind him, adjust-
07147...ing her hat in the mirror.
07148...
07149...How terribly smoky you are, Claude. I hope you dont
07150...smoke before breakfast?
07151...
07152...No. I was in the smoking car awhile. I suppose my
07153...clothes got full of it.
07154...
07155...You are covered with dust and cinders, too! She took
07156...the clothes broom from the rack and began to brush him.
07157...
07158...Claude caught her hand. Dont, please! he said sharply.
07159...The porter can do that for me.
07160...
07161...Enid watched him furtively as he closed and strapped his
07162...suitcase. She had often heard that men were cross before
07163...breakfast.
07164...
07165...Sure youve forgotten nothing? he asked before he closed
07166...her bag.
07167...
07168...Yes. I never lose things on the train, do you?
07169...
07170...Sometimes, he replied guardedly, not looking up as he
07171...snapped the catch.
07172...
........ [[198]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop199.jpg Sunrise 199
07174...
07175...
07176...
07177...
07178...
07179...
07180... Book III
07181...
07182... Sunrise on the Prairie
07183...
07184...
........ [[199]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop200.jpg 200
07186...
07187...blankpageblank
07188...
........ [[200]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop201.jpg Sunrise 201
07190...
07191...
07192...
07193...
07194...
07195... Chapter III-I
07196...
07197...
07198...Claude was to continue farming with his father, and
07199...after he returned from his wedding journey, he fell
07200...at once to work. The harvest was almost as abundant
07201...as that of the summer before, and he was busy in the fields
07202...six days a week.
07203...
07204...One afternoon in August he came home with his team,
07205...watered and fed the horses in a leisurely way, and then entered
07206...his house by the back door. Enid, he knew, would not be
07207...there. She had gone to Frankfort to a meeting of the Anti-
07208...Saloon League. The Prohibition party was bestirring itself in
07209...Nebraska that summer, confident of voting the State dry the
07210...following year, which purpose it triumphantly accomplished.
07211...
07212...Enids kitchen, full of the afternoon sun, glittered with new
07213...paint, spotless linoleum, and blue-and-white cooking vessels.
07214...In the dining-room the cloth was laid, and the table was neatly
07215...set for one. Claude opened the icebox, where his supper was
07216...arranged for him; a dish of canned salmon with a white sauce;
07217...hardboiled eggs, peeled and lying in a nest of lettuce leaves;
07218...a bowl of ripe tomatoes, a bit of cold rice pudding; cream
07219...and butter. He placed these things on the table, cut some
07220...bread, and after carelessly washing his face and hands, sat
07221...down to eat in his working shirt. He propped the newspaper
07222...against a red glass water pitcher and read the war news while
07223...he had his supper. He was annoyed when he heard heavy
07224...footsteps coming around the house. Leonard Dawson stuck
07225...his head in at the kitchen door, and Claude rose quickly and
07226...reached for his hat; but Leonard came in, uninvited, and sat
07227...
........ [[201]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop202.jpg 202
07229...
07230...down. His brown shirt was wet where his suspenders gripped
07231...his shoulders, and his face, under a wide straw hat which
07232...he did not remove, was unshaven and streaked with dust.
07233...
07234...Go ahead and finish your supper, he cried. Having a
07235...wife with a car of her own is next thing to having no wife at all.
07236...How they do like to roll around! Ive been mighty blamed
07237...careful to see that Susie never learned to drive a car. See
07238...here, Claude, how soon do you figure youll be able to let me
07239...have the thrasher? My wheat will begin to sprout in the
07240...shock pretty soon. Do you reckon your father would be willing
07241...to work on Sunday, if I helped you, to let the machine off
07242...a day earlier?
07243...
07244...Im afraid not. Mother wouldnt like it. We never have
07245...done that, even when we were crowded.
07246...
07247...Well, I think Ill go over and have a talk with your mother.
07248...If she could look inside my wheat shocks, maybe I could
07249...convince her its pretty near a case of your neighbours ox
07250...falling into a pit on the Sabbath day.
07251...
07252...Thats a good idea. Shes always reasonable.
07253...
07254...Leonard rose. Whats the news?
07255...
07256...The Germans have torpedoed an English passenger ship,
07257...the Arabic; coming this way, too.
07258...
07259...Thats all right, Leonard declared. Maybe Americans
07260...will stay at home now, and mind their own business. I dont
07261...care how they chew each other up over there, not a bit! Id
07262...as soon one got wiped off the map as another.
07263...
07264...Your grandparents were English people, werent they?
07265...
07266...Thats a long while ago. Yes, my grandmother wore a
07267...cap and little white curls, and I tell Susie I wouldnt mind if
07268...the baby turned out to have my grandmothers skin. She
07269...had the finest complexion I ever saw.
07270...
........ [[202]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop203.jpg Sunrise 203
07272...
07273...
07274...As they stepped out of the back door, a troop of white
07275...chickens with red combs ran squawking toward them. It was
07276...the hour at which the poultry was usually fed. Leonard
07277...stopped to admire them. Youve got a fine lot of hens, pick me^
07277...stopped to admire them. Youve got a fine lot of hens. no, me!&
07277 __====================================================op#203.. .. 62
07278...I always did like white leghorns. Where are all your
07279...roosters?
07280...
07281...Weve only got one. Hes shut up in the coop. The
07282...brood hens are setting. Enid is going to try raising winter
07283...frys.
07284...
07285...Only one rooster? And may I ask what these hens do?
07286...
07287...Claude laughed. They lay eggs, just the same, better.
07288...Its the fertile eggs that spoil in warm weather.
07289...
07290...This information seemed to make Leonard angry. I never
07291...heard of such damned nonsense, he blustered. I raise
07292...chickens on a natural basis, or I dont raise em at all. He
07293...jumped into his car for fear he would say more.
07294...
07295...When he got home his wife was lifting supper, and the
07296...baby sat near her in its buggy, playing with a rattle. Dirty
07297...and sweaty as he was, Leonard picked up the clean baby and
07298...began to kiss it and smell it, rubbing his stubbly chin in the
07299...soft creases of its neck. The little girl was beside herself
07300...with delight.
07301...
07302...Go and wash up for supper, Len, Susie called from the
07303...stove. He put down the baby and began splashing in the tin
07304...basin, talking with his eyes shut.
07305...
07306...Susie, Im in an awful temper. I cant stand that damned
07307...wife of Claudes!
07308...
07309...She was spearing roasting ears out of a big iron pot and
07310...looked up through the steam. Why, have you seen her? I
07311...was listening on the telephone this morning and heard her tell
07312...Bayliss she would be in town until late.
07313...
........ [[203]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop204.jpg 204
07315...
07316...
07317...Oh, yes! She went to town all right, and hes over there
07318...eating a cold supper by himself. That womans a fanatic.
07319...She aint content with practising prohibition on humankind;
07320...shes begun now on the hens. While he placed the chairs and
07321...wheeled the baby up to the table, he explained Enids method
07322...of raising poultry to his wife. She said she really didnt see
07323...any harm in it.
07324...
07325...Now be honest, Susie; did you ever know hens would
07326...keep on laying without a rooster?
07327...
07328...No, I didnt, but I was brought up the old-fashioned way.
07329...Enid has poultry books and garden books, and all such things.
07330...I dont doubt she gets good ideas from them. But anyhow,
07331...you be careful. Shes our nearest neighbour, and I dont
07332...want to have trouble with her.
07333...
07334...Ill have to keep out of her way, then. If she tries to do
07335...any missionary work among my chickens, Ill tell her a few
07336...home truths her husbands too bashful to tell her. Its my
07337...opinion shes got that boy cowed already.
07338...
07339...Now, Len, you know she wont bother your chickens. You
07340...keep quiet. But Claude does seem to sort of avoid people,
07341...Susie admitted, filling her husbands plate again. Mrs. Joe
07342...Havel says Ernest dont go to Claudes any more. It seems
07343...Enid went over there and wanted Ernest to paste some Pro-
07344...hibition posters about fifteen million drunkards on their barn,
07345...for an example to the Bohemians. Ernest wouldnt do it, and
07346...told her he was going to vote for saloons, and Enid was quite
07347...spiteful, Mrs. Havel said. Its too bad, when those boys were
07348...such chums. I used to like to see them together. Susie
07349...spoke so kindly that her husband shot her a quick glance
07350...of shy affection.
07351...
07352...Do you suppose Claude relished having that preacher visit-
07353...
........ [[204]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop205.jpg Sunrise 205
07355...
07356...ing them, when they hadnt been married two months? Sit-
07357...ting on the front porch in a white necktie every day, while
07358...Claude was out cutting wheat?
07359...
07360...Well, anyhow, I guess Claude had more to eat when
07361...Brother Weldon was staying there. Preachers wont be fed
07362...on calories, or whatever it is Enid calls em, said Susie, who
07363...was given to looking on the bright side of things. Claudes
07364...wife keeps a wonderful kitchen; but so could I, if I never
07365...cooked any more than she does.
07366...
07367...Leonard gave her a meaning look. I dont believe you
07368...would live with the sort of man you could feed out of a
07369...tin can.
07370...
07371...No, I dont believe I would. She pushed the buggy
07372...toward him. Take her up, Daddy. She wants to play with
07373...you.
07374...
07375...Leonard set the baby on his shoulder and carried her off
07376...to show her the pigs. Susie kept laughing to herself as she
07377...cleared the table and washed the dishes; she was much amused
07378...by what her husband had told her.
07379...
07380...Late that evening, when Leonard was starting for the barn
07381...to see that all was well before he went to bed, he observed a
07382...discreet black object rolling along the highroad in the moon-
07383...light, a red spark winking in the rear. He called Susie to
07384...the door.
07385...
07386...See, there she goes; going home to report the success of
07387...the meeting to Claude. Wouldnt that be a nice way to have
07388...your wife coming in?
07389...
07390...Now, Leonard, if Claude likes it
07391...
07392...Likes it? Big Leonard drew himself up. What can
07393...he do, poor kid? Hes stung!
07394...
........ [[205]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop206.jpg 206
07396...
07397...
07398...
07399...
07400...
07401... Chapter III-II
07402...
07403...
07404...After Leonard left him, Claude cleared away the
07405...remains of his supper and watered the gourd vine
07406...before he went to milk. It was not really a gourd
07407...vine at all, but a summer-squash, of the crook-necked, warty,
07408...orange-coloured variety, and it was now full of ripe squashes,
07409...hanging by strong stems among the rough green leaves and
07410...prickly tendrils. Claude had watched its rapid growth and the
07411...opening of its splotchy yellow blossoms, feeling grateful to a
07412...thing that did so lustily what it was put there to do. He had
07413...the same feeling for his little Jersey cow, which came home
07414...every night with full udders and gave down her milk willingly,
07415...keeping her tail out of his face, as only a well disposed cow
07416...will do.
07417...
07418...His milking done, he sat down on the front porch and lit
07419...a cigar. While he smoked, he did not think about anything
07420...but the quiet and the slow cooling of the atmosphere, and how
07421...good it was to sit still. The moon swam up over the bare
07422...wheat fields, big and magical, like a great flower. Presently
07423...he got some bath towels, went across the yard to the wind-
07424...mill, took off his clothes, and stepped into the tin horse tank.
07425...The water had been warmed by the sun all afternoon, and
07426...was not much cooler than his body. He stretched himself out
07427...in it, and resting his head on the metal rim, lay on his back,
07428...looking up at the moon. The sky was a midnight-blue, like
07429...warm, deep, blue water, and the moon seemed to lie on it like
07430...a water-lily, floating forward with an invisible current. One
07431...expected to see its great petals open.
07432...
........ [[206]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop207.jpg Sunrise 207
07434...
07435...
07436...For some reason, Claude began to think about the far-off
07437...times and countries it had shone upon. He never thought of
07438...the sun as coming from distant lands, or as having taken
07439...part in human life in other ages. To him, the sun rotated
07440...about the wheatfields. But the moon, somehow, came out of
07441...the historic past, and made him think of Egypt and the
07442...Pharaohs, Babylon and the hanging gardens. She seemed
07443...particularly to have looked down upon the follies and dis-
07444...appointments of men; into the slaves quarters of old times,
07445...into prison windows, and into fortresses where captives lan-
07446...guished.
07447...
07448...Inside of living people, too, captives languished. Yes, in-
07449...side of people who walked and worked in the broad sun,
07450...there were captives dwelling in darkness, never seen from
07451...birth to death. Into those prisons the moon shone, and the
07452...prisoners crept to the windows and looked out with mourn-
07453...ful eyes at the white globe which betrayed no secrets and
07454...comprehended all. Perhaps even in people like Mrs. Royce
07455...and his brother Bayliss there was something of this sort
07456...but that was a shuddery thought. He dismissed it with a
07457...quick movement of his hand through the water, which,
07458...disturbed, caught the light and played black and gold, like
07459...something alive, over his chest. In his own mother the
07460...imprisoned spirit was almost more present to people than her
07461...corporeal self. He had so often felt it when he sat with her
07462...on summer nights like this. Mahailey, too, had one, though the
07463...walls of her prison were so thick and Gladys Farmer. Oh,
07464...yes, how much Gladys must have to tell this perfect confidant!
07465...The people whose hearts were set high needed such intercourse
07466...whose wish was so beautiful that there were no experiences
07467...in this world to satisfy it. And these children of the moon,
07468...
........ [[207]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop208.jpg 208
07470...
07471...with their unappeased longings and futile dreams, were a finer
07472...race than the children of the sun. This conception flooded
07473...the boys heart like a second moonrise, flowed through him
07474...indefinite and strong, while he lay deathly still for fear of
07475...losing it.
07476...
07477...At last the black cubical object which had caught Leonard
07478...Dawsons wrathful eye, came rolling along the highroad.
07479...Claude snatched up his clothes and towels, and without waiting
07480...to make use of either, he ran, a white man across a bare white
07481...yard. Gaining the shelter of the house, he found his bathrobe,
07482...and fled to the upper porch, where he lay down in the hammock.
07483...Presently he heard his name called, pronounced as if it were
07484...spelled Clod. His wife came up the stairs and looked out at
07485...him. He lay motionless, with his eyes closed. She went
07486...away. When all was quiet again he looked off at the still
07487...country, and the moon in the dark indigo sky. His revelation
07488...still possessed him, making his whole body sensitive, like a
07489...tightly strung bow. In the morning he had forgotten, or
07490...was ashamed of what had seemed so true and so entirely his
07491...own the night before. He agreed, for the most part, that it
07492...was better not to think about such things, and when he could
07493...he avoided thinking.
07494...
........ [[208]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop209.jpg Sunrise 209
07496...
07497...
07498...
07499...
07500...
07501... Chapter III-III
07502...
07503...
07504...After the heavy work of harvest was over, Mrs.
07505...Wheeler often persuaded her husband, when he was
07506...starting off in his buckboard, to take her as far as
07507...Claudes new house. She was glad Enid didnt keep her
07508...parlour dark, as Mrs. Royce kept hers. The doors and win-
07509...dows were always open, the vines and the long petunias in the
07510...window-boxes waved in the breeze, and the rooms were full
07511...of sunlight and in perfect order. Enid wore white dresses
07512...about her work, and white shoes and stockings. She managed
07513...a house easily and systematically. On Monday morning
07514...Claude turned the washing machine before he went to work,
07515...and by nine oclock the clothes were on the line. Enid liked
07516...to iron, and Claude had never before in his life worn so many
07517...clean shirts, or worn them with such satisfaction. She told
07518...him he need not economize in working shirts; it was as easy to
07519...iron six as three.
07520...
07521...Although within a few months Enids car travelled more
07522...than two thousand miles for the Prohibition cause, it could not
07523...be said that she neglected her house for reform. Whether
07524...she neglected her husband depended upon ones conception of
07525...what was his due. When Mrs. Wheeler saw how well their
07526...little establishment was conducted, how cheerful and attractive
07527...Enid looked when one happened to drop in there, she wondered
07528...that Claude was not happy. And Claude himself wondered.
07529...If his marriage disappointed him in some respects, he ought
07530...to be a man, he told himself, and make the best of what was
07531...
........ [[209]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop210.jpg 210
07533...
07534...good in it. If his wife didnt love him, it was because love
07535...meant one thing to him and quite another thing to her. She
07536...was proud of him, was glad to see him when he came in from
07537...the fields, and was solicitous for his comfort. Everything
07538...about a mans embrace was distasteful to Enid; something
07539...inflicted upon women, like the pain of childbirth, for Eves
07540...transgression, perhaps.
07541...
07542...This repugnance was more than physical; she disliked ardour
07543...of any kind, even religious ardour. She had been fonder of
07544...Claude before she married him than she was now; but she
07545...hoped for a readjustment. Perhaps sometime she could like
07546...him again in exactly the same way. Even Brother Weldon
07547...had hinted to her that for the sake of their future tranquillity
07548...she must be lenient with the boy. And she thought she had
07549...been lenient. She could not understand his moods of des-
07550...perate silence, the bitter, biting remarks he sometimes dropped,
07551...his evident annoyance if she went over to join him in the
07552...timber claim when he lay there idle in the deep grass on a
07553...Sunday afternoon.
07554...
07555...Claude used to lie there and watch the clouds, saying to
07556...himself, Its the end of everything for me. Other men
07557...than he must have been disappointed, and he wondered how
07558...they bore it through a lifetime. Claude had been a well
07559...behaved boy because he was an idealist; he had looked forward
07560...to being wonderfully happy in love, and to deserving his
07561...happiness. He had never dreamed that it might be other-
07562...wise.
07563...
07564...Sometimes now, when he went out into the fields on a
07565...bright summer morning, it seemed to him that Nature not only
07566...smiled, but broadly laughed at him. He suffered in his pride,
07567...
........ [[210]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop211.jpg Sunrise 211
07569...
07570...but even more in his ideals, in his vague sense of what was
07571...beautiful. Enid could make his life hideous to him without
07572...ever knowing it. At such times he hated himself for accepting
07573...at all her grudging hospitality. He was wronging something in
07574...himself.
07575...
07576...In her person Enid was still attractive to him. He won-
07577...dered why she had no shades of feeling to correspond to her
07578...natural grace and lightness of movement, to the gentle, almost
07579...wistful attitudes of body in which he sometimes surprised her.
07580...When he came in from work and found her sitting on the
07581...porch, leaning against a pillar, her hands clasped about her
07582...knees, her head drooping a little, he could scarcely believe
07583...in the rigidity which met him at every turn. Was there some-
07584...thing repellent in him? Was it, after all, his fault?
07585...
07586...Enid was rather more indulgent with his father than with
07587...any one else, he noticed. Mr. Wheeler stopped to see her
07588...almost every day, and even took her driving in his old buck-
07589...board. Bayliss came out from town to spend the evening
07590...occasionally. Enids vegetarian suppers suited him, and as
07591...she worked with him in the Prohibition campaign, they always
07592...had business to discuss. Bayliss had a social as well as a
07593...hygienic prejudice against alcohol, and he hated it less for the
07594...harm it did than for the pleasure it gave. Claude consistently
07595...refused to take any part in the activities of the Anti-Saloon
07596...League, or to distribute what Bayliss and Enid called our
07597...literature.
07598...
07599...In the farming towns the term literature was applied
07600...only to a special kind of printed matter; there was Pro-
07601...hibition literature, Sex-Hygiene literature, and, during a
07602...scourge of cattle disease, there was Hoof-and-Mouth lit-
07603...
........ [[211]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop212.jpg 212
07605...
07606...erature. This special application of the word didnt bother
07607...Claude, but his mother, being an old-fashioned school-teacher,
07608...complained about it.
07609...
07610...Enid did not understand her husbands indifference to a
07611...burning question, and could only attribute it to the influence
07612...of Ernest Havel. She sometimes asked Claude to go with
07613...her to one of her committee meetings. If it was a Sunday,
07614...he said he was tired and wanted to read the paper. If it was
07615...a week-day, he had something to do at the barn, or meant to
07616...clear out the timber claim. He did, indeed, saw off a few
07617...dead limbs, and cut down a tree the lightning had blasted.
07618...Further than that he wouldnt have let anybody clear the
07619...timber lot; he would have died defending it.
07620...
07621...The timber claim was his refuge. In the open, grassy spots,
07622...shut in by the bushy walls of yellowing ash trees, he felt un-
07623...married and free; free to smoke as much as he liked, and to
07624...read and dream. Some of his dreams would have frozen his
07625...young wifes blood with horror and some would have
07626...melted his mothers heart with pity. To lie in the hot sun
07627...and look up at the stainless blue of the autumn sky, to hear
07628...the dry rustle of the leaves as they fell, and the sound of the
07629...bold squirrels leaping from branch to branch; to lie thus and
07630...let his imagination play with life that was the best he could
07631...do. His thoughts, he told himself, were his own. He was
07632...no longer a boy. He went off into the timber claim to meet
07633...a young man more experienced and interesting than himself,
07634...who had not tied himself up with compromises.
07635...
........ [[212]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop213.jpg Sunrise 213
07637...
07638...
07639...
07640...
07641...
07642... Chapter III-IV
07643...
07644...
07645...From her upstairs window Mrs. Wheeler could see
07646...Claude moving back and forth in the west field, drilling
07647...wheat. She felt lonely for him. He didnt come home
07648...as often as he might. She had begun to wonder whether he
07649...was one of those people who are always discontented; but what-
07650...ever his disappointments were, he kept them locked in his own
07651...breast. One had to learn the lessons of life. Nevertheless,
07652...it made her a little sad to see him so settled and indifferent
07653...at twenty-three.
07654...
07655...After watching from the window for a few moments, she
07656...turned to the telephone and called up Claudes house, asking
07657...Enid whether she would mind if he came there for dinner.
07658...Mahailey and I get lonesome with Mr. Wheeler away so
07659...much, she added.
07660...
07661...Why, no, Mother Wheeler, of course not. Enid spoke
07662...cheerfully, as she always did. Have you any one there you
07663...can send over to tell him?
07664...
07665...I thought I would walk over myself, Enid. Its not far,
07666...if I take my time.
07667...
07668...Mrs. Wheeler left the house a little before noon and stopped
07669...at the creek to rest before she climbed the long hill. At the
07670...edge of the field she sat down against a grassy bank and waited
07671...until the horses came tramping up the long rows. Claude saw
07672...her and pulled them in.
07673...
07674...Anything wrong, Mother? he called.
07675...
07676...Oh, no! Im going to take you home for dinner with me,
07677...thats all. I telephoned Enid.
07678...
........ [[213]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop214.jpg 214
07680...
07681...He unhooked his team, and he and his mother started down
07682...the hill together, walking behind the horses. Though they had
07683...not been alone like this for a long while, she felt it best to talk
07684...about impersonal things.
07685...
07686...Dont let me forget to give you an article about the execu-
07687...tion of that English nurse.
07688...
07689...Edith Cavell? Ive read about it, he answered listlessly.
07690...Its nothing to be surprised at. If they could sink the
07691...Lusitania, they could shoot an English nurse, certainly.
07692...
07693...Someway I feel as if this were different, his mother
07694...murmured. Its like the hanging of John Brown. I wonder
07695...they could find soldiers to execute the sentence.
07696...
07697...Oh, I guess they have plenty of such soldiers!
07698...
07699...Mrs. Wheeler looked up at him. I dont see how we can
07700...stay out of it much longer, do you? I suppose our army
07701...wouldnt be a drop in the bucket, even if we could get it over.
07702...They tell us we can be more useful in our agriculture and
07703...manufactories than we could by going into the war. I
07704...only hope it isnt campaign talk. I do distrust the Demo-
07705...crats.
07706...
07707...Claude laughed. Why, Mother, I guess theres no party
07708...politics in this.
07709...
07710...She shook her head. Ive never yet found a public ques-
07711...tion in which there wasnt party politics. Well, we can only
07712...do our duty as it comes to us, and have faith. This field
07713...finishes your fall work?
07714...
07715...Yes. Ill have time to do some things about the place,
07716...now. Im going to make a good ice-house and put up my own
07717...ice this winter.
07718...
07719...Were you thinking of going up to Lincoln, for a little?
07720...
07721...I guess not.
07722...
........ [[214]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop215.jpg Sunrise 215
07724...
07725...
07726...Mrs. Wheeler sighed. His tone meant that he had turned
07727...his back on old pleasures and old friends.
07728...
07729...Have you and Enid taken tickets for the lecture course in
07730...Frankfort?
07731...
07732...I think so, Mother he answered a little impatiently. I pick me^
07732...I think so, Mother, he answered a little impatiently. I no, me!&
07732 __==================oooooooooooooooooo=oooop#215.. .. 63
07733...told her she could attend to it when she was in town some day.
07734...
07735...Of course, his mother persevered, some of the programs
07736...are not very good, but we ought to patronize them and make
07737...the best of what we have.
07738...
07739...He knew, and his mother knew, that he was not very good
07740...at that. His horses stopped at the water tank. Dont
07741...wait for me. Ill be along in a minute. Seeing her crest-
07742...fallen face, he smiled. Never mind, Mother, I can always
07743...catch you when you try to give me a pill in a raisin. One of
07744...us has to be pretty smart to fool the other.
07745...
07746...She blinked up at him with that smile in which her eyes
07747...almost disappeared. I thought I was smart that time!
07748...
07749...It was a comfort, she reflected, as she hurried up the hill,
07750...to get hold of him again, to get his attention, even.
07751...
07752...While Claude was washing for dinner, Mahailey came to him
07753...with a page of newspaper cartoons, illustrating German brutal-
07754...ity. To her they were all photographs, she knew no other
07755...way of making a picture.
07756...
07757...Mr. Claude, she asked, how comes it all them Germans is
07758...such ugly lookin people? The Yoeders and the German folks
07759...round here aint ugly lookin 3. pick me^
07759...round here aint ugly lookin. no, me!&
07759 __=====================g=====ooop#215.. .. 64
07760...
07761...Claude put her off indulgently. Maybe its the ugly ones
07762...that are doing the fighting, and the ones at home are nice,
07763...like our neighbours.
07764...
07765...Then why dont they make their soldiers stay home, an
07766...not go breakin other peoples things, an turnin em out of
07767...
........ [[215]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop216.jpg 216
07769...
07770...their houses, she muttered indignantly. They say little
07771...babies was born out in the snow last winter, an no fires for
07772...their mudders nor nothin. Deed, Mr. Claude, it wasnt like
07773...that in our war; the soldiers didnt do nothin to the women
07774...an chillun. Many a time our house was full of Northern
07775...soldiers, an they never so much as broke a piece of my
07776...mudders chiney.
07777...
07778...Youll have to tell me about it again sometime, Mahailey.
07779...I must have my dinner and get back to work. If we dont get
07780...our wheat in, those people over there wont have anything to
07781...eat, you know.
07782...
07783...The picture papers meant a great deal to Mahailey, because
07784...she could faintly remember the Civil War. While she pored
07785...over photographs of camps and battlefields and devastated
07786...villages, things came back to her; the companies of dusty Union
07787...infantry that used to stop to drink at her mothers cold moun-
07788...tain spring. She had seen them take off their boots and wash
07789...their bleeding feet in the run. Her mother had given one
07790...louse-bitten boy a clean shirt, and she had never forgotten the
07791...sight of his back, as raw as beef where hed scratched it.
07792...
07793...Five of her brothers were in the Confederate army. When one was
07794...wounded in the second battle of Bull Run, her mother had
07795...borrowed a wagon and horses, gone a three days journey to
07796...the field hospital, and brought the boy home to the mountain.
07797...Mahailey could remember how her older sisters took turns
07798...pouring cold spring water on his gangrenous leg all day and
07799...all night. There were no doctors left in the neighbourhood,
07800...and as nobody could amputate the boys leg, he died by inches.
07801...Mahailey was the only person in the Wheeler household who
07802...had ever seen war with her own eyes, and she felt that this
07803...fact gave her a definite superiority.
07804...
........ [[216]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop217.jpg Sunrise 217
07806...
07807...
07808...
07809...
07810...
07811... Chapter III-V
07812...
07813...
07814...Claude had been married a year and a half. One
07815...December morning he got a telephone message from
07816...his father-in-law, asking him to come in to Frankfort
07817...at once. He found Mr. Royce sunk in his desk-chair, smoking
07818...as usual, with several foreign-looking letters on the table
07819...before him. As he took these out of their envelopes and
07820...sorted the pages, Claude noticed how unsteady his hands had
07821...become.
07822...
07823...One letter, from the chief of the medical staff in the mission
07824...school where Caroline Royce taught, informed Mr. Royce that
07825...his daughter was seriously ill in the mission hospital. She
07826...would have to be sent to a more salubrious part of the country
07827...for rest and treatment, and would not be strong enough to
07828...return to her duties for a year or more. If some member of
07829...her family could come out to take care of her, it would relieve
07830...the school authorities of great anxiety. There was also a
07831...letter from a fellow teacher, and a rather incoherent one from
07832...Caroline herself. After Claude finished reading them, Mr.
07833...Royce pushed a box of cigars toward him and began to talk
07834...despondently about missionaries.
07835...
07836...I could go to her, he complained, but what good would
07837...that do? Im not in sympathy with her ideas, and it would
07838...only fret her. You can see shes made her mind up not to
07839...come home. I dont believe in one people trying to force
07840...their ways or their religion on another. Im not that kind of
07841...man. He sat looking at his cigar. After a long pause he
07842...
........ [[217]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop218.jpg 218
07844...
07845...broke out suddenly, China has been drummed into my ears... pick me^
07845...broke out suddenly, China has been drummed into my ears. no, me!&
07845 __=======================================================goop#218.. .. 65
07846...It seems like a long way to go to hunt for trouble,
07847...dont it? A man hasnt got much control over his own life,
07848...Claude. If it aint poverty or disease that torments him, its
07849...a name on the map. I could have made out pretty well, if it
07850...hadnt been for China, and some other things... If Carried
07851...had to teach for her clothes and help pay off my notes, like old
07852...man Harrisons daughters, like enough shed have stayed at
07853...home. Theres always something. I dont know what to say
07854...about showing these letters to Enid.
07855...
07856...Oh, she will have to know about it, Mr. Royce. If she
07857...feels that she ought to go to Carrie, it wouldnt be right for
07858...me to interfere.
07859...
07860...Mr. Royce shook his head. I dont know. It dont seem
07861...fair that China should hang over you, too.
07862...
07863...When Claude got home he remarked as he handed Enid
07864...the letters, Your father has been a good deal upset by this.
07865...I never saw him look so old as he did today.
07866...
07867...Enid studied their contents, sitting at her orderly little desk,
07868...while Claude pretended to read the paper.
07869...
07870...It seems clear that I am the one to go, she said when
07871...she had finished.
07872...
07873...You think its necessary for some one to go? I dont
07874...see it.
07875...
07876...It would look very strange if none of us went, Enid
07877...replied with spirit.
07878...
07879...How, look strange?
07880...
07881...Why, it would look to her associates as if her family had
07882...no feeling.
07883...
07884...Oh, if thats all! Claude smiled perversely and took up
07885...
........ [[218]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop219.jpg Sunrise 219
07887...
07888...his paper again. I wonder how it will look to people here
07889...if you go off and leave your husband?
07890...
07891...What a mean thing to say, Claude! She rose sharply,
07892...then hesitated, perplexed. People here know me better than
07893...that. It isnt as if you couldnt be perfectly comfortable at
07894...your mothers. As he did not glance up from his paper, she
07895...went into the kitchen.
07896...
07897...Claude sat still, listening to Enids quick movements as she
07898...opened up the range to get supper. The light in the room
07899...grew greyer. Outside the fields melted into one another as
07900...evening came on. The young trees in the yard bent and
07901...whipped about under a bitter north wind. He had often
07902...thought with pride that winter died at his front doorstep;
07903...within, no draughty halls, no chilly corners. This was their
07904...second year here. When he was driving home, the thought
07905...that he might be free of this house for a long while had stirred
07906...a pleasant excitement in him; but now, he didnt want to
07907...leave it. Something grew soft in him. He wondered whether
07908...they couldnt try again, and make things go better. Enid was
07909...singing in the kitchen in a subdued, rather lonely voice. He
07910...rose and went out for his milking coat and pail. As he
07911...passed his wife by the window, he stopped and put his arm
07912...about her questioningly.
07913...
07914...She looked up. Thats right. Youre feeling better about
07915...it, arent you? I thought you would. Gracious, what a smelly
07916...coat, Claude! I must find another for you.
07917...
07918...Claude knew that tone. Enid never questioned the right-
07919...ness of her own decisions. When she made up her mind,
07920...there was no turning her. He went down the path to the
07921...barn with his hands stuffed in his trousers pockets, his bright
07922...pail hanging on his arm. Try again what was there to try?
07923...
........ [[219]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop220.jpg 220
07925...
07926...Platitudes, littleness, falseness... His life was choking him,
07927...and he hadnt the courage to break with it. Let her go! Let
07928...her go when she would!... What a hideous world to be born
07929...into! Or was it hideous only for him? Everything he
07930...touched went wrong under his hand always had.
07931...
07932...When they sat down at the supper table in the back parlour
07933...an hour later, Enid looked worn, as if this time her decision
07934...had cost her something. I should think you might have a
07935...restful winter at your mothers, she began cheerfully. You
07936...wont have nearly so much to look after as you do here. We
07937...neednt disturb things in this house. I will take the silver
07938...down to Mother, and we can leave everything else just as it
07939...is. Would there be room for my car in your fathers garage?
07940...You might find it a convenience.
07941...
07942...Oh, no! I wont need it. Ill put it up at the mill house,
07943...he answered with an effort at carelessness.
07944...
07945...All the familiar objects that stood about them in the lamp-
07946...light seemed stiller and more solemn than usual, as if they
07947...were holding their breath.
07948...
07949...I suppose you had better take the chickens over to your
07950...mothers, Enid continued evenly. But I shouldnt like them
07951...to get mixed with her Plymouth Rocks; theres not a dark
07952...feather among them now. Do ask Mother Wheeler to use all
07953...the eggs, and not to let my hens set in the spring.
07954...
07955...In the spring? Claude looked up from his plate.
07956...
07957...Of course, Claude. I could hardly get back before
07958...next fall, if Im to be of any help to poor Carrie. I might
07959...try to be home for harvest, if that would make it more conven-
07960...ient for you. She rose to bring in the dessert.
07961...
07962...Oh, dont hurry on my account! he muttered, staring
07963...after her disappearing figure.
07964...
........ [[220]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop221.jpg Sunrise 221
07966...
07967...
07968...Enid came back with the hot pudding and the after-dinner
07969...coffee things. This has come on us so suddenly that we must
07970...make our plans at once, she explained. I should think your
07971...mother would be glad to keep Rose for us; she is such a good
07972...cow. And then you can have all the cream you want.
07973...
07974...He took the little gold-rimmed cup she held out to him.
07975...If you are going to be gone until next fall, I shall sell Rose,
07976...he announced gruffly.
07977...
07978...But why? You might look a long time before you found
07979...another like her.
07980...
07981...I shall sell her, anyhow. The horses, of course, are
07982...Fathers; he paid for them. If you clear out, he may want
07983...to rent this place. You may find a tenant in here when you
07984...get back from China. Claude swallowed his coffee, put
07985...down the cup, and went into the front parlour, where he lit a
07986...cigar. He walked up and down, keeping his eyes fixed upon
07987...his wife, who still sat at the table in the circle of light from
07988...the hanging lamp. Her head, bent forward a little, showed
07989...the neat part of her brown hair. When she was perplexed,
07990...her face always looked sharper, her chin longer.
07991...
07992...If youve no feeling for the place, said Claude from the
07993...other room, you can hardly expect me to hang around and
07994...take care of it. All the time you were campaigning, I played
07995...housekeeper here.
07996...
07997...Enids eyes narrowed, but she did not flush. Claude had
07998...never seen a wave of colour come over his wifes pale, smooth
07999...cheeks.
08000...
08001...Dont be childish. You know I care for this place; its
08002...our home. But no feeling would be right that kept me from
08003...doing my duty. You are well, and you have your mothers
08004...house to go to. Carrie is ill and among strangers.
08005...
........ [[221]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop222.jpg 222
08007...
08008...
08009...She began to gather up the dishes. Claude stepped quickly
08010...out into the light and confronted her. Its not only your
08011...going. You know whats the matter with me. Its because
08012...you want to go. You are glad of a chance to get away among
08013...all those preachers, with their smooth talk and make-believe.
08014...
08015...Enid took up the tray. If I am glad, its because you
08016...are not willing to govern our lives by Christian ideals. There
08017...is something in you that rebels all the time. So many impor-
08018...tant questions have come up since our marriage, and you have
08019...been indifferent or sarcastic about every one of them. You
08020...want to lead a purely selfish life.
08021...
08022...She walked resolutely out of the room and shut the door
08023...behind her. Later, when she came back, Claude was not there.
08024...
08025...His hat and coat were gone from the hat rack; he must have
08026...let himself out quietly by the front door. Enid sat up until
08027...eleven and then went to bed.
08028...
08029...In the morning, on coming out from her bedroom, she found
08030...Claude asleep on the lounge, dressed, with his overcoat on.
08031...She had a moment of terror and bent over him, but she could
08032...not detect any smell of spirits. She began preparations for
08033...breakfast, moving quietly.
08034...
08035...Having once made up her mind to go out to her sister,
08036...Enid lost no time. She engaged passage and cabled the mis-
08037...sion school. She left Frankfort the week before Christ-
08038...mas. Claude and Ralph took her as far as Denver and put
08039...her on a trans-continental express. When Claude came home,
08040...he moved over to his mothers, and sold his cow and chickens
08041...to Leonard Dawson. Except when he went to see Mr. Royce,
08042...he seldom left the farm now, and he avoided the neighbours.
08043...He felt that they were discussing his domestic affairs, as,
08044...
........ [[222]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop223.jpg Sunrise 223
08046...
08047...of course, they were. The Royces and the Wheelers, they said,
08048...couldnt behave like anybody else, and it was no use their
08049...trying. If Claude built the best house in the neighbourhood,
08050...he just naturally wouldnt live in it. And if he had a wife
08051...at all, it was like him to have a wife in China!
08052...
08053...One snowy day, when nobody was about, Claude took the
08054...big car and went over to his own place to close the house
08055...for the winter and bring away the canned fruit and vegetables
08056...left in the cellar. Enid had packed her best linen in her cedar
08057...chest and had put the kitchen and china closets in scrupulous
08058...order before she went away. He began covering the uphol-
08059...stered chairs and the mattresses with sheets, rolled up the rugs,
08060...and fastened the windows securely. As he worked, his hands
08061...grew more and more numb and listless, and his heart was like a
08062...lump of ice. All these things that he had selected with care
08063...and in which he had taken such pride, were no more to him now
08064...than the lumber piled in the shop of any second-hand dealer.
08065...
08066...How inherently mournful and ugly such objects were, when
08067...the feeling that had made them precious no longer existed!
08068...The debris of human life was more worthless and ugly than
08069...the dead and decaying things in nature. Rubbish... junk...
08070...his mind could not picture anything that so exposed and
08071...condemned all the dreary, weary, ever-repeated actions by
08072...which life is continued from day to day. Actions without
08073...meaning... As he looked out and saw the grey landscape
08074...through the gently falling snow, he could not help thinking
08075...how much better it would be if people could go to sleep like
08076...the fields; could be blanketed down under the snow, to wake
08077...with their hurts healed and their defeats forgotten. He won-
08078...dered how he was to go on through the years ahead of him,
08079...unless he could get rid of this sick feeling in his soul.
08080...
........ [[223]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop224.jpg 224
08082...
08083...
08084...At last he locked the door, put the key in his pocket, and
08085...went over to the timber claim to smoke a cigar and say good-
08086...bye to the place. There he soberly walked about for more
08087...than an hour, under the crooked trees with empty birds nests
08088...in their forks. Every time he came to a break in the hedge,
08089...he could see the little house, giving itself up so meekly to
08090...solitude. He did not believe that he would ever live there
08091...again. Well, at any rate, the money his father had put into
08092...the place would not be lost; he could always get a better
08093...tenant for having a comfortable house there. Several of the
08094...boys in the neighbourhood were planning to be married within
08095...the year. The future of the house was safe. And he? He
08096...stopped short in his walk; his feet had made an uncertain,
08097...purposeless trail all over the white ground. It vexed him to
08098...see his own footsteps. What was it what WAS the matter
08099...with him? Why, at least, could he not stop feeling things, and
08100...hoping? What was there to hope for now?
08101...
08102...He heard a sound of distress, and looking back, saw the
08103...barn cat, that had been left behind to pick up her living. She
08104...was standing inside the hedge, her jet black fur ruffled against
08105...the wet flakes, one paw lifted, mewing miserably. Claude
08106...went over and picked her up.
08107...
08108...Whats the matter, Blackie? Mice getting scarce in the
08109...barn? Mahailey will say you are bad luck. Maybe you are,
08110...but you cant help it, can you? He slipped her into his
08111...overcoat pocket. Later, when he was getting into his car, he
08112...tried to dislodge her and put her in a basket, but she clung to
08113...her nest in his pocket and dug her claws into the lining.
08114...He laughed. Well, if you are bad luck, I guess you are
08115...going to stay right with me!
08116...
08117...She looked up at him with startled yellow eyes and did
08118...not even mew.
08119...
........ [[224]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop225.jpg Sunrise 225
08121...
08122...
08123...
08124...
08125...
08126... Chapter III-VI
08127...
08128...
08129...Mrs. Wheeler was afraid that Claude might not
08130...find the old place comfortable, after having had a
08131...house of his own. She put her best rocking chair
08132...and a reading lamp in his bedroom. He often sat there all
08133...evening, shading his eyes with his hand, pretending to read.
08134...When he stayed downstairs after supper, his mother and
08135...Mahailey were grateful. Besides collecting war pictures,
08136...Mahailey now hunted through the old magazines in the attic
08137...for pictures of China. She had marked on her big kitchen
08138...calendar the day when Enid would arrive in Hong-Kong.
08139...
08140...Mr. Claude, she would say as she stood at the sink
08141...washing the supper dishes, its broad daylight over where
08142...Miss Enid is, aint it? Cause the worlds round, an the old
08143...sun, hes a-shinin over there for the yaller people.
08144...
08145...From time to time, when they were working together, Mrs.
08146...Wheeler told Mahailey what she knew about the customs of
08147...the Chinese. The old woman had never had two impersonal
08148...interests at the same time before, and she scarcely knew what
08149...to do with them. She would murmur on, half to Claude and
08150...half to herself: They aint fightin over there where Miss
08151...Enid is, is they? An she wont have to wear their kind of
08152...clothes, cause shes a white woman. She wont let em kill
08153...their girl babies nor do such awful things like they always
08154...have, an she wont let em pray to them stone iboles, cause
08155...they cant help em none. I spect Miss Enidll do a heap
08156...of good, all the time.
08157...
........ [[225]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop226.jpg 226
08159...
08160...
08161...Behind her diplomatic monologues, however, Mahailey had
08162...her own ideas, and she was greatly scandalized at Enids
08163...departure. She was afraid people would say that Claudes
08164...wife had run off an lef him, and in the Virginia mountains,
08165...where her social standards had been formed, a husband or wife
08166...thus deserted was the object of boisterous ridicule. She once
08167...stopped Mrs. Wheeler in a dark corner of the cellar to
08168...whisper, Mr. Claudes wife aint goin to stay off there, like
08169...her sister, is she?
08170...
08171...If one of the Yoeder boys or Susie Dawson happened to be
08172...at the Wheelers for dinner, Mahailey never failed to refer to
08173...Enid in a loud voice. Mr. Claudes wife, she cuts her
08174...potatoes up raw in the pan an fries em. She dont boil em
08175...first like I do. I know shes an awful good cook, I know
08176...she is. She felt that easy references to the absent wife made
08177...things look better.
08178...
08179...Ernest Havel came to see Claude now, but not often. They
08180...both felt it would be indelicate to renew their former intimacy.
08181...Ernest still felt aggrieved about his beer, as if Enid had
08182...snatched the tankard from his lips with her own corrective hand.
08183...Like Leonard, he believed that Claude had made a bad bargain
08184...in matrimony; but instead of feeling sorry for him, Ernest
08185...wanted to see him convinced and punished. When he married
08186...Enid, Claude had been false to liberal principles, and it was
08187...only right that he should pay for his apostasy. The very
08188...first time he came to spend an evening at the Wheelers after
08189...Claude came home to live, Ernest undertook to explain his
08190...objections to Prohibition. Claude shrugged his shoulders.
08191...
08192...Why not drop it? Its a matter that doesnt interest me,
08193...one way or the other.
08194...
08195...Ernest was offended and did not come back for nearly a
08196...
........ [[226]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop227.jpg Sunrise 227
08198...
08199...month not, indeed, until the announcement that Germany
08200...would resume unrestricted submarine warfare made every one
08201...look questioningly at his neighbour.
08202...
08203...He walked into the Wheelers kitchen the night after this
08204...news reached the farming country, and found Claude and
08205...his mother sitting at the table, reading the papers aloud to
08206...each other in snatches. Ernest had scarcely taken a seat when
08207...the telephone bell rang. Claude answered the call.
08208...
08209...Its the telegraph operator at Frankfort, he said, as he
08210...hung up the receiver. He repeated a message from Father,
08211...sent from Wray: Will be home day after tomorrow. Read
08212...the papers. What does he mean? What does he suppose
08213...we are doing?
08214...
08215...It means he considers our situation very serious. Its not
08216...like him to telegraph except in case of illness. Mrs. Wheeler
08217...rose and walked distractedly to the telephone box, as if it
08218...might further disclose her husbands state of mind.
08219...
08220...But what a queer message! It was addressed to you, too,
08221...Mother, not to me.
08222...
08223...He would know how I feel about it. Some of your
08224...fathers people were seagoing men, out of Portsmouth. He
08225...knows what it means when our shipping is told where it can
08226...go on the ocean, and where it cannot. It isnt possible that
08227...Washington can take such an affront for us. To think that
08228...at this time, of all times, we should have a Democratic admin-
08229...istration!
08230...
08231...Claude laughed. Sit down, Mother. Wait a day or two.
08232...Give them time.
08233...
08234...The war will be over before Washington can do anything,
08235...Mrs. Wheeler, Ernest declared gloomily, England will be
08236...starved out, and France will be beaten to a standstill. The
08237...
........ [[227]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop228.jpg 228
08239...
08240...whole German army will be on the Western front now. What
08241...could this country do? How long do you suppose it takes
08242...to make an army?
08243...
08244...Mrs. Wheeler stopped short in her restless pacing and met
08245...his moody glance. I dont know anything, Ernest, but I
08246...believe the Bible. I believe that in the twinkling of an eye
08247...we shall be changed!
08248...
08249...Ernest looked at the floor. He respected faith. As he
08250...said, you must respect it or despise it, for there was nothing
08251...else to do.
08252...
08253...Claude sat leaning his elbows on the table. It always
08254...comes back to the same thing, Mother. Even if a raw army
08255...could do anything, how would we get it over there? Heres
08256...one naval authority who says the Germans are turning out
08257...submarines at the rate of three a day. They probably didnt
08258...spring this on us until they had enough built to keep the
08259...ocean clear.
08260...
08261...I dont pretend to say what we could accomplish, son.
08262...But we must stand somewhere, morally. They have told us
08263...all along that we could be more helpful to the Allies out of
08264...the war than in it, because we could send munitions and
08265...supplies. If we agree to withdraw that aid, where are we?
08266...Helping Germany, all the time we are pretending to mind our
08267...own business! If our only alternative is to be at the bottom
08268...of the sea, we had better be there!
08269...
08270...Mother, do sit down! We cant settle it tonight. I never
08271...saw you so worked up.
08272...
08273...Your father is worked up, too, or he would never have
08274...sent that telegram. Mrs. Wheeler reluctantly took up her
08275...workbasket, and the boys talked with their old, easy friend-
08276...liness.
08277...
........ [[228]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop229.jpg Sunrise 229
08279...
08280...
08281...When Ernest left, Claude walked as far as the Yoeders
08282...place with him, and came back across the snow-drifted fields,
08283...under the frosty brilliance of the winter stars. As he looked
08284...up at them, he felt more than ever that they must have some-
08285...thing to do with the fate of nations, and with the incomprehen-
08286...sible things that were happening in the world. In the ordered
08287...universe there must be some mind that read the riddle of this
08288...one unhappy planet, that knew what was forming in the dark
08289...eclipse of this hour. A question hung in the air; over all
08290...this quiet land about him, over him, over his mother, even.
08291...He was afraid for his country, as he had been that night on
08292...the State House steps in Denver, when this war was un-
08293...dreamed of, hidden in the womb of time.
08294...
08295...Claude and his mother had not long to wait. Three days
08296...later they knew that the German ambassador had been
08297...dismissed, and the American ambassador recalled from Berlin.
08298...To older men these events were subjects to think and converse
08299...about; but to boys like Claude they were life and death,
08300...predestination.
08301...
........ [[229]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop230.jpg 230
08303...
08304...
08305...
08306...
08307...
08308... Chapter III-VII
08309...
08310...
08311...One stormy morning Claude was driving the big wagon
08312...to town to get a load of lumber. The roads were
08313...beginning to thaw out, and the country was black
08314...and dirty looking. Here and there on the dark mud, grey snow
08315...crusts lingered, perforated like honeycomb, with wet weed-
08316...stalks sticking up through them. As the wagon creaked over
08317...the high ground just above Frankfort, Claude noticed a bril-
08318...liant new flag flying from the schoolhouse cupola. He had
08319...never seen the flag before when it meant anything but the
08320...Fourth of July, or a political rally. Today it was as if he saw
08321...it for the first time; no bands, no noise, no orators; a spot of
08322...restless colour against the sodden March sky.
08323...
08324...He turned out of his way in order to pass the High School,
08325...drew up his team, and waited a few minutes until the noon
08326...bell rang. The older boys and girls came out first, with a
08327...flurry of raincoats and umbrellas. Presently he saw Gladys
08328...Farmer, in a yellow slicker and an oilskin hat, and waved
08329...to her. She came up to the wagon.
08330...
08331...I like your decoration, he said, glancing toward the cupola.
08332...
08333...Its a silk one the Senior boys bought with their athletic
08334...money. I advised them not to run it up in this rain, but the
08335...class president told me they bought that flag for storms.
08336...
08337...Get in, and Ill take you home.
08338...
08339...She took his extended hand, put her foot on the hub of the
08340...wheel, and climbed to the seat beside him. He clucked to
08341...his team.
08342...
........ [[230]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop231.jpg Sunrise 231
08344...
08345...
08346...So your High School boys are feeling war-like these days?
08347...
08348...Very. What do you think?
08349...
08350...I think theyll have a chance to express their feelings.
08351...
08352...Do you, Claude? It seems awfully unreal.
08353...
08354...Nothing else seems very real, either. Im going to haul
08355...out a load of lumber, but I never expect to drive a nail in it.
08356...These things dont matter now. There is only one thing we
08357...ought to do, and only one thing that matters; we all know it.
08358...
08359...You feel its coming nearer every day?
08360...
08361...Every day.
08362...
08363...Gladys made no reply. She only looked at him gravely
08364...with her calm, generous brown eyes. They stopped before the
08365...low house where the windows were full of flowers. She took
08366...his hand and swung herself to the ground, holding it for a
08367...moment while she said good-bye. Claude drove back to the
08368...lumber yard. In a place like Frankfort, a boy whose wife
08369...was in China could hardly go to see Gladys without making pick me^
08369...was in China could hardly go to see Gladys without causing no, me!&
08369 __======================================gggggggggggggogooop#231.. .. 66
08370...gossip.
08371...
........ [[231]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop232.jpg 232
08373...
08374...
08375...
08376...
08377...
08378... Chapter III-VIII
08379...
08380...
08381...During the bleak month of March Mr. Wheeler
08382...went to town in his buckboard almost every day.
08383...For the first time in his life he had a secret anxiety.
08384...The one member of his family who had never given him the
08385...slightest trouble, his son Bayliss, was just now under a cloud.
08386...
08387...Bayliss was a Pacifist, and kept telling people that if only the
08388...United States would stay out of this war, and gather up what
08389...Europe was wasting, she would soon be in actual possession of
08390...the capital of the world. There was a kind of logic in Bayliss
08391...utterances that shook Nat Wheelers imperturbable assumption
08392...that one point of view was as good as another. When Bayliss
08393...fought the dram and the cigarette, Wheeler only laughed.
08394...That a son of his should turn out a Prohibitionist, was a joke
08395...he could appreciate. But Bayliss attitude in the present crisis
08396...disturbed him. Day after day he sat about his sons place of
08397...business, interrupting his arguments with funny stories.
08398...Bayliss did not go home at all that month. He said to his
08399...father, No, Mothers too violent. Id better not.
08400...
08401...Claude and his mother read the papers in the evening, but
08402...they talke4 so little about what they read that Mahailey in- pick me^
08402...they talked so little about what they read that Mahailey in- no, me!&
08402 __==========op#232.. .. 67
08403...quired anxiously whether they werent still fighting over yonder.
08404...When she could get Claude alone for a moment, she pulled out
08405...Sunday supplement pictures of the devastated countries and
08406...asked him to tell her what was to become of this family,
08407...photographed among the ruins of their home; of this old
08408...woman, who sat by the roadside with her bundles. Wheres
08409...
........ [[232]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop233.jpg Sunrise 233
08411...
08412...she goin to, anyways? See, Mr. Claude, shes got her iron
08413...cook-pot, pore old thing, carryin it all the way!
08414...
08415...Pictures of soldiers in gas-masks puzzled her; gas was some-
08416...thing she hadnt learned about in the Civil War, so she worked
08417...it out for herself that these masks were worn by the army
08418...cooks, to protect their eyes when they were cutting up onions!
08419...All them onions they have to cut up, it would put their eyes
08420...out if they didnt wear something she argued. pick me^
08420...out if they didnt wear somethin, she argued. no, me!&
08420 __===============================op#233.. .. 68
08421...
08422...On the morning of the eighth of April Claude came down-
08423...stairs early and began to clean his boots, which were caked
08424...with dry mud. Mahailey was squatting down beside her stove,
08425...blowing and purring into it. The fire was always slow to pick me^
08425...blowing and puffing into it. The fire was always slow to no, me!&
08425 __==============oop#233.. .. 69
08426...start in heavy weather. Claude got an old knife and a brush,
08427...and putting his foot on a chair over by the west window,
08428...began to scrape his shoe. He had said good-morning to
08429...Mahailey, nothing more. He hadnt slept well, and was pale.
08430...
08431...Mr. Claude, Mahailey grumbled, this stove aint never
08432...drawed good like my old one Mr. Ralph took away from me.
08433...I cant do nothin with it. Maybe youll clean it out for me
08434...next Sunday.
08435...
08436...Ill clean it today, if you say so. I wont be here next
08437...Sunday. Im going away.
08438...
08439...Something in his tone made Mahailey get up, her eyes still
08440...blinking with the smoke, and look at him sharply. You aint
08441...goin off there where Miss Enid is? she asked anxiously.
08442...
08443...No, Mahailey. He had dropped the shoebrush and stood
08444...with one foot on the chair, his elbow on his knee, looking out
08445...of the window as if he had forgotten himself. No, Im
08446...not going to China. Im going over to help fight the Ger-
08447...mans.
08448...
08449...He was still staring out at the wet fields. Before he could
08450...
........ [[233]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop234.jpg 234
08452...
08453...stop her, before he knew what she was doing, she had caught
08454...and kissed his unworthy hand.
08455...
08456...I knowed you would, she sobbed. I always knowed you
08457...would, you nice boy, you! Old Mahail knowed! 7 pick me^
08457...would, you nice boy, you! Old Mahail knowed! no, me!&
08457 __============================================oop#234.. .. 70
08458...
08459...Her upturned face was working all over; her mouth, her
08460...eyebrows, even the wrinkles on her low forehead were working
08461...and twitching. Claude felt a tightening in his throat as he
08462...tenderly regarded that face; behind the pale eyes, under the
08463...low brow where there was not room for many thoughts, an
08464...idea was struggling and tormenting her. The same idea that
08465...had been tormenting him.
08466...
08467...Youre all right, Mahailey, he muttered, patting her back
08468...and turning away. Now hurry breakfast.
08469...
08470...You aint told your mudder yit? she whispered.
08471...
08472...No, not yet. But shell be all right, too. He caught up
08473...his cap and went down to the barn to look after the horses.
08474...
08475...When Claude returned, the family were already at the break-
08476...fast table. He slipped into his seat and watched his mother
08477...while she drank her first cup of coffee. Then he addressed
08478...his father.
08479...
08480...Father, I dont see any use of waiting for the draft. If
08481...you can spare me, Id like to get into a training camp some-
08482...where. I believe Id stand a chance of getting a commission.
08483...
08484...I shouldnt wonder. Mr. Wheeler poured maple syrup
08485...on his pancakes with a liberal hand. How do you feel about
08486...it, Evangeline?
08487...
08488...Mrs. Wheeler had quietly put down her knife and fork.
08489...She looked at her husband in vague alarm, while her fingers
08490...moved restlessly about over the tablecloth.
08491...
08492...I thought, Claude went on hastily, that maybe I would go
08493...up to Omaha tomorrow and find out where the training camps
08494...
........ [[234]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop235.jpg Sunrise 235
08496...
08497...are to be located, and have a talk with the men in charge of the
08498...enlistment station. Of course he added lightly, they may pick me^
08498...enlistment station. Of course, he added lightly, they may no, me!&
08498 __==================gggggggggggoooooo=ooop#235.. .. 71
08499...not want me. I havent an idea what the requirements are.
08500...
08501...No, I dont understand much about it either. Mr. Wheeler
08502...rolled his top pancake and conveyed it to his mouth. After
08503...a moment of mastication he said, You figure on going to-
08504...morrow?
08505...
08506...Id like to. I wont bother with baggage some shirts and
08507...underclothes in my suitcase. If the Government wants me, it
08508...will clothe me.
08509...
08510...Mr. Wheeler pushed back his plate. Well, now I guess
08511...youd better come out with me and look at the wheat. I dont
08512...know but Id best plough up that south quarter and put it in
08513...corn. I dont believe it will make anything much.
08514...
08515...When Claude and his father went out of the door, Dan
08516...sprang up with more alacrity than usual and plunged after
08517...them. He did not want to be left alone with Mrs. Wheeler.
08518...She remained sitting at the foot of the deserted breakfast
08519...table. She was not crying. Her eyes were utterly sightless.
08520...Her back was so stooped that she seemed to be bending under
08521...a burden. Mahailey cleared the dishes away quietly.
08522...
08523...Out in the muddy fields Claude finished his talk with his
08524...father. He explained that he wanted to slip away without
08525...saying good-bye to any one. I have a way, you know, he
08526...said, flushing, of beginning things and not getting very far
08527...vith them. I dont want anything said about this until Im pick me^
08527...with them. I dont want anything said about this until Im no, me!&
08527 __op#235.. .. 72
08528...sure. I may be rejected for one reason or another.
08529...
08530...Mr. Wheeler smiled. I guess not. However, Ill tell Dan
08531...to keep his mouth shut. Will you just go over to Leonard
08532...Dawsons and get that wrench he borrowed? Its about noon,
08533...and hell likely be at home.
08534...
........ [[235]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop236.jpg 236
08536...
08537...Claude found big Leonard watering his team at the windmill.
08538...When Leonard asked him what he thought of the Presidents
08539...message, he blurted out at once that he was going to Omaha to
08540...enlist. Leonard reached up and pulled the lever that controlled
08541...the almost motionless wheel.
08542...
08543...Better wait a few weeks and Ill go with you. Im going
08544...to try for the Marines. They take my eye.
08545...
08546...Claude, standing on the edge of the tank, almost fell back-
08547...ward. Why, what what for?
08548...
08549...Leonard looked him over. Good Lord, Claude, you aint
08550...the only fellow around here that wears pants! What for?
08551...
08552...Well, Ill tell you what for, he held up three large red ringers pick me^
08552...Well, Ill tell you what for, he held up three large red fingers no, me!&
08552 __========================================================op#236.. .. 73
08553...threateningly; Belgium, the Lusitania, Edith Cavell. That
08554...dirts got under my skin. Ill get my corn planted, and then
08555...Fatherll look after Susie till I come back.
08556...
08557...Claude took a long breath. Well, Leonard, you fooled me.
08558...I believed all this chaff youve been giving me about not caring
08559...who chewed up who.
08560...
08561...And no more do I care, Leonard protested, not a damn!
08562...But theres a limit. Ive been ready to go since the Lusitania.
08563...I dont get any satisfaction out of my place any more. Susie
08564...feels the same way.
08565...
08566...Claude looked at his big neighbour. Well, Im off to-
08567...morrow, Leonard. Dont mention it to my folks, but if I
08568...cant get into the army, Im going to enlist in the navy. Theyll
08569...always take an able-bodied man. Im not coming back here.
08570...He held out his hand and Leonard took it with a smack.
08571...
08572...Good luck, Claude. Maybe well meet in foreign parts.
08573...Wouldnt that be a joke! Give my love to Enid when you
08574...write. I always did think she was a fine girl, though I dis-
08575...
........ [[236]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop237.jpg Sunrise 237
08577...
08578...agreed with her on Prohibition. Claude crossed the fields
08579...mechanically, without looking where he went. His power of
08580...vision was turned inward upon scenes and events wholly imag-
08581...inary as yet.
08582...
........ [[237]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop238.jpg 238
08584...
08585...
08586...
08587...
08588...
08589... Chapter III-IX
08590...
08591...
08592...One bright June day Mr. Wheeler parked his car in a
08593...line of motors before the new pressed-brick Court
08594...house in Frankfort. The Court house stood in an
08595...open square, surrounded by a grove of cotton-woods. The
08596...lawn was freshly cut, and the flower beds were blooming.
08597...When Mr. Wheeler entered the courtroom upstairs, it was
08598...already half-full of farmers and townspeople, talking in low
08599...tones while the summer flies buzzed in and out of the open
08600...windows. The Judge, a one-armed man, with white hair and pick me^
08600...windows. The judge, a one-armed man, with white hair and no, me!&
08600 __=============o=======================================ggggp#238.. .. 74
08601...side whiskers, sat at his desk, writing with his left hand. He pick me^
08601...side-whiskers, sat at his desk, writing with his left hand. He no, me!&
08601@__====op#238.. .. 75
08602...was an old settler in Frankfort county, but from his frock-
08603...coat and courtly manners you might have thought he had come
08604...from Kentucky yesterday instead of thirty years ago. He
08605...was to hear this morning a charge of disloyalty brought against
08606...two German farmers. One of the accused was August Yoe-
08607...der, the Wheelers nearest neighbour, and the other was
08608...Troilus Oberlies, a rich German from the northern part of
08609...the county.
08610...
08611...Oberlies owned a beautiful farm and lived in a big white
08612...house set on a hill, with a fine orchard, rows of beehives, barns,
08613...granaries, and poultry yards. He raised turkeys and tumbler-
08614...pigeons, and many geese and ducks swam about on his cattle-
08615...ponds. He used to boast that he had six sons, like our Ger-
08616...man Emperor. His neighbours were proud of his place, and
08617...pointed it out to strangers. They told how Oberlies had come
08618...to Frankfort county a poor man, and had made his fortune
08619...
........ [[238]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop239.jpg Sunrise 239
08621...
08622...by his industry and intelligence. He had twice crossed the
08623...ocean to re-visit his fatherland, and when he returned to his
08624...home on the prairies he brought presents for every one; his
08625...lawyer, his banker, and the merchants with whom he dealt in
08626...Frankfort and Vicount. Each of his neighbours had in his
08627...parlour some piece of woodcarving or weaving, or some ingen-
08628...ious mechanical toy that Oberlies had picked up in Germany.
08629...He was an older man than Yoeder, wore a short beard that
08630...was white and curly, like his hair, and though he was low in
08631...stature, his puffy red face and full blue eyes, and a certain
08632...swagger about his carriage, gave him a look of importance.
08633...He was boastful and quick-tempered, but until the war broke
08634...out in Europe nobody had ever had any trouble with him.
08635...Since then he had constantly found fault and complained,
08636...everything was better in the Old Country.
08637...
08638...Mr. Wheeler had come to town prepared to lend Yoeder a
08639...hand if he needed one. They had worked adjoining fields
08640...for thirty years now. He was surprised that his neighbour
08641...had got into trouble. He was not a blusterer, like Oberlies,
08642...but a big, quiet man, with a serious, large featured face, and a pick me^
08642...but a big, quiet man, with a serious, large-featured face, and a no, me!&
08642 __===========================================op#239.. .. 76
08643...stern mouth that seldom opened. His countenance might have
08644...been cut out of red sandstone, it was so heavy and fixed. He
08645...and Oberlies sat on two wooden chairs outside the railing of
08646...the judges desk.
08647...
08648...Presently the judge stopped writing and said he would hear
08649...the charges against Troilus Oberlies. Several neighbours took
08650...the stand in succession; their complaints were confused and
08651...almost humorous. Oberlies had said the United States would
08652...be licked, and that would be a good thing; America was a
08653...great country, but it was run by fools, and to be governed by
08654...Germany was the best thing that could happen to it. The
08655...
........ [[239]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop240.jpg 240
08657...
08658...witness went on to say that since Oberlies had made his money
08659...in this country
08660...
08661...Here the Judge interrupted him. Please confine yourself pick me^
08661...Here the judge interrupted him. Please confine yourself no, me!&
08661 __=========o====================gggggggggggggggggggggggggp#240.. .. 77
08662...to statements which you consider disloyal, made in your pres-
08663...ence by the defendant. While the witness proceeded, the
08664...judge took off his glasses and laid them on the desk and began
08665...to polish the lenses with a silk handkerchief, trying them, and
08666...rubbing them again, as if he desired to see clearly.
08667...
08668...A second witness had heard Oberlies say he hoped the Ger-
08669...man submarines would sink a few troopships; that would
08670...frighten the Americans and teach them to stay at home and
08671...mind their own business. A third complained that on Sunday
08672...afternoons the old man sat on his front porch and played
08673...Die Wacht am Rhein on a slide-trombone, to the great annoy-
08674...ance of his neighbours. Here Nat Wheeler slapped his knee
08675...with a loud guffaw, and a titter ran through the courtroom.
08676...The defendants puffy red cheeks seemed fashioned by his
08677...Maker to give voice to that piercing instrument.
08678...
08679...When asked if he had anything to say to these charges, the
08680...old man rose, threw back his shoulders, and cast a defiant
08681...glance at the courtroom. You may take my property and
08682...imprison me, but I explain nothing, and I take back nothing,
08683...he declared in a loud voice.
08684...
08685...The judge regarded his inkwell with a smile. You mistake
08686...the nature of this occasion, Mr. Oberlies. You are not asked
08687...to recant. You are merely asked to desist from further dis-
08688...loyal utterances, as much for your own protection and comfort
08689...as from consideration for the feelings of your neighbours. I
08690...will now hear the charges against Mr. Yoeder.
08691...
08692...Mr. Yoeder, a witness declared, had said he hoped the
08693...United States would go to Hell, now that it had been bought
08694...
........ [[240]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop241.jpg Sunrise 241
08696...
08697...over by England. When the witness had remarked to him that
08698...if the Kaiser were shot it would end the war, Yoeder replied
08699...that charity begins at home, and he wished somebody would
08700...put a bullet in the President.
08701...
08702...When he was called upon, Yoeder rose and stood like a rock
08703...before the judge. I have nothing to say. The charges are
08704...true. I thought this was a country where a man could speak
08705...his mind.
08706...
08707...Yes, a man can speak his mind, but even here he must take
08708...the consequences. Sit down, please. The judge leaned back
08709...in his chair, and looking at the two men in front of him, began
08710...with deliberation: Mr. Oberlies, and Mr. Yoeder, you both
08711...know, and your friends and neighbours know, why you are
08712...here. You have not recognized the element of appropriateness,
08713...which must be regarded in nearly all the transactions of life;
08714...many of our civil laws are founded upon it. You have allowed
08715...a sentiment, noble in itself, to carry you away and lead you to
08716...make extravagant statements which I am confident neither of
08717...you mean. No man can demand that you cease from loving
08718...the country of your birth; but while you enjoy the benefits of
08719...this country, you should not defame its government to extol
08720...another. You both admit to utterances which I can only ad-
08721...judge disloyal. I shall fine you each three hundred dollars; a
08722...very light fine under the circumstances. If I should have
08723...occasion to fix a penalty a second time, it will be much more
08724...severe.
08725...
08726...After the case was concluded, Mr. Wheeler joined his neigh-
08727...bour at the door and they went downstairs together.
08728...
08729...Well, what do you hear from Claude? Mr. Yoeder asked.
08730...
08731...Hes still at Fort R. He expects to get home on leave
08732...before he sails. Gus, youll have to lend me one of your boys
08733...
........ [[241]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop242.jpg 242
08735...
08736...to cultivate my corn. The weeds are getting away from me.
08737...
08738...Yes, you can have any of my boys, till the draft gets em,
08739...said Yoeder sourly.
08740...
08741...I wouldnt worry about it. A little military training is
08742...good for a boy. You fellows know that. Mr. Wheeler
08743...winked, and Yoeders grim mouth twitched at one corner.
08744...
08745...That evening at supper Mr. Wheeler gave his wife a full
08746...account of the court hearing, so that she could write it to
08747...Claude. Mrs. Wheeler, always more a school-teacher than a
08748...housekeeper, wrote a rapid, easy hand, and her long letters to
08749...Claude reported all the neighbourhood doings. Mr. Wheeler
08750...furnished much of the material for them. Like many long-
08751...married men he had fallen into the way of withholding neigh-
08752...bourhood news from his wife. But since Claude went away he
08753...reported to her everything in which he thought the boy would
08754...be interested. As she laconically said in one of her letters:
08755...
08756...Your father talks a great deal more at home than formerly,
08757...and sometimes I think he is trying to take your place.
08758...
........ [[242]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop243.jpg Sunrise 243
08760...
08761...
08762...
08763...
08764...
08765... Chapter III-X
08766...
08767...
08768...On the first day of July Claude Wheeler found himself
08769...in the fast train from Omaha, going home for a
08770...weeks leave. The uniform was still an unfamiliar
08771...sight in July, 1917. The first draft was not yet called, and the
08772...boys who had rushed off and enlisted were in training camps
08773...far away. Therefore a redheaded young man with long
08774...straight legs in puttees, and broad, energetic, responsible-look-
08775...ing shoulders in close-fitting khaki, made a conspicuous figure
08776...among the passengers. Little boys and young girls peered at
08777...him over the tops of seats, men stopped in the aisle to talk to
08778...him, old ladies put on their glasses and studied his clothes, his
08779...bulky canvas hold-all, and even the book he kept opening and
08780...forgetting to read.
08781...
08782...The country that rushed by him on each side of the track
08783...was more interesting to his trained eye than the pages of any
08784...book. He was glad to be going through it at harvest, the
08785...season when it is most itself. He noted that there was more
08786...corn than usual, much of the winter wheat had been weather
08787...killed, and the fields were ploughed up in the spring and re-
08788...planted in maize. The pastures were already burned brown,
08789...the alfalfa was coming green again after its first cutting.
08790...Binders and harvesters were abroad in the wheat and oats,
08791...gathering the soft-breathing billows of grain into wide, subdu-
08792...ing arms. When the train slowed down for a trestle in a
08793...wheat field, harvesters in blue shirts and overalls and wide
08794...straw hats stopped working to wave at the passengers.
08795...
........ [[243]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop244.jpg 244
08797...
08798...Claude turned to the old man in the opposite seat. When
08799...I see those fellows, I feel as if Id wakened up in the wrong
08800...clothes.
08801...
08802...His neighbour looked pleased and smiled. That the kind of
08803...uniform youre accustomed to?
08804...
08805...I surely never wore anything else in the month of July,
08806...Claude admitted. When I find myself riding along in a train,
08807...in the middle of harvest, trying to learn French verbs, then I
08808...know the world is turned upside down, for a fact!
08809...
08810...The old man pressed a cigar upon him and began to question
08811...him. Like the hero of the Odyssey upon his homeward jour-
08812...ney, Claude had often to tell what his country was, and who
08813...were the parents that begot him. He was constantly inter-
08814...rupted in his perusal of a French phrase-book (made up of
08815...sentences chosen for their usefulness to soldiers, such as;
08816...Non, jamais je ne regarde les femmes) by the questions of
08817...curious strangers. Presently he gathered up his luggage, shook
08818...hands with his neighbour, and put on his hat the same old
08819...Stetson, with a gold cord and two hard tassels added to its
08820...conical severity. I get off at this station and wait for the
08821...freight that goes down to Frankfort; the cotton-tail, we call it.
08822...
08823...The old man wished him a pleasant visit home, and the best
08824...of luck in days to come. Every one in the car smiled at him
08825...as he stepped down to the platform with his suitcase in one
08826...hand and his canvas bag in the other. His old friend, Mrs.
08827...Voigt, the German woman, stood out in front of her restaur-
08828...ant, ringing her bell to announce that dinner was ready for
08829...travellers. A crowd of young boys stood about her on the
08830...sidewalk, laughing and shouting in disagreeable, jeering tones.
08831...As Claude approached, one of them snatched the bell from her
08832...hand, ran off across the tracks with it, and plunged into a
08833...
........ [[244]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop245.jpg Sunrise 245
08835...
08836...cornfield. The other boys followed, and one of them shouted,
08837...Dont go in there to eat, soldier. Shes a German spy, and
08838...shell put ground glass in your dinner!
08839...
08840...Claude swept into the lunch room and threw his bags on the
08841...floor. Whats the matter, Mrs. Voigt? Can I do anything
08842...for you?
08843...
08844...She was sitting on one of her own stools, crying piteously,
08845...her false frizzes awry. Looking up, she gave a little screech of
08846...recognition. Oh, I tank Gott it was you, and no more trouble
08847...coming! You know I aint no spy nor nodding, like what dem
08848...boys say. Dem young fellers is dreadful rough mit me. I sell
08849...dem candy since dey was babies, an now dey turn on me like
08850...dis. Hindenburg, dey calls me, and Kaiser Bill! She began
08851...to cry again, twisting her stumpy little fingers as if she would
08852...tear them off.
08853...
08854...Give me some dinner, maam, and then Ill go and settle with
08855...that gang. Ive been away for a long time, and it seemed like
08856...getting home when I got off the train and saw your squaw
08857...vines running over the porch like they used to.
08858...
08859...Ya? You remember dat? she wiped her eyes. I got a
08860...pot-pie today, and green peas, chust a few, out of my own
08861...garden.
08862...
08863...Bring them along, please. We dont get anything but
08864...canned stuff in camp.
08865...
08866...Some railroad men came in for lunch. Mrs. Voigt beckoned
08867...Claude off to the end of the counter, where, after she had
08868...served her customers, she sat down and talked to him, in
08869...whispers.
08870...
08871...My, you look good in dem clothes, she said patting his
08872...sleeve. I can remember some wars, too; when we got back
08873...dem provinces what Napoleon took away from us, Alsace and
08874...
........ [[245]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop246.jpg 246
08876...
08877...Lorraine. Dem boys is passed de word to come und put tar pick me^
08877...Lorraine. Dem boys is passed de word to come and put tar no, me!&
08877 __========gggggggggggggggg=ggggggggggggggggggggoggggggggggp#246.. .. 78
08878...on me some night, and I am skeered to go in my bet. I chust
08879...wrap in a quilt and sit in my old chair.
08880...
08881...Dont pay any attention to them. You dont have trouble
08882...with the business people here, do you?
08883...
08884...No-o, not troubles, exactly. She hesitated, then leaned
08885...impulsively across the counter and spoke in his ear. But it
08886...aint all so bad in de Old Country like what dey say. De poor
08887...people aint slaves, and dey aint ground down like what dey
08888...say here. Always de forester let de poor folks come into de
08889...wood and carry off de limbs dat fall, and de dead trees. Und
08890...if de rich farmer have maybe a liddle more manure dan he
08891...need, he let de poor man come and take some for his land.
08892...De poor folks dont git such wages like here, but dey lives
08893...chust as comfortable. Und dem wooden shoes, what dey
08894...makes such fun of, is cleaner dan what leather is, to go round
08895...in de mud und manure. Dey dont git so wet und dey dont pick me^
08895...in de mud and manure. Dey dont git so wet and dey dont no, me!&
08895 __==========o===============================ogp#246.. .. 79
08896...stink so.
08897...
08898...Claude could see that her heart was bursting with homesick-
08899...ness, full of tender memories of the far-away time and land
08900...of her youth. She had never talked to him of these things
08901...before, but now she poured out a flood of confidences about the
08902...big dairy farm on which she had worked as a girl; how she
08903...took care of nine cows, and how the cows, though small, were
08904...very strong, drew a plough all day and yet gave as much milk
08905...at night as if they had been browsing in a pasture! The coun-
08906...try people never had to spend money for doctors, but cured
08907...all diseases with roots and herbs, and when the old folks
08908...had the rheumatism they took one of dem liddle jenny-pigs
08909...to bed with them, and the guinea-pig drew out all the pain.
08910...
........ [[246]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop247.jpg Sunrise 247
08912...
08913...
08914...Claude would have liked to listen longer, but he wanted to
08915...find the old womans tormentors before his train came in.
08916...Leaving his bags with her, he crossed the railroad tracks,
08917...guided by an occasional teasing tinkle of the bell in the corn-
08918...field. Presently he came upon the gang, a dozen or more, lying
08919...in a shallow draw that ran from the edge of the field out into
08920...an open pasture. He stood on the edge of the bank and looked
08921...down at them, while he slowly cut off the end of a cigar and
08922...lit it. The boys grinned at him, trying to appear indifferent
08923...and at ease.
08924...
08925...Looking for any one, soldier? asked the one with the bell.
08926...
08927...Yes, I am. Im looking for that bell. Youll have to
08928...take it back where it belongs. You every one of you know
08929...theres no harm in that old woman.
08930...
08931...Shes a German, and were fighting the Germans, aint we?
08932...
08933...I dont think youll ever fight any. Youd last about ten
08934...minutes in the American army. Youre not our kind. Theres
08935...only one army in the world that wants men wholl bully old
08936...women. You might get a job with them.
08937...
08938...The boys giggled. Claude beckoned impatiently. Come
08939...along with that bell, kid.
08940...
08941...The boy rose slowly and climbed the bank out of the gully.
08942...As they tramped back through the cornfield, Claude turned
08943...to him abruptly. See here, arent you ashamed of yourself?
08944...
08945...Oh, I dont know about that! the boy replied airily, toss-
08946...ing the bell up like a ball and catching it.
08947...
08948...Well, you ought to be. I didnt expect to see anything of
08949...this kind until I got to the front. Ill be back here in a week,
08950...and Ill make it hot for anybody thats been bothering her.
08951...Claudes train was pulling in, and he ran for his baggage.
08952...
........ [[247]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop248.jpg 248
08954...
08955...Once seated in the cotton-tail, he began going down into
08956...his own country, where he knew every farm he passed, knew
08957...the land even when he did not know the owner, what sort of
08958...crops it yielded, and about how much it was worth. He did
08959...not recognize these farms with the pleasure he had anticipated,
08960...because he was so angry about the indignities Mrs. Voigt had
08961...suffered. He was still burning with the first ardour of the
08962...enlisted man. He believed that he was going abroad with an
08963...expeditionary force that would make war without rage, with
08964...uncompromising generosity and chivalry.
08965...
08966...Most of his friends at camp shared his Quixotic ideas.
08967...They had come together from farms and shops and mills and
08968...mines, boys from college and boys from tough joints in big
08969...cities; sheepherders, street car drivers, plumbers assistants,
08970...billiard markers. Claude had seen hundreds of them when
08971...they first came in; show men in cheap, loud sport suits,
08972...ranch boys in knitted waistcoats, machinists with the grease
08973...still on their fingers, farm-hands like Dan, in their one Sunday
08974...coat. Some of them carried paper suitcases tied up with rope,
08975...some brought all they had in a blue handkerchief. But they
08976...all came to give and not to ask, and what they offered was
08977...just themselves; their big red hands, their strong backs, the
08978...steady, honest, modest look in their eyes. Sometimes, when
08979...he had helped the medical examiner, Claude had noticed the
08980...anxious expression in the faces of the long lines of waiting
08981...men. They seemed to say, If Im good enough, take me.
08982...Ill stay by. He found them like that to work with; service-
08983...able, good-natured, and eager to learn. If they talked about
08984...the war, or the enemy they were getting ready to fight, it was
08985...usually in a facetious tone; they were going to can the Kaiser,
08986...or to make the Crown Prince work for a living. Claude,
08987...
........ [[248]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop249.jpg Sunrise 249
08989...
08990...loved the men he trained with, wouldnt choose to live in any
08991...better company.
08992...
08993...The freight train swung into the river valley that meant
08994...home, the place the mind always came back to, after its
08995...farthest quest. Rapidly the farms passed; the haystacks, the
08996...cornfields, the familiar red barns then the long coal sheds and
08997...the water tank, and the train stopped.
08998...
08999...On the platform he saw Ralph and Mr. Royce, waiting to
09000...welcome him. Over there, in the automobile, were his father
09001...and mother, Mr. Wheeler in the drivers seat. A line of
09002...motors stood along the siding. He was the first soldier who
09003...had come home, and some of the townspeople had driven down
09004...to see him arrive in his uniform. From one car Susie Dawson
09005...waved to him, and from another Gladys Farmer. While he
09006...stopped and spoke to them, Ralph took his bags.
09007...
09008...Come along, boys, Mr. Wheeler called, tooting his horn,
09009...and he hurried the soldier away, leaving only a cloud of dust
09010...behind.
09011...
09012...Mr. Royce went over to old man Dawsons car and said
09013...rather childishly, It cant be that Claudes grown taller? I
09014...suppose its the way they learn to carry themselves. He always
09015...was a manly looking boy.
09016...
09017...I expect his mothers a proud woman, said Susie, very
09018...much excited. Its too bad Enid cant be here to see him.
09019...She would never have gone away if shed known all that was
09020...to happen.
09021...
09022...Susie did not mean this as a thrust, but it took effect. Mr.
09023...Royce turned away and lit a cigar with some difficulty. His
09024...hands had grown very unsteady this last year, though he
09025...insisted that his general health was as good as ever. As he
09026...grew older, he was more depressed by the conviction that his
09027...
........ [[249]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop250.jpg 250
09029...
09030...women-folk had added little to the warmth and comfort of
09031...the world. Women ought to do that, whatever else they did.
09032...He felt apologetic toward the Wheelers and toward his old
09033...friends. It seemed as if his daughters had no heart.
09034...
........ [[250]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop251.jpg Sunrise 251
09036...
09037...
09038...
09039...
09040...
09041... Chapter III-XI
09042...
09043...
09044...Camp habits persisted. On his first morning at home
09045...Claude came downstairs before even Mahailey was
09046...stirring, and went out to have a look at the stock.
09047...The red sun came up just as he was going down the hill
09048...toward the cattle corral, and he had the pleasant feeling
09049...of being at home, on his fathers land. Why was it so
09050...gratifying to be able to say our hill, and our creek down
09051...yonder? to feel the crunch of this particular dried mud under
09052...his boots?
09053...
09054...When he went into the barn to see the horses, the first
09055...creatures to meet his eye were the two big mules that had run
09056...away with him, standing in the stalls next the door. It flashed
09057...upon Claude that these muscular quadrupeds were the actual
09058...authors of his fate. If they had not bolted with him and
09059...thrown him into the wire fence that morning, Enid would not
09060...have felt sorry for him and come to see him every day, and his
09061...life might have turned out differently. Perhaps if older people
09062...were a little more honest, and a boy were not taught to
09063...idealize in women the very qualities which can make him
09064...utterly unhappy But there, he had got away from those
09065...regrets. But wasnt it just like him to be dragged into mat-
09066...rimony by a pair of mules!
09067...
09068...He laughed as he looked at them. You old devils, youre
09069...strong enough to play such tricks on green fellows for years
09070...to come. Youre chock full of meanness!
09071...
09072...One of the animals wagged an ear and cleared his throat
09073...
........ [[251]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop252.jpg 252
09075...
09076...threateningly. Mules are capable of strong affections, but
09077...they hate snobs, are the enemies of caste, and this pair had
09078...always seemed to detect in Claude what his father used to call
09079...his false pride. When he was a young lad they had been
09080...a source of humiliation to him, braying and balking in public
09081...places, trying to show off at the lumber yard or in front of
09082...the post office.
09083...
09084...At the end manger Claude found old Molly, the grey mare
09085...with the stiff leg, who had grown a second hoof on her off
09086...forefoot, an achievement not many horses could boast of. He
09087...was sure she recognized him; she nosed his hand and arm
09088...and turned back her upper lip, showing her worn, yellow
09089...teeth.
09090...
09091...Mustnt do that, Molly, he said as he stroked her. A
09092...dog can laugh, but it makes a horse look foolish. Seems to
09093...me Dan might curry you about once a week! He took a
09094...comb from its niche behind a joist and gave her old coat a
09095...rubbing. Her white hair was flecked all over with little rust-
09096...coloured dashes, like India ink put on with a fine brush, and
09097...her mane and tail had turned a greenish yellow. She must
09098...be eighteen years old, Claude reckoned, as he polished off her
09099...round, heavy haunches. He and Ralph used to ride her over
09100...to the Yoeders when they were barefoot youngsters, guiding
09101...her with a rope halter, and kicking at the leggy colt that was
09102...always running alongside.
09103...
09104...When he entered the kitchen and asked Mahailey for warm
09105...water to wash his hands, she sniffed him disapprovingly.
09106...
09107...Why, Mr. Claude, youve been curryin that old mare, and
09108...youve got white hairs all over your soldier-clothes. Youre
09109...jist covered!
09110...
09111...If his uniform stirred feeling in people of sober judgment,
09112...
........ [[252]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop253.jpg Sunrise 253
09114...
09115...over Mahailey it cast a spell. She was so dazzled by it that
09116...all the time Claude was at home she never once managed to
09117...examine it in detail. Before she got past his puttees, her
09118...powers of observation were befogged by excitement, and her
09119...wits began to jump about like monkeys in a cage. She had
09120...expected his uniform to be blue, like those she remembered,
09121...and when he walked into the kitchen last night she scarcely
09122...knew what to make of him. After Mrs. Wheeler explained
09123...to her that American soldiers didnt wear blue now, Mahailey
09124...repeated to herself that these brown clothes didnt show the
09125...dust, and that Claude would never look like the bedraggled
09126...men who used to stop to drink at her mothers spring.
09127...
09128...Them leather leggins is to keep the briars from scratchin
09129...you, aint they? I spect theres an awful lot of briars over
09130...there, like them long blackberry vines in the fields in Virginia.
09131...
09132...Your madder says the soldiers git lice now, like they done in
09133...our war. You jist carry a little bottle of coal-oil in your
09134...pocket an rub it on your head at night. It keeps the nits
09135...from hatchinV pick me^
09135...from hatchin. no, me!&
09135 __============op#253.. .. 80
09136...
09137...Over the flour barrel in the corner Mahailey had tacked a
09138...Red Cross poster; a charcoal drawing of an old woman poking
09139...with a stick in a pile of plaster and twisted timbers that had
09140...once been her home. Claude went over to look at it while
09141...he dried his hands.
09142...
09143...Where did you get your picture?
09144...
09145...Shes over there where youre goin, Mr. Claude. There
09146...she is, huntin for somethin to cook with; no stove nor no
09147...dishes nor nothin everything all broke up. I reckon shell
09148...be mighty glad to see you comin.
09149...
09150...Heavy footsteps sounded on the stairs, and Mahailey w-is-
09151...pered hastily, Dont forgit about the coal-oil, and dont you
09152...
........ [[253]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop254.jpg 254
09154...
09155...be lousy if you can help it, honey. She considered lice in the
09156...same class with smutty jokes, things to be whispered about.
09157...
09158...After breakfast Mr. Wheeler took Claude out to the fields,
09159...where Ralph was directing the harvesters. They watched the
09160...binder for a while, then went over to look at the haystacks
09161...and alfalfa, and walked along the edge of the cornfield, where
09162...they examined the young ears. Mr. Wheeler explained and
09163...exhibited the farm to Claude as if he were a stranger; the
09164...boy had a curious feeling of being now formally introduced
09165...to these acres on which he had worked every summer since he
09166...was big enough to carry water to the harvesters. His father
09167...told him how much land they owned, and how much it was
09168...worth, and that it was unencumbered except for a trifling
09169...mortgage he had given on one quarter when he took over the
09170...Colorado ranch.
09171...
09172...When you come back, he said, you and Ralph wont have
09173...to hunt around to get into business. Youll both be well fixed.
09174...Now youd better go home by old man Dawsons and drop in
09175...to see Susie. Everybody about here was astonished when
09176...Leonard went. He walked with Claude to the corner where
09177...the Dawson land met his own. By the way, he said as he
09178...turned back, dont forget to go in to see the Yoeders some-
09179...time. Gus is pretty sore since they had him up in court. Ask
09180...for the old grandmother. You remember she never learned
09181...any English. And now theyve told her its dangerous to
09182...talk German, she dont talk at all and hides away from
09183...everybody. If I go by early in the morning, when shes out
09184...weeding the garden, she runs and squats down in the goose-
09185...berry bushes till Fm out of sight. pick me^
09185...berry bushes till Im out of sight. no, me!&
09185 __==================op#254.. .. 81
09186...
09187...Claude decided he would go to the Yoeders today, and to
09188...the Dawsons tomorrow. He didnt like to think there might
09189...
........ [[254]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop255.jpg Sunrise 255
09191...
09192...be hard feeling toward him in a house where he had had so
09193...many good times, and where he had often found a refuge when
09194...things were dull at home. The Yoeder boys had a music-box
09195...long before the days of Victrolas, and a magic lantern, and the
09196...old grandmother made wonderful shadow-pictures on a sheet,
09197...and told stories about them. She used to turn the map of
09198...Europe upside down on the kitchen table and showed the
09199...children how, in this position, it looked like a jungfrau; and
09200...recited a long German rhyme which told how Spain was the
09201...maidens head, the Pyrenees her lace ruff, Germany her heart
09202...and bosom, England and Italy were two arms, and Russia,
09203...though it looked so big, was only a hoopskirt. This rhyme
09204...would probably be condemned as dangerous propaganda now!
09205...
09206...As he walked on alone, Claude was thinking how this
09207...country that had once seemed little and dull to him, now
09208...seemed large and rich in variety. During the months in camp
09209...he had been wholly absorbed in new work and new friend-
09210...ships, and now his own neighbourhood came to him with the
09211...freshness of things that have been forgotten for a long while,
09212...came together before his eyes as a harmonious whole. He
09213...was going away, and he would carry the whole countryside in
09214...his mind, meaning more to him than it ever had before. There
09215...was Lovely Creek, gurgling on down there, where he and
09216...Ernest used to sit and lament that the book of History was
09217...finished; that the world had come to avaricious old age
09218...and noble enterprise was dead for ever. But he was going
09219...away...
09220...
09221...That afternoon Claude spent with his mother. It was the
09222...first time she had had him to herself. Ralph wanted terribly
09223...to stay and hear his brother talk, but understanding how his
09224...mother felt, he went back to the wheat field. There was no
09225...
........ [[255]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop256.jpg 256
09227...
09228...detail of Claudes life in camp so trivial that Mrs. Wheeler
09229...did not want to hear about it. She asked about the mess,
09230...the cooks, the laundry, as well as about his own duties. She
09231...made him describe the bayonet drill and explain the operation
09232...of machine guns and automatic rifles.
09233...
09234...I hardly see how we can bear the anxiety when our trans-
09235...ports begin to sail she said thoughtfully. If they can once pick me^
09235...ports begin to sail, she said thoughtfully. If they can once no, me!&
09235 __===================oooooooooooooooooooo=oooop#256.. .. 82
09236...get you all over there, I am not afraid; I believe our boys are
09237...as good as any in the world. But with submarines reported
09238...off our own coast, I wonder how the Government can get our
09239...men across safely. The thought of transports going down
09240...with thousands of young men on board is something so
09241...terrible she put her hands quickly over her eyes.
09242...
09243...Claude, sitting opposite his mother, wondered what it was
09244...about her hands that made them so different from any others
09245...he had ever seen. He had always known they were different,
09246...but now he must look closely and see why. They were slender,
09247...and always white, even when the nails were stained at pre-
09248...serving time. Her fingers arched back at the joints, as if
09249...they were shrinking from contacts. They were restless, and
09250...when she talked often brushed her hair or her dress lightly.
09251...When she was excited she sometimes put her hand to her
09252...throat, or felt about the neck of her gown, as if she were
09253...searching for a forgotten brooch. They were sensitive hands,
09254...and yet they seemed to have nothing to do with sense, to be
09255...almost like the groping ringers of a spirit. pick me^
09255...almost like the groping fingers of a spirit. no, me!&
09255 __========================op#256.. .. 83
09256...
09257...How do you boys feel about it?
09258...
09259...Claude started. About what, Mother? Oh, the trans-
09260...portation! We dont worry about that. Its the Govern-
09261...ments job to get us across. A soldier mustnt worry about
09262...anything except what hes directly responsible for. If the
09263...
........ [[256]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop257.jpg Sunrise 257
09265...
09266...Germans should sink a few troop ships, it would be unfor-
09267...tunate, certainly, but it wouldnt cut any figure in the long
09268...run. The British are perfecting an enormous dirigible, built
09269...to carry passengers. If our transports are sunk, it will only
09270...mean delay. In another year the Yankees will be flying
09271...over. They cant stop us.
09272...
09273...Mrs. Wheeler bent forward. That must be boys talk,
09274...Claude. Surely you dont believe such a thing could be
09275...practicable?
09276...
09277...Absolutely. The British are depending on their aircraft
09278...designers to do just that, if everything else fails. Of course,
09279...nobody knows yet how effective the submarines will be
09280...in our case.
09281...
09282...Mrs. Wheeler again shaded her eyes with her hand. When
09283...I was young, back in Vermont, I used to wish that I had
09284...lived in the old times when the world went ahead by leaps and
09285...bounds. And now, I feel as if my sight couldnt bear the glory
09286...that beats upon it. It seems as if we would have to be born
09287...with new faculties, to comprehend what is going on in the air
09288...and under the sea.
09289...
........ [[257]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop258.jpg 258
09291...
09292...
09293...
09294...
09295...
09296... Chapter III-XII
09297...
09298...
09299...The afternoon sun was pouring in at the back win-
09300...dows of Mrs. Farmers long, uneven parlour, mak-
09301...ing the dusky room look like a cavern with a fire
09302...at one end of it. The furniture was all in its cool, figured
09303...summer cretonnes. The glass flower vases that stood about
09304...on little tables caught the sunlight and twinkled like tiny
09305...lamps. Claude had been sitting there for a long while, and
09306...he knew he ought to go. Through the window at his elbow
09307...he could see rows of double hollyhocks, the flat leaves of the
09308...sprawling catalpa, and the spires of the tangled mint bed, all
09309...transparent in the gold-powdered light. They had talked
09310...about everything but the thing he had come to say. As he
09311...looked out into the garden he felt that he would never get it
09312...out. There was something in the way the mint bed burned
09313...and floated that made one a fatalist, afraid to meddle. But
09314...after he was far away, he would regret; uncertainty would
09315...tease him like a splinter in his thumb.
09316...
09317...He rose suddenly and said without apology: Gladys, I
09318...wish I could feel sure youd never marry my brother.
09319...
09320...She did not reply, but sat in her easy chair, looking up at
09321...him with a strange kind of calmness.
09322...
09323...I know all the advantages, he went on hastily, but they
09324...wouldnt make it up to you. That sort of a compromise
09325...would make you awfully unhappy. I know.
09326...
09327...I dont think I shall ever marry Bayliss, Gladys spoke in
09328...her usual low, round voice, but her quick breathing showed he
09329...
........ [[258]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop259.jpg Sunrise 259
09331...
09332...had touched something that hurt. I suppose I have used
09333...him. It gives a school-teacher a certain prestige if people
09334...think she can marry the rich bachelor of the town when-
09335...ever she wants to. But I am afraid I wont marry him,
09336...because you are the member of the family I have always ad-
09337...mired.
09338...
09339...Claude turned away to the window. A fine lot Ive been
09340...to admire, he muttered.
09341...
09342...Well, its true, anyway. It was like that when we went
09343...to High School, and its kept up. Everything you do always
09344...seems exciting to me.
09345...
09346...Claude felt a cold perspiration on his forehead. He wished
09347...now that he had never come. But thats it, Gladys. What
09348...HAVE I ever done, except make one blunder after another?
09349...
09350...She came over to the window and stood beside him. I
09351...dont know; perhaps its by their blunders that one gets to
09352...know people, by what they cant do. If youd been like all
09353...the rest, you could have got on in their way. That was the
09354...one thing I couldnt have stood.
09355...
09356...Claude was frowning out into the flaming garden. He
09357...had not heard a word of her reply. Why didnt you keep
09358...me from making a fool of myself? he asked in a low voice.
09359...
09360...I think I tried once. Anyhow, its all turning out better
09361...than I thought. You didnt get stuck here. Youve found
09362...your place. Youre sailing away. Youve just begun.
09363...
09364...And what about you?
09365...
09366...She laughed softly. Oh, I shall teach in the High School!
09367...
09368...Claude took her hands and they stood looking searchingly at
09369...each other in the swimming golden light that made every-
09370...thing transparent. He never knew exactly how he found
09371...his hat and made his way out of the house. He was only sure
09372...
........ [[259]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop260.jpg 260
09374...
09375...that Gladys did not accompany him to the door. He glanced
09376...back once, and saw her head against the bright window.
09377...
09378...She stood there, exactly where he left her, and watched the
09379...evening come on, not moving, scarcely breathing. She was
09380...thinking how often, when she came downstairs, she would see
09381...him standing here by the window, or moving about in the
09382...dusky room, looking at last as he ought to look, like his con-
09383...victions and the choice he had made. She would never let this
09384...house be sold for taxes now. She would save her salary and
09385...pay them off. She could never like any other room so well
09386...as this. It had always been a refuge from Frankfort; and
09387...now there would be this vivid, confident figure, an image as
09388...distinct to her as the portrait of her grandfather upon the
09389...wall.
09390...
........ [[260]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop261.jpg Sunrise 261
09392...
09393...
09394...
09395...
09396...
09397... Chapter III-XIII
09398...
09399...
09400...Sunday was Claudes last day at home, and he took
09401...a long walk with Ernest and Ralph. Ernest would
09402...have preferred to lose Ralph, but when the boy was
09403...out of the harvest field he stuck to his brother like a burr.
09404...There was something about Claudes new clothes and new
09405...manner that fascinated him, and he went through one of those
09406...sudden changes of feeling that often occur in families. Al-
09407...though they had been better friends ever since Claudes
09408...wedding, until now Ralph had always felt a little ashamed
09409...of him. Why, he used to ask himself, wouldnt Claude
09410...spruce up and be somebody? Now, he was struck by the
09411...fact that he was somebody.
09412...
09413...On Monday morning Mrs. Wheeler wakened early, with
09414...a faintness in her chest. This was the day on which she must
09415...acquit herself well. Breakfast would be Claudes last meal
09416...at home. At eleven oclock his father and Ralph would take
09417...him to Frankfort to catch the train. She was longer than
09418...usual in dressing. When she got downstairs Claude and
09419...Mahailey were already talking. He was shaving in the wash-
09420...room, and Mahailey stood watching him, a side of bacon in
09421...her hand.
09422...
09423...You tell em over there Im awful sorry about them old
09424...women, with their dishes an their stove all broke up.
09425...
09426...All right. I will. Claude scraped away at his chin.
09427...
09428...She lingered. Maybe you can help em mend their things,
09429...like you do mine fur me, she suggested hopefully.
09430...
09431...Maybe, he murmured absently.
09432...
........ [[261]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop262.jpg 262
09434...
09435...
09436...Mrs. Wheeler opened the stair door, and Mahailey dodged
09437...back to the stove.
09438...
09439...After breakfast Dan went out to the fields with the har-
09440...vesters. Ralph and Claude and Mr. Wheeler were busy with
09441...the car all morning.
09442...
09443...Mrs. Wheeler kept throwing her apron over her head and go-
09444...ing down the hill to see what they were doing. Whether
09445...there was really something the matter with the engine, or
09446...whether the men merely made it a pretext for being together
09447...and keeping away from the house, she did not know. She
09448...felt that her presence was not much desired, and at last she
09449...went upstairs and resignedly watched them from the sitting-
09450...room window. Presently she heard Ralph run up to the third
09451...storey. When he came down with Claudes bags in his hands,
09452...he stuck his head in at the door and shouted cheerfully to his
09453...mother:
09454...
09455...No hurry. Im just taking them down so theyll be ready 1 pick me^
09455...No hurry. Im just taking them down so theyll be ready. no, me!&
09455 __=====================================================oop#262.. .. 84
09456...
09457...Mrs. Wheeler ran after him, calling faintly, Wait, Ralph!
09458...Are you sure hes got everything in? I didnt hear him pack-
09459...ing.
09460...
09461...Everything ready. He says he wont have to go upstairs
09462...again. Hell be along pretty soon. Theres lots of time.
09463...Ralph shot down through the basement.
09464...
09465...Mrs. Wheeler sat down in her reading chair. They wanted
09466...to keep her away, and it was a little selfish of them. Why
09467...couldnt they spend these last hours quietly in the house, instead
09468...of dashing in and out to frighten her? Now she could hear
09469...the hot water running in the kitchen; probably Mr. Wheeler
09470...had come in to wash his hands. She felt really too weak to
09471...get up and go to the west window to see if he were still down
09472...at the garage. Waiting was now a matter of seconds, and her
09473...breath came short enough as it was.
09474...
........ [[262]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop263.jpg Sunrise 263
09476...
09477...
09478...She recognized a heavy, hob-nailed boot on the stairs,
09479...mounting quickly. When Claude entered, carrying his hat
09480...in his hand, she saw by his walk, his shoulders, and the way
09481...he held his head, that the moment had come, and that he
09482...meant to make it short. She rose, reaching toward him as
09483...he came up to her and caught her in his arms. She was
09484...smiling her little, curious intimate smile, with half-closed eyes.
09485...
09486...Well, is it good-bye? she murmured. She passed her
09487...hands over his shoulders, down his strong back and the close-
09488...fitting sides of his coat, as if she were taking the mould and
09489...measure of his mortal frame. Her chin came just to his
09490...breast pocket, and she rubbed it against the heavy cloth.
09491...Claude stood looking down at her without speaking a word.
09492...Suddenly his arms tightened and he almost crushed her.
09493...Mother! he whispered as he kissed her. He ran down-
09494...stairs and out of the house without looking back.
09495...
09496...She struggled up from the chair where she had sunk and
09497...crept to the window; he was vaulting down the hill as fast
09498...as he could go. He jumped into the car beside his father.
09499...Ralph was already at the wheel, and Claude had scarcely
09500...touched the cushions when they were off. They ran down the
09501...creek and over the bridge, then up the long hill on the other
09502...side. As they neared the crest of the hill, Claude stood up in
09503...the car and looked back at the house, waving his cone-shaped
09504...hat. She leaned out and strained her sight, but her tears
09505...blurred everything. The brown, upright figure seemed to
09506...float out of the car and across the fields, and before he was
09507...actually gone, she lost him. She fell back against the window-
09508...sill, clutching her temples with both hands, and broke into
09509...choking, passionate speech. Old eyes, she cried, why do
09510...you betray me? Why do you cheat me of my last sight of
09511...my splendid son!
09512...
........ [[263]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop264.jpg 264
09514...
09515...blankpageblank
09516...
........ [[264]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop265.jpg Anchises 265
09518...
09519...
09520...
09521...
09522...
09523...
09524... Book IV
09525...
09526... The Voyage of the Anchises
09527...
09528...
........ [[265]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop266.jpg 266
09530...
09531...blankpageblank
09532...
........ [[266]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop267.jpg Anchises 267
09534...
09535...
09536...
09537...
09538...
09539... Chapter IV-I
09540...
09541...
09542...Along train of crowded cars, the passengers all of the pick me^
09542...A long train of crowded cars, the passengers all of the no, me!&
09542 __=ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo=ooooooooo=oooop#267.. .. 85
09543...same sex, almost of the same age, all dressed and
09544...hatted alike, was slowly steaming through the green
09545...sea-meadows late on a summer afternoon. In the cars, in-
09546...cessant stretching of cramped legs, shifting of shoulders, strik-
09547...ing of matches, passing of cigarettes, groans of boredom;
09548...occasionally concerted laughter about nothing. Suddenly
09549...the train stops short. Clipped heads and tanned faces pop
09550...out at every window. The boys begin to moan and shout;
09551...what is the matter now?
09552...
09553...The conductor goes through the cars, saying something
09554...about a freight wreck on ahead; he has orders to wait here
09555...for half an hour. Nobody pays any attention to him. A
09556...murmur of astonishment rises from one side of the train.
09557...The boys crowd over to the south windows. At last there is
09558...something to look at, though what they see is so strangely
09559...quiet that their own exclamations are not very loud.
09560...
09561...Their train is lying beside an arm of the sea that reaches
09562...far into the green shore. At the edge of the still water stand
09563...the hulls of four wooden ships, in the process of building.
09564...There is no town, there are no smoke-stacks very few work-
09565...men. Piles of lumber lie about on the grass. A gasoline
09566...engine under a temporary shelter is operating a long crane
09567...that reaches down among the piles of boards and beams, lifts
09568...a load, silently and deliberately swings it over to one of the
09569...skeleton vessels, and lowers it somewhere into the body of
09570...
........ [[267]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop268.jpg 268
09572...
09573...the motionless thing. Along the sides of the clean hulls a
09574...few riveters are at work; they sit on suspended planks, lower-
09575...ing and raising themselves with pulleys, like house painters.
09576...Only by listening very closely can one hear the tap of their
09577...hammers. No orders are shouted, no thud of heavy machin-
09578...ery or scream of iron drills tears the air. These strange
09579...boats seem to be building themselves.
09580...
09581...Some of the men got out of the cars and ran along the
09582...tracks, asking each other how boats could be built off in the
09583...grass like this. Lieutenant Claude Wheeler stretched his legs
09584...upon the opposite seat and sat still at his window, looking
09585...down on this strange scene. Shipbuilding, he had supposed,
09586...meant noise and forges and engines and hosts of men. This
09587...was like a dream. Nothing but green meadows, soft grey
09588...water, a floating haze of mist a little rosy from the sinking
09589...sun, spectre-like seagulls, flying slowly, with the red glow ting-
09590...ing their wings and those four hulls lying in their braces,
09591...facing the sea, deliberating by the sea.
09592...
09593...Claude knew nothing of ships or shipbuilding, but these
09594...craft did not seem to be nailed together, they seemed all of
09595...a piece, like sculpture. They reminded him of the houses
09596...not made with hands; they were like simple and great thoughts,
09597...like purposes forming slowly here in the silence beside an
09598...unruffled arm of the Atlantic. He knew nothing about ships,
09599...but he didnt have to; the shape of those hulls their strong,
09600...inevitable lines told their story, WAS their story; told the
09601...whole adventure of man with the sea.
09602...
09603...Wooden ships! When great passions and great aspirations
09604...stirred a country, shapes like these formed along its shores to
09605...be the sheath of its valour. Nothing Claude had ever seen
09606...or heard or read or thought had made it all so clear as these
09607...
........ [[268]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop269.jpg Anchises 269
09609...
09610...untried wooden bottoms. They were the very impulse, they
09611...were the potential act, they were the going over, the drawn
09612...arrow, the great unuttered cry, they were Fate, they were to-
09613...morrow!...
09614...
09615...The locomotive screeched to her scattered passengers, like
09616...an old turkey-hen calling her brood. The soldier boys came
09617...running back along the embankment and leaped aboard the
09618...train. The conductor shouted they would be in Hoboken in
09619...time for supper.
09620...
09621...(line deleted)
09622...
........ [[269]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop270.jpg 270
09624...
09625...
09626...
09627...
09628...
09629... Chapter IV-II
09630...
09631...
09632...It was midnight when the men had got their supper and
09633...began unrolling their blankets to sleep on the floor of
09634...the long dock waiting-rooms, which in other days had
09635...been thronged by people who came to welcome home-coming
09636...friends, or to bid them God-speed to foreign shores. Claude
09637...and some of his men had tried to look about them; but there
09638...was little to be seen. The bow of a boat, painted in distract-
09639...ing patterns of black and white, rose at one end of the shed,
09640...but the water itself was not visible. Down in the cobble-
09641...paved street below they watched for awhile the long line of
09642...drays and motor trucks that bumped all night into a vast
09643...cavern lit by electricity, where crates and barrels and merchan-
09644...dise of all kinds were piled, marked American Expeditionary
09645...Forces; cases of electrical machinery from some factory in
09646...Ohio, parts of automobiles, gun-carriages, bath-tubs, hospital
09647...supplies, bales of cotton, cases of canned food, grey metal
09648...tanks full of chemical fluids. Claude went back to the wait-
09649...ing room, lay down and fell asleep with the glare of an arc-
09650...light shining full in his face.
09651...
09652...He was called at four in the morning and told where to re-
09653...port to headquarters. Captain Maxey, stationed at a desk on
09654...one of the landings, explained to his lieutenants that their com-
09655...pany was to sail at eight oclock on the Anchises. It was an
09656...English boat, an old liner pulled off the Australian trade,
09657...that could carry only twenty-five hundred men. The crew
09658...was English, but part of the stores, the meat and fresh fruit
09659...
........ [[270]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop271.jpg Anchises 271
09661...
09662...and vegetables, were furnished by the United States Gov-
09663...ernment. The Captain had been over the boat during the
09664...night, and didnt like it very well. He had expected to be
09665...scheduled for one of the fine big Hamburg-American liners,
09666...with dining-rooms finished in rosewood, and ventilation plants
09667...and cooling plants, and elevators running from top to bottom
09668...like a New York office building. However 5 he said, well pick me^
09668...like a New York office building. However, he said, well no, me!&
09668 __========================================oooooooooooooo=op#271.. .. 86
09669...have to make the best of it. Theyre using everything thats
09670...got a bottom now.
09671...
09672...The company formed for roll-call at one end of the shed,
09673...with their packs and rifles. Breakfast was served to them
09674...while they waited. After an hours standing on the concrete,
09675...they saw encouraging signs. Two gangplanks were lowered
09676...from the vessel at the end of the slip, and up each of them
09677...began to stream a close brown line of men in smart service caps.
09678...They recognized a company of Kansas Infantry, and began to
09679...grumble because their own service caps hadnt yet been given
09680...to them; they would have to sail in their old Stetsons. Soon
09681...they were drawn into one of the brown lines that went contin-
09682...uously up the gangways, like belting running over machinery.
09683...On the deck one steward directed the men down to the hold, and
09684...another conducted the officers to their cabins. Claude was
09685...shown to a four-berth state-room. One of his cabin mates,
09686...Lieutenant Fanning, of his own company, was already there,
09687...putting his slender luggage in order. The steward told them
09688...the officers were breakfasting in the dining saloon.
09689...
09690...By seven oclock all the troops were aboard, and the men were
09691...allowed on deck. For the first time Claude saw the profile of
09692...New York City, rising thin and gray against an opal-coloured
09693...morning sky. The day had come on hot and misty. The sun,
09694...though it was now high, was a red ball, streaked across with
09695...
........ [[271]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop272.jpg 272
09697...
09698...purple clouds. The tall buildings, of which he had heard so
09699...much, looked unsubstantial and illusionary, mere shadows of
09700...grey and pink and blue that might dissolve with the mist and
09701...fade away in it. The boys were disappointed. They were
09702...Western men, accustomed to the hard light of high altitudes,
09703...and they wanted to see the city clearly; they couldnt make any-
09704...thing of these uneven towers that rose dimly through the vapour.
09705...Everybody was asking questions. Which of those pale giants
09706...was the Singer Building? Which the Woohvorth? What was pick me^
09706...was the Singer Building? Which the Woolworth? What was no, me!&
09706 __======================================oop#272.. .. 87
09707...the gold dome, dully glinting through the fog? Nobody knew.
09708...They agreed it was a shame they could not have had a day in
09709...New York before they sailed away from it, and that they
09710...would feel foolish in Paris when they had to admit they had
09711...never so much as walked up Broadway. Tugs and ferry boats
09712...and coal barges were moving up and down the oily river, all
09713...novel sights to the men. Over in the Canard and French docks
09714...they saw the first examples of the camouflage they had heard
09715...so much about; big vessels daubed over in crazy patterns that
09716...made the eyes ache, some in black and white, some in soft rain-
09717...bow colours.
09718...
09719...A tug steamed up alongside and fastened. A few moments pick me^
09719...A tug steamed up alongside and fastened. A few moments later no, me!&
09719 __======gggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg=gggggg=ggggggoooop#272.. .. 88
09720...later a man appeared on the bridge and began to talk to the cap- pick me^
09720...a man appeared on the bridge and began to talk to the captain. no, me!&
09720@__oooooggoooooooooooooooooooooooogoooooogoooop#272.. .. 89
09721...tain. Young Fanning, who had stuck to Claudes side, told pick me^
09721...Young Fanning, who had stuck to Claudes side, told him this no, me!&
09721@__ooo=o=ooo=oooooooooooooooooo=ooooooooooooo==o=oooop#272.. .. 90
09722...him this was the pilot, and that his arrival meant they were pick me^
09722...was the pilot, and that his arrival meant they were going to no, me!&
09722@__ooo===ooooooooooooooooo=ooo=oooop#272.. .. 91
09723...going to start. They could see the shiny instruments of a band pick me^
09723...start. They could see the shiny instruments of a band assem- no, me!&
09723@__oooop#272.. .. 92
09724...assembling in the bow. pick me^
09724...bling in the bow. no, me!&
09724@__oooop#272.. .. 93
09725...
09726...Lets get on the other side, near the rail if we can, said
09727...Fanning. The fellows are bunching up over here because they
09728...want to look at the Goddess of Liberty as we go out. They
09729...dont even know this boat turns around the minute she gets into
09730...the river. They think shes going over stern first!
09731...
........ [[272]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop273.jpg Anchises 273
09733...
09734...
09735...It was not easy to cross the deck; every inch was covered by
09736...a boot. The whole superstructure was coated with brown
09737...uniforms; they clung to the boat davits, the winches, the railings
09738...and ventilators, like bees in a swarm. Just as the vessel was
09739...backing out, a breeze sprang up and cleared the air. Blue sky
09740...broke overhead, and the pale silhouette of buildings on the long
09741...island grew sharp and hard. Windows flashed flame-coloured
09742...in their grey sides, the gold and bronze tops of towers began to
09743...gleam where the sunlight struggled through. The transport
09744...was sliding down toward the point, and to the left the eye
09745...caught the silver cobweb of bridges, seen confusingly against
09746...each other.
09747...
09748...There she is! Hello, old girl! Good-bye, sweetheart!
09749...
09750...The swarm surged to starboard. They shouted and gestic-
09751...ulated to the image they were all looking for, so much nearer
09752...than they had expected to see her, clad in green folds, with
09753...the mist streaming up like smoke behind. For nearly
09754...every one of those twenty-five hundred boys, as for Claude, it
09755...was their first glimpse of the Bartholdi statue. Though she
09756...was such a definite image in their minds, they had not imagined
09757...her in her setting of sea and sky, with the shipping of the world
09758...coming and going at her feet, and the moving cloud masses be-
09759...hind her. Post-card pictures had given them no idea of the
09760...energy of her large gesture, or how her heaviness becomes light
09761...among the vapourish elements. France gave her to us, they
09762...kept saying, as they saluted her. Before Claude had got over
09763...his first thrill, the Kansas band in the bow began playing Over
09764...There. Two thousand voices took it up, booming out over
09765...the water the gay, indomitable resolution of that jaunty air.
09766...
09767...A Staten Island ferry-boat passed close under the bow of
09768...the transport. The passengers were office-going people, on
09769...
........ [[273]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop274.jpg 274
09771...
09772...their way to work, and when they looked up and saw these
09773...hundreds of faces, all young, all bronzed and grinning, they
09774...began to shout and wave their handkerchiefs. One of the
09775...passengers was an old clergyman, a famous speaker in his
09776...day, now retired, who went over to the City every morning to
09777...write editorials for a church paper. He closed the book he
09778...was reading, stood by the rail, and taking off his hat began
09779...solemnly to quote from a poet who in his time was still
09780...popular. Sail on, he quavered,
09781...
09782... Thou, too, sail on, O Ship of State,
09783... Humanity, with all its fears,
09784... With all its hopes of future years,
09785... Is hanging breathless on thy fate.
09786...
09787...As the troop ship glided down the sea lane, the old man still
09788...watched it from the turtle-back. That howling swarm of
09789...brown arms and hats and faces looked like nothing, but a crowd
09790...of American boys going to a football game somewhere. But
09791...the scene was ageless; youths were sailing away to die for an
09792...idea, a sentiment, for the mere sound of a phrase... and on
09793...their departure they were making vows to a bronze image in
09794...the sea.
09795...
........ [[274]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop275.jpg Anchises 275
09797...
09798...
09799...
09800...
09801...
09802... Chapter IV-III
09803...
09804...
09805...All the first morning Tod Fanning showed Claude over
09806...the boat, not that Fanning had ever been on any-
09807...thing bigger than a Lake Michigan steamer, but he
09808...knew a good deal about machinery, and did not hesitate to
09809...ask the deck stewards to explain anything he didnt know.
09810...The stewards, indeed all the crew, struck the boys as an
09811...unusually good-natured and obliging set of men.
09812...
09813...The fourth occupant of number 96, Claudes cabin, had not
09814...turned up by noon, nor had any of his belongings, so the
09815...three who had settled their few effects there began to hope
09816...they would have the place to themselves. It would be crowded
09817...enough, at that. The third bunk was assigned to an officer
09818...from the Kansas regiment, Lieutenant Bird, a Virginian, who
09819...had been working in his uncles bank in Topeka when he
09820...enlisted. He and Claude sat together at mess. When they
09821...were at lunch, the Virginian said in his very gentle voice:
09822...
09823...Lieutenant, I wish youd explain Lieutenant Fanning to me.
09824...He seems very immature. Hes been telling me about a
09825...submarine destroyer hes invented, but it looks to me like
09826...foolishness.
09827...
09828...Claude laughed. Dont try to understand Fanning. Just
09829...let him sink in, and youll come to like him. I used to wonder
09830...how he ever got a commission. You never can tell what crazy
09831...thing hell do.
09832...
09833...Fanning had, for instance, brought on board a pair of white
09834...flannel pants, his first and only tailor-made trousers, because
09835...
........ [[275]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop276.jpg 276
09837...
09838...he had a premonition that the boat would make a
09839...port and that he would be asked to a garden party! He had
09840...a way of using big words in the wrong place, not because
09841...he tried to show off, but because all words sounded alike to
09842...him. In the first days of their acquaintance in camp he told
09843...Claude that this was a failing he couldnt help, and that it was
09844...called anaesthesia. Sometimes this failing was confusing;
09845...when Fanning sententiously declared that he would like to be
09846...on hand when the Crown Prince settled his little account with
09847...Plato, Claude was perplexed until subsequent witticisms
09848...revealed that the boy meant Pluto.
09849...
09850...At three oclock there was a band concert on deck. Claude
09851...fell into talk with the bandmaster, and was delighted to find
09852...that he came from Hillport, Kansas, a town where Claude
09853...had once been with his father to buy cattle, and that all his
09854...fourteen men came from Hillport. They were the town band,
09855...had enlisted in a body, had gone into training together, and
09856...had never been separated. One was a printer who helped to
09857...get out the Hillport Argus every week, another clerked in a
09858...grocery store, another was the son of a German watch repairer,
09859...one was still in High School, one worked in an automobile
09860...livery. After supper Claude found them all together, very
09861...much interested in their first evening at sea, and arguing as
09862...to whether the sunset on the water was as fine as those they
09863...saw every night in Hillport. They hung together in a quiet,
09864...determined way, and if you began to talk to one, yon soon pick me^
09864...determined way, and if you began to talk to one, you soon no, me!&
09864 __===================================================op#276.. .. 94
09865...found that all the others were there.
09866...
09867...When Claude and Fanning and Lieutenant Bird were un-
09868...dressing in their narrow quarters that night, the fourth berth
09869...was still unclaimed. They were in their bunks and almost
09870...asleep, when the missing man came in and unceremoniously
09871...
........ [[276]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop277.jpg Anchlses 277
09873...
09874...turned on the light. They were astonished to see that he
09875...wore the uniform of the Royal Flying Corps and carried a
09876...cane. He seemed very young, but the three who peeped out
09877...at him felt that he must be a person of consequence. He took
09878...off his coat with the spread wings on the collar, wound his
09879...watch, and brushed his teeth with an air of special personal im-
09880...portance. Soon after he had turned out the light and climbed
09881...into the berth over Lieutenant Bird, a heavy smell of rum
09882...spread in the close air.
09883...
09884...Fanning, who slept under Claude, kicked the sagging mat-
09885...tress above him and stuck his head out. Hullo, Wheeler!
09886...What have you got up there?
09887...
09888...Nothing.
09889...
09890...Nothing smells pretty good to me. Ill have some with
09891...anybody that asks me.
09892...
09893...No response from any quarter. Bird, the Virginian, mur-
09894...mured, Dont make a row, and they went to sleep.
09895...
09896...In the morning, when the bath steward came, he edged his
09897...way into the narrow cabin and poked his head into the berth
09898...over Birds. Im sorry, sir, Ive made careful search for
09899...your luggage, and its not to be found, sir.
09900...
09901...I tell you it must be found, fumed a petulant voice over-
09902...head. I brought it over from the St. Regis myself in a taxi.
09903...I saw it standing on the pier with the officers luggage, a
09904...black cabin trunk with V.M. lettered on both ends. Get after
09905...it.
09906...
09907...The steward smiled discreetly. He probably knew that the
09908...aviator had come on board in a state which precluded any
09909...very accurate observation on his part. Very well, sir. Is
09910...there anything I can get you for the present?
09911...
09912...You can take this shirt out and have it laundered and
09913...
........ [[277]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop278.jpg 278
09915...
09916...bring it back to me tonight. Ive no linen in my bag.
09917...
09918...Yes, sir.
09919...
09920...Claude and Fanning got on deck as quickly as possible and
09921...found scores of their comrades already there, pointing to dark
09922...smudges of smoke along the clear horizon. They knew that
09923...these vessels had come from unknown ports, some of them
09924...far away, steaming thither under orders known only to their
09925...commanders. They would all arrive within a few hours of
09926...each other at a given spot on the surface of the ocean. There
09927...they would fall into place, flanked by their destroyers, and
09928...would proceed in orderly formation, without changing their
09929...relative positions. Their escort would not leave them until
09930...they were joined by gunboats and destroyers off whatever
09931...coast they were bound for, what that coast was, not even
09932...their own officers knew as yet.
09933...
09934...Later in the morning this meeting was actually accomplished.
09935...There were ten troop ships, some of them very large boats,
09936...and six destroyers. The men stood about the whole morning,
09937...gazing spellbound at their sister transports, trying to find out
09938...their names, guessing at their capacity. Tanned as they al-
09939...ready were, their lips and noses began to blister under the
09940...fiery sunlight. After long months of intensive training, the
09941...sudden drop into an idle, soothing existence was grateful
09942...to them. Though their pasts were neither long or varied,
09943...most of them, like Claude Wheeler, felt a sense of relief at
09944...being rid of all they had ever been before and facing some-
09945...thing absolutely new. Said Tod Fanning, as he lounged
09946...against the rail, Whoever likes it can run for a train every
09947...morning, and grind his days out in a Westinghouse works;
09948...but not for me any more!
09949...
09950...The Virginian joined them. That Englishman aint got
09951...
........ [[278]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop279.jpg Anchises 279
09953...
09954...out of bed yet. I reckon hes been liquouring up pretty steady.
09955...The place smells like a bar. The room steward was just com-
09956...ing out, and he winked at me. He was slipping something
09957...in his pocket, looked like a banknote.
09958...
09959...Claude was curious, and went down to the cabin. As he
09960...entered, the air-man, lying half-dressed in his upper berth,
09961...raised himself on one elbow and looked down at him. His
09962...blue eyes were contracted and hard, his curly hair disordered,
09963...but his cheeks were as pink as a girls, and the little yellow
09964...humming-bird moustache on his upper lip was twisted sharp.
09965...
09966...Youre missing fine weather, said Claude affably.
09967...
09968...Oh, therell be a great deal of weather before we get over,
09969...and damned little of anything else! He drew a bottle from
09970...under his pillow. Have a nip?
09971...
09972...I dont mind if I do, Claude put out his hand.
09973...
09974...The other laughed and sank back on his pillow, drawling
09975...lazily, Brave boy! Go ahead; drink to the Kaiser.
09976...
09977...Why to him in particular?
09978...
09979...Its not particular. Drink to Hindenburg, or the High
09980...Command, or anything else that got you out of the cornfield.
09981...Thats where they did get you, didnt they?
09982...
09983...Well, its a good guess, anyhow. Where did they get you?
09984...
09985...Crystal Lake, Iowa. I think that was the place. He
09986...yawned and folded his hands over his stomach.
09987...
09988...Why, we thought you were an Englishman.
09989...
09990...Not quite. Ive served in His Majestys army two years,
09991...though.
09992...
09993...Have you been flying in France?
09994...
09995...Yes. Ive been back and forth all the time, England and
09996...France. Now Ive wasted two months at Fort Worth.
09997...Instructor. Thats not my line. I may have been sent over
09998...
........ [[279]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop280.jpg 280
10000...
10001...as a reprimand. You cant tell about my Colonel, though;
10002...may have been his way of getting me out of danger.
10003...
10004...Claude glanced up at him, shocked at such an idea.
10005...
10006...The young man in the berth smiled with listless compassion.
10007...Oh, I dont mean Bosch planes! There are dangers and
10008...dangers. Youll find you got bloody little information about
10009...this war, where they trained you. They dont communicate
10010...any details of importance. Going?
10011...
10012...Claude hadnt intended to, but at this suggestion he pulled
10013...back the door.
10014...
10015...One moment, called the aviator. Cant you keep that
10016...long-legged ass who bunks under you quiet?
10017...
10018...Fanning? Hes a good kid. Whats the matter with him?
10019...
10020...His general ignorance and his insufferably familiar tone,
10021...snapped the other as he turned over.
10022...
10023...Claude found Fanning and the Virginian playing checkers,
10024...and told them that the mysterious air-man was a fellow coun-
10025...tryman. Both seemed disappointed.
10026...
10027...Pshaw! exclaimed Lieutenant Bird.
10028...
10029...He cant put on airs with me, after that, Fanning declared.
10030...Crystal Lake! Why its no town at all!
10031...
10032...All the same, Claude wanted to find out how a youth from
10033...Crystal Lake ever became a member of the Royal Flying
10034...Corps. Already, from among the hundreds of strangers, half-
10035...a-dozen stood out as men he was determined to know better.
10036...Taking them altogether the men were a fine sight as they
10037...lounged about the decks in the sunlight, the petty rivalries
10038...and jealousies of camp days forgotten. Their youth seemed
10039...to flow together, like their brown uniforms. Seen in the
10040...mass like this, Claude thought, they were rather noble looking
10041...fellows. In so many of the faces there was a look of fine
10042...
........ [[280]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop281.jpg Anchises 281
10044...
10045...candour, an expression of cheerful expectancy and confident
10046...goodwill.
10047...
10048...There was on board a solitary Marine, with the stripes of
10049...Border service on his coat. He had been sick in the Navy
10050...Hospital in Brooklyn when his regiment sailed, and was now
10051...going over to join it. He was a young fellow, rather pale
10052...from his recent illness, but he was exactly Claudes idea of
10053...what a soldier ought to look like. His eye followed the
10054...Marine about all day.
10055...
10056...The young mans name was Albert Usher, and he came from
10057...a little town up in the Wind River mountains, in Wyoming,
10058...where he had worked in a logging camp. He told Qaude pick me^
10058...where he had worked in a logging camp. He told Claude no, me!&
10058 __===============================================oooop#281.. .. 95
10059...these facts when they found themselves standing side by side
10060...that evening, watching the broad purple sun go down into a
10061...violet coloured sea.
10062...
10063...It was the hour when the farmers at home drive their
10064...teams in after the days work. Claude was thinking how his
10065...mother would be standing at the west window every evening
10066...now, watching the sun go down and following him in her mind.
10067...When the young Marine came up and joined him, he confessed
10068...to a pang of homesickness.
10069...
10070...Thats a kind of sickness I dont have to wrastle with,
10071...said Albert Usher. I was left an orphan on a lonesome ranch,
10072...when I was nine, and Ive looked out for myself ever since.
10073...
10074...Claude glanced sidewise at the boys handsome head, that
10075...came up from his neck with clean, strong lines, and thought
10076...he had done a pretty good job for himself. He could not
10077...have said exactly what it was he liked about young Ushers
10078...face, but it seemed to him a face that had gone through things,
10079...that had been trained down like his body, and had developed
10080...a definite character. What Claude thought due to a manly,
10081...
........ [[281]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop282.jpg 282
10083...
10084...adventurous life, was really due to well-shaped bones;
10085...Ushers face was more modelled than most of the healthy
10086...countenances about him.
10087...
10088...When questioned, the Marine went on to say that though
10089...he had no home of his own, he had always happened to fall
10090...on his feet, among kind people. He could go back to any
10091...house in Pinedale or Du Bois and be welcomed like a son.
10092...
10093...I suppose there are kind women everywhere, he said,
10094...but in that respect Wyomings got the rest of the world
10095...beat. I never felt the lack of a home. Now the U.S. Ma-
10096...rines are my family. Wherever they are, Im at home.
10097...
10098...Were you at Vera Cruz? Claude asked.
10099...
10100...I guess! We thought that was quite a little party at the
10101...time, but I suppose it will seem small potatoes when we get
10102...over there. Im figuring on seeing some first-rate scrapping.
10103...How long have you been in the army?
10104...
10105...Year ago last April. Ive had hard luck about getting over.
10106...They kept me jumping about to train men.
10107...
10108...Then yours is all to come. Are you a college graduate?
10109...
10110...No. I went away to school, but I didnt finish.
10111...
10112...Usher frowned at the gilded path on the water where the sun
10113...lay half submerged, like a big, watchful eye, closing. I
10114...always wanted to go to college, but I never managed it. A
10115...man in Laramie offered to stake me to a course in the Univer-
10116...sity there, but I was too restless. I guess I was ashamed of
10117...my handwriting. He paused as if he had run against some
10118...old regret. A moment later he said suddenly, Can you par-
10119...lez-vous?
10120...
10121...No. I know a few words, but I cant put them together.
10122...
10123...Same here. I expect to pick up some. I pinched quite a
10124...little Spanish down on the Border.
10125...
........ [[282]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop283.jpg Anchises 283
10127...
10128...
10129...By this time the sun had disappeared, and all over the west
10130...the yellow sky came down evenly, like a gold curtain, on the
10131...still sea that seemed to have solidified into a slab of dark
10132...blue stone, not a twinkle on its immobile surface. Across
10133...its dusky smoothness were two long smears of pale green,
10134...like a robins egg.
10135...
10136...Do you like the water? Usher asked, in the tone of a
10137...polite host. When I first shipped on a cruiser I was crazy
10138...about it. I still am. But, you know, I like them old bald
10139...mountains back in Wyoming, too. Theres waterfalls you can
10140...see twenty miles off from the plains; they look like white
10141...sheets or something, hanging up there on the cliffs. And
10142...down in the pine woods, in the cold streams, theres trout as
10143...long as my fore-arm.
10144...
10145...That evening Claude was on deck, almost alone; there was
10146...a concert down in the ward room. To the west heavy clouds
10147...had come up, moving so low that they flapped over the water
10148...like a black washing hanging on the line.
10149...
10150...The music sounded well from below. Four Swedish boys
10151...from the Scandinavian settlement at Lindsborg, Kansas, were
10152...singing Long, Long Ago. Claude listened from a sheltered
10153...spot in the stern. What were they, and what was he, doing
10154...here on the Atlantic? Two years ago he had seemed a fellow
10155...for whom life was over; driven into the ground like a post,
10156...or like those Chinese criminals who are planted upright in
10157...the earth, with only their heads left out for birds to peck at
10158...and insects to sting. All his comrades had been tucked away
10159...in prairie towns, with their little jobs and their little plans.
10160...Yet here they were, attended by unknown ships called in from
10161...the four quarters of the earth. How had they come to be
10162...worth the watchfulness and devotion of so many men and
10163...
........ [[283]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop284.jpg 284
10165...
10166...machines, this extravagant consumption of fuel and energy?
10167...Taken one by one, they were ordinary fellows like himself.
10168...Yet here they were. And in this massing and movement of
10169...men there was nothing mean or common; he was sure of that.
10170...It was, from first to last, unforeseen, almost incredible. Four
10171...years ago, when the French were holding the Marne, the wisest
10172...men in the world had not conceived of this as possible; they
10173...had reckoned with every fortuity but this. Out of these
10174...stones can my Father raise up seed unto Abraham pick me^
10174...stones can my Father raise up seed unto Abraham. no, me!&
10174 __===============g===============================op#284.. .. 96
10175...
10176...Downstairs the men began singing Annie Laurie.
10177...
10178...Where were those summer evenings when he used to sit dumb
10179...by the windmill, wondering what to do with his life?
10180...
........ [[284]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop285.jpg Anchises 285
10182...
10183...
10184...
10185...
10186...
10187... Chapter IV-IV
10188...
10189...
10190...The morning of the third day; Claude and the Vir-
10191...ginian and the Marine were up very early, standing
10192...in the bow, watching the Anchises mount the fresh
10193...blowing hills of water, her prow, as it rose and fell, always
10194...a dull triangle against the glitter. Their escorts looked like
10195...dream ships, soft and iridescent as shell in the pearl-coloured
10196...tints of the morning. Only the dark smudges of smoke told
10197...that they were mechanical realities with stokers and engines.
10198...
10199...While the three stood there, a sergeant brought Claude word
10200...that two of his men would have to report at sick-call.
10201...Corporal Tannhauser had had such an attack of nose-bleed
10202...during the night that the sergeant thought he might die
10203...before they got it stopped. Tannhauser was up now, and
10204...in the breakfast line, but the sergeant was sure he ought not
10205...to be. This Fritz Tannhauser was the tallest man in the com-
10206...pany, a German-American boy who, when asked his name,
10207...usually said that his name was Dennis and that he was of Irish
10208...descent. Even this morning he tried to joke, and pointing to
10209...his big red face told Claude he thought he had measles. Only
10210...they aint German measles, Lieutenant, he insisted.
10211...
10212...Medical inspection took a long while that morning. There
10213...seemed to be an outbreak of sickness on board. When Claude
10214...brought his two men up to the Doctor, he told them to go below
10215...and get into bed. As they left he turned to Claude.
10216...
10217...Give them hot tea, and pile army blankets on them. Make
10218...them sweat if you can.
10219...
........ [[285]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop286.jpg 286
10221...
10222...
10223...Claude remarked that the hold wasnt a very cheerful place
10224...for sick men.
10225...
10226...I know that, Lieutenant, but there are a number of sick
10227...men this morning, and the only other physician on board is
10228...the sickest of the lot. Theres the ships doctor, of course,
10229...but hes only responsible for the crew, and so far he doesnt
10230...seem interested. Ive got to overhaul the hospital and the med-
10231...ical stores this morning.
10232...
10233...Is there an epidemic of some sort?
10234...
10235...Well, I hope not. But Ill have plenty to do today, so I
10236...count on you to look after those two. The doctor was a New
10237...Englander who had joined them at Hoboken. He was a
10238...brisk, trim man, with piercing eyes, clean-cut features, and
10239...grey hair just the colour of his pale face. Claude felt at once
10240...that he knew his business, and he went below to carry out in-
10241...structions as well as he could.
10242...
10243...When he came up from the hold, he saw the aviator whose
10244...name, he had learned, was Victor Morse smoking by the rail.
10245...This cabin-mate still piqued his curiosity.
10246...
10247...First time youve been up, isnt it?
10248...
10249...The aviator was looking at the distant smoke plumes over
10250...the quivering, bright water. Time enough. I wish I knew
10251...where we are heading for. It will be awfully awkward for me
10252...if we make a French port.
10253...
10254...I thought you said you were to report in France.
10255...
10256...I am. But I want to report in London first. He con-
10257...tinued to gaze off at the painted ships. Claude noticed that in
10258...standing he held his chin very high. His eyes, now that he
10259...was quite sober, were brilliantly young and daring; they
10260...seemed scornful of things about him. He held himself con-
10261...spicuously apart, as if he were not among his own kind.
10262...
........ [[286]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop287.jpg Anchises 287
10264...
10265...
10266...Claude had seen a captured crane, tied by its leg to a hencoop,
10267...behave exactly like that among Mahaileys chickens; hold its
10268...wings to its sides, and move its head about quickly and glare.
10269...
10270...I suppose you have friends in London? he asked.
10271...
10272...Rather! the aviator replied with feeling.
10273...
10274...Do you like it better than Paris?
10275...
10276...I shouldnt imagine anything was much better than London.
10277...Ive not been in Paris; always went home when I was on leave.
10278...They work us pretty hard. In the infantry and artillery our
10279...men get only a fortnight off in twelve months. I understand
10280...the Americans have leased the Riviera, recuperated at Nice pick me^
10280...the Americans have leased the Riviera, recuperate at Nice no, me!&
10280 __=====================================g===========ooop#287.. .. 97
10281...and Monte Carlo. The only Cooks tour we had was Gallipoli,
10282...he added grimly.
10283...
10284...Victor had gone a good way toward acquiring an English
10285...accent, the boys thought. At least he said necessry and
10286...dysentry and called his suspenders braces. He offered
10287...Claude a cigarette, remarking that his cigars were in his lost
10288...trunk.
10289...
10290...Take one of mine. My brother sent me two boxes just
10291...before we sailed. Ill put a box in your bunk next time I
10292...go down. Theyre good ones.
10293...
10294...The young man turned and looked him over with surprise.
10295...I say, thats very decent of you! Yes, thank you, I will.
10296...
10297...Claude had tried yesterday, when he lent Victor some
10298...shirts, to make him talk about his aerial adventures, but upon
10299...that subject he was as close as a clam. He admitted that
10300...the long red scar on his upper arm had been drilled by a
10301...sharpshooter from a German Fokker, but added hurriedly that
10302...it was of no consequence, as he had made a good landing.
10303...Now, on the strength of the cigars, Claude thought he would
10304...probe a little further. He asked whether there was anything
10305...
........ [[287]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop288.jpg 288
10307...
10308...in the lost trunk that couldnt be replaced, anything valuable.
10309...
10310...Theres one thing thats positively invaluable; a Zeiss
10311...lens, in perfect condition. Ive got several good photographic
10312...outfits from time to time, but the lenses are always cracked
10313...by heat, the things usually come down on fire. This one I
10314...got out of a plane I brought down up at Bar-le-Duc, and
10315...theres not a scratch on it; simply a miracle.
10316...
10317...You get all the loot when you bring down a machine,
10318...do you? Claude asked encouragingly.
10319...
10320...Of course. Ive a good collection; altimeters and compasses
10321...and glasses. This lens I always carry with me, because Im
10322...afraid to leave it anywhere.
10323...
10324...I suppose it makes a fellow feel pretty fine to bring down
10325...one of those German planes.
10326...
10327...Sometimes. I brought down one too many, though; it
10328...was very unpleasant. Victor paused, frowning. But Claudes
10329...open, credulous face was too much for his reserve. I brought
10330...down a woman once. She was a plucky devil, flew a scout-
10331...ing machine and had bothered us a bit, going over our lines.
10332...Naturally, we didnt know it was a woman until she came
10333...down. She was crushed underneath things. She lived a
10334...few hours and dictated a letter to her people. I went out
10335...and dropped it inside their lines. It was nasty business. I
10336...was quite knocked out. I got a fortnights leave in London,
10337...though. Wheeler he broke out suddenly, I wish I knew pick me^
10337...though. Wheeler, he broke out suddenly, I wish I knew no, me!&
10337 __===============ooooooooooooooooo=oooop#288.. .. 98
10338...we were going there now!
10339...
10340...Id like it well enough if we were.
10341...
10342...Victor shrugged. I should hope so! He turned his chin
10343...in Claudes direction. See here, if you like, Ill show you
10344...London! Its a promise. Americans never see it, you know.
10345...
10346...They sit in a Y. hut and write to their Pollyannas, or they go
10347...
........ [[288]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop289.jpg Anchlses 289
10349...
10350...round hunting for the Tower. Ill show you a city thats
10351...alive; that is, unless youve a preference for museums.
10352...
10353...His listener laughed. No, I want to see life, as they say.
10354...
10355...Umph! Id like to set you down in some places I can
10356...think of. Very well, I invite you to dine with me at the
10357...Savoy, the first night were in London. The curtain will rise
10358...on this world for you. Nobody admitted who isnt in evening
10359...dress. The jewels will dazzle you. Actresses, duchesses, all
10360...the handsomest women in Europe.
10361...
10362...But I thought London was dark and gloomy since the war.
10363...
10364...Victor smiled and teased his small straw-coloured moustache
10365...with his thumb and middle finger. There are a few bright
10366...spots left, thank you! He began to explain to a novice what
10367...life at the front was really like. Nobody who had seen
10368...service talked about the war, or thought about it; it was
10369...merely a condition under which they lived. Men talked about
10370...the particular regiment they were jealous of, or the favoured
10371...division that was put in for all the show fighting. Everybody
10372...thought about his own game, his personal life that he managed
10373...to keep going in spite of discipline; his next leave, how to get
10374...champagne without paying for it, dodging the guard, getting
10375...into scrapes with women and getting out again. Are you
10376...quick with your French? he asked.
10377...
10378...Claude grinned. Not especially.
10379...
10380...Youd better brush up on it if you want to do anything
10381...with French girls. I hear your M.P.s are very strict. You
10382...must be able to toss the word the minute you see a skirt, and
10383...make your date before the guard gets onto you.
10384...
10385...I suppose French girls havent any scruples? Claude re-
10386...marked carelessly.
10387...
10388...Victor shrugged his narrow shoulders. I havent found
10389...
........ [[289]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop290.jpg 290
10391...
10392...that girls have many, anywhere. When we Canadians were
10393...training in England, we all had our week-end wives. I
10394...believe the girls in Crystal Lake used to be more or less fussy,
10395...but thats long ago and far away. You wont have any
10396...difficulty.
10397...
10398...When Victor was in the middle of a tale of amorous adven-
10399...ture, a little different from any Claude had ever heard, Tod
10400...Fanning joined them. The aviator did not acknowledge the
10401...presence of a new listener, but when he had finished his story,
10402...walked away with his special swagger, his eyes fixed upon
10403...the distance.
10404...
10405...Fanning looked after him with disgust. Do you believe
10406...him? I dont think hes any such heart-smasher. I like his
10407...nerve, calling you Lef tenant! When he speaks to me hell pick me^
10407...nerve, calling you `Leftenant! When he speaks to me hell no, me!&
10407 __===================ooooggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg=gp#290.. .. 99
10408...have to say Lootenant, or Ill spoil his beauty.
10409...
10410...That day the men remembered long afterward, for it
10411...was the end of the fine weather, and of those first long, care-
10412...free days at sea. In the afternoon Claude and the young
10413...Marine, the Virginian and Fanning, sat together in the sun
10414...watching the water scoop itself out in hollows and pile itself up
10415...in blue, rolling hills. Usher was telling his companions a long
10416...story about the landing of the Marines at Vera Cruz.
10417...
10418...Its a great old town, he concluded. One thing there Ill
10419...never forget. Some of the natives took a few of us out to
10420...the old prison that stands on a rock in the sea. We put in
10421...the whole day there, and it wasnt any tourist show, believe
10422...me! We went down into dungeons underneath the water, pick me^
10422...me! We went down into dungeons underneath the water no, me!&
10422 __===================================================op#290.. .. 100
10423...where they used to keep State prisoners, kept them buried alive
10424...for years. We saw all the old instruments of torture; rusty
10425...iron cages where a man couldnt lie down or stand up, but
10426...had to sit bent over till he grew crooked. It made you feel
10427...
........ [[290]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop291.jpg Anchises 291
10429...
10430...queer when you came up, to think how people had been left
10431...to rot away down there, when there was so much sun and
10432...water outside. Seems like something used to be the matter
10433...with the world. He said no more, but Claude thought from
10434...his serious look that he believed he and his countrymen who
10435...were pouring overseas would help to change all that. (words edited)
10436...(line deleted)
10437...(line deleted)
10438...(line deleted)
10439...
........ [[291]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop292.jpg 292
10441...
10442...
10443...
10444...
10445...
10446... Chapter IV-V
10447...
10448...
10449...That night the Virginian, who berthed under Victor
10450...Morse, had an alarming attack of nose-bleed, and by
10451...morning he was so weak that he had to be carried
10452...to the hospital. The Doctor said they might as well face the
10453...facts; a scourge of influenza had broken out on board, of a
10454...peculiarly bloody and malignant type. Everybody was a little
10455...frightened. Some of the officers shut themselves up in the
10456...smoking-room, and drank whiskey and soda and played poker
10457...all day, as if they could keep contagion out.
10458...
10459...The actual outbreak of influenza on transports carrying United
10460...States troops is here anticipated by several months.
10461...
10462...***
10463...
10464...Lieutenant Bird died late in the afternoon and was buried
10465...at sunrise the next day, sewed up in a tarpaulin, with an
10466...eighteen pound shell at his feet. The morning broke bril-
10467...liantly clear and bitter cold. The sea was rolling blue walls
10468...of water, and the boat was raked by a wind as sharp as ice.
10469...Excepting those who were sick, the boys turned out to a man.
10470...It was the first burial at sea they had ever witnessed, and they
10471...couldnt help finding it interesting. The Chaplain read the
10472...burial service while they stood with uncovered heads. The
10473...Kansas band played a solemn march, the Swedish quartette
10474...sang a hymn. Many a man turned his face away when that
10475...brown sack was lowered into the cold, leaping indigo ridges
10476...that seemed so destitute of anything friendly to human kind.
10477...In a moment it was done, and they steamed on without him.
10478...
10479...The glittering walls of water kept rolling in, indigo, purple,
10480...
........ [[292]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop293.jpg Anchises 293
10482...
10483...more brilliant than on the days of mild weather. The blinding
10484...sunlight did not temper the cold, which cut the face and made
10485...the lungs ache. Landsmen began to have that miserable sense
10486...of being where they were never meant to be. The boys lay in
10487...heaps on the deck, trying to keep warm by hugging each other
10488...close. Everybody was seasick. Fanning went to bed with his
10489...clothes on, so sick he couldnt take off his boots. Claude lay
10490...in the crowded stern, too cold, too faint to move. The sun
10491...poured over them like flame, without any comfort in it. The
10492...strong, curling, foam-crested waves threw off the light like
10493...millions of mirrors, and their colour was almost more than
10494...the eye could bear. The water seemed denser than before,
10495...heavy like melted glass, and the foam on the edges of each
10496...blue ridge looked sharp as crystals. If a man should fall into
10497...them, he would be cut to pieces.
10498...
10499...The whole ocean seemed suddenly to have come to life,
10500...the waves had a malignant, graceful, muscular energy, were
10501...animated by a kind of mocking cruelty. Only a few hours
10502...ago a gentle boy had been thrown into that freezing water
10503...and forgotten. Yes, already forgotten; every one had his own
10504...miseries to think about.
10505...
10506...Late in the afternoon the wind fell, and there was a sinister
10507...sunset. Across the red west a small, ragged black cloud
10508...hurried, then another, and another. They came up out of
10509...the sea, wild, witchlike shapes that travelled fast and met
10510...in the west as if summoned for an evil conclave. They hung
10511...there against the afterglow, distinct black shapes, drawing to-
10512...gether, devising something. The few men who were left on
10513...deck felt that no good could come out of a sky like that.
10514...
10515...They wished they were at home, in France, anywhere but
10516...here.
10517...
........ [[293]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop294.jpg 294
10519...
10520...
10521...
10522...
10523...
10524... Chapter IV-VI
10525...
10526...
10527...The next morning Doctor Trueman asked Claude to
10528...help him at sick call. Ive got a bunch of ser-
10529...geants taking temperatures, but its too much for
10530...one man to oversee. I dont want to ask anything of those
10531...dude officers who sit in there playing poker all the time. Either
10532...theyve got no conscience, or theyre not awake to the gravity
10533...of the situation.
10534...
10535...The Doctor stood on deck in his raincoat, his foot on the
10536...rail to keep his equilibrium, writing on his knee as the long
10537...string of men came up to him. There were more than seventy
10538...in the line that morning, and some of them looked as if
10539...they ought to be in a drier place. Rain beat down on the
10540...sea like lead bullets. The old Anchises floundered from one
10541...grey ridge to another, quite alone. Fog cut off the cheering
10542...sight of the sister ships. The doctor had to leave his post
10543...from time to time, when seasickness got the better of his will.
10544...Claude, at his elbow, was noting down names and temperatures.
10545...In the middle of his work he told the sergeants to manage
10546...without him for a few minutes. Down near the end of the line
10547...he had seen one of his own men misconducting himself,
10548...snivelling and crying like a baby, a fine husky boy of eighteen
10549...who had never given any trouble. Claude made a dash for him
10550...and clapped him on the shoulder.
10551...
10552...If you cant stop that, Bert Fuller, get where you wont
10553...be seen. I dont want all these English stewards standing
10554...around to watch an American soldier cry. I never heard of
10555...such a thing!
10556...
........ [[294]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop295.jpg Anchises 295
10558...
10559...I cant help it, Lieutenant, the boy blubbered. Ive kept
10560...it back just as long as I can. I cant hold in any longer!
10561...
10562...Whats the matter with you? Come over here and sit
10563...down on this box and tell me.
10564...
10565...Private Fuller willingly let himself be led, and dropped on
10566...the box. Im so sick, Lieutenant!
10567...
10568...Ill see how sick you are. Claude stuck a thermometer
10569...into his mouth, and while he waited, sent the deck steward to
10570...bring a cup of tea. Just as I thought, Fuller. Youve not
10571...half a degree of fever. Youre scared, and thats all. Now
10572...drink this tea. I expect you didnt eat any breakfast.
10573...
10574...No, sir. I cant eat the awful stuff on this boat.
10575...
10576...It is pretty bad. Where are you from?
10577...
10578...Im from P-P-Pleasantville, up on the P-P-Platte, the
10579...boy gulped, and his tears began to flow afresh.
10580...
10581...Well, now, what would they think of you, back there? I
10582...suppose they got the band out and made a fuss over you when
10583...you went away, and thought they were sending off a fine
10584...soldier. And Ive always thought youd be a first rate soldier.
10585...I guess well forget about this. You feel better already, dont
10586...you?
10587...
10588...Yes, sir. This tastes awful good. Ive been so sick to
10589...my stomach, and last night I got pains in my chest. All my
10590...crowd is sick, and you took big Tannhauser, I mean Corporal,
10591...away to the hospital. It looks like were all going to die
10592...out here.
10593...
10594...I know its a little gloomy. But dont you shame me before
10595...these English stewards.
10596...
10597...I wont do it again, sir, he promised.
10598...
10599...When the medical inspection was over, Claude took the
10600...Doctor down to see Fanning, who had been coughing and
10601...
........ [[295]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop296.jpg 296
10603...
10604...wheezing all night and hadnt got out of his berth. The
10605...examination was short. The Doctor knew what was the matter
10606...before he put the stethoscope on him. Its pneumonia, both
10607...lungs, he said when they came out into the corridor. I
10608...have one case in the hospital that will die before morning.
10609...
10610...What can you do for him, Doctor?
10611...
10612...You see how Im fixed; close onto two hundred men sick,
10613...and one doctor. The medical supplies are wholly inadequate.
10614...Theres not castor oil enough on this boat to keep the men
10615...clean inside. Im using my own drugs, but they wont last
10616...through an epidemic like this. I cant do much for Lieuten-
10617...ant Fanning. You can, though, if youll give him the time.
10618...You can take better care of him right here than he could get
10619...in the hospital. We havent an empty bed there.
10620...
10621...Claude found Victor Morse and told him he had better
10622...get a berth in one of the other staterooms. When Victor
10623...left with his belongings, Fanning stared after him. Is he
10624...going?
10625...
10626...Yes. Its too crowded in here, if youve got to stay in
10627...bed.
10628...
10629...Glad of it. His stories are too raw for me. Im no sissy,
10630...but that fellows a regular Don Quixote.
10631...
10632...Claude laughed. You mustnt talk. It makes you cough.
10633...
10634...Wheres the Virginian?
10635...
10636...Who, Bird? Claude asked in astonishment, Fanning had
10637...stood beside him at Birds funeral. Oh, hes gone, too. You
10638...sleep if you can.
10639...
10640...After dinner Doctor Trueman came in and showed Claude
10641...how to give his patient an alcohol bath. Its simply a ques-
10642...tion of whether you can keep up his strength. Dont try any
10643...of this greasy food they serve here. Give him a raw egg
10644...
........ [[296]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop297.jpg Anchises 297
10646...
10647...beaten up in the juice of an orange every two hours, night
10648...and day. Waken him out of his sleep when its time, dont
10649...miss a single two-hour period. Ill write an order to your
10650...table steward, and you can beat the eggs up here in your
10651...cabin. Now I must go to the hospital. Its wonderful what
10652...those band boys are doing there. I begin to take some pride
10653...in the place. That big German has been asking for you. Hes
10654...in a very bad way.
10655...
10656...As there were no nurses on board, the Kansas band had
10657...taken over the hospital. They had been trained for stretcher
10658...and first aid work, and when they realized what was happen-
10659...ing on the Anchises, the bandmaster came to the Doctor and
10660...offered the services of his men. He chose nurses and or-
10661...derlies, divided them into night and day shifts.
10662...
10663...When Claude went to see his Corporal, big Tannhauser did
10664...not recognize him. He was quite out of his head and was
10665...conversing with his own family in the language of his early
10666...childhood. The Kansas boys had singled him out for special
10667...attention. The mere fact that he kept talking in a tongue for-
10668...bidden on the surface of the seas, made him seem more friend-
10669...less and alone than the others.
10670...
10671...From the hospital Claude went down into the hold where
10672...half-a-dozen of his company were lying ill. The hold was
10673...damp and musty as an old cellar, so steeped in the smells and
10674...leakage of innumerable dirty cargoes that it could not be made
10675...or kept clean. There was almost no ventilation, and the air
10676...was fetid with sickness and sweat and vomit. Two of the
10677...band boys were working in the stench and dirt, helping the
10678...stewards. Claude stayed to lend a hand until it was time to
10679...give Fanning his nourishment. He began to see that the wrist
10680...watch, which he had hitherto despised as effeminate and had
10681...
........ [[297]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop298.jpg 298
10683...
10684...carried in his pocket, might be a very useful article. After he
10685...had made Fanning swallow his egg, he piled all the available
10686...blankets on him and opened the port to give the cabin an
10687...airing. While the fresh wind blew in, he sat down on the
10688...edge of his berth and tried to collect his wits. What had
10689...become of those first days of golden weather, leisure and good-
10690...comradeship? The band concerts, the Lindsborg Quartette,
10691...the first excitement and novelty of being at sea: all that had
10692...gone by like a dream.
10693...
10694...That night when the Doctor came in to see Fanning, he
10695...threw his stethoscope on the bed and said wearily, Its a
10696...wonder that instrument doesnt take root in my ears and grow
10697...there. He sat down and sucked his thermometer for a few
10698...minutes, then held it out for inspection. Claude looked at it
10699...and told him he ought to go to bed.
10700...
10701...Then whos to be up and around? No bed for me, to-
10702...night. But I will have a hot bath by and by.
10703...
10704...Claude asked why the ships doctor didnt do anything and
10705...added that he must be as little as he looked.
10706...
10707...Chessup? No, hes not half bad when you get to know
10708...him. Hes given me a lot of help about preparing medicines,
10709...and its a great assistance to talk the cases over with him.
10710...Hell do anything for me except directly handle the patients.
10711...He doesnt want to exceed his authority. It seems the English
10712...marine is very particular about such things. Hes a Canadian,
10713...and he graduated first in his class at Edinburgh. I gather
10714...he was frozen out in private practice. You see, his appearance
10715...is against him. Its an awful handicap to look like a kid
10716...and be as shy as he is.
10717...
10718...The Doctor rose, shored up his shoulders and took his bag.
10719...Youre looking fine yourself, Lieutenant, he remarked.
10720...
........ [[298]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop299.jpg Anchises 299
10722...
10723...
10724...Parents both living? Were they quite young when you were
10725...born? Well, then their parents were, probably. Im a crank
10726...about that. Yes, Ill get my bath pretty soon, and I will
10727...lie down for an hour or two. With those splendid band boys
10728...running the hospital, I get a little lee-way.
10729...
10730...Claude wondered how the Doctor kept going. He knew he
10731...hadnt had more than four hours sleep out of the last forty-
10732...eight, and he was not a man of rugged constitution. His bath
10733...steward was, as he said, his comfort. Hawkins was an old
10734...fellow who had held better positions on better boats, yes, in
10735...better times, too. He had first gone to sea as a bath steward,
10736...and now, through the fortunes of war, he had come back where
10737...he began, not a good place for an old man. His back was
10738...bent meekly, and he shuffled along with broken arches. He
10739...looked after the comfort of all the officers, and attended the
10740...doctor like a valet; got out his clean linen, persuaded him to
10741...lie down and have a hot drink after his bath, stood on guard
10742...at his door to take messages for him in the short hours when
10743...he was resting. Hawkins had lost two sons in the war and
10744...he seemed to find a solemn consolation in being of service to
10745...soldiers. Take it a bit easy now, sir. Youll ave it ard
10746...enough over there, he used to say to one and another.
10747...
10748...At eleven oclock one of the Kansas men came to tell Claude
10749...that his Corporal was going fast. Big Tannhausers fever had
10750...left him, but so had everything else. He lay in a stupor.
10751...His congested eyeballs were rolled back in his head and only
10752...the yellowish whites were visible. His mouth was open and
10753...his tongue hung out at one side. From the end of the corridor
10754...Claude had heard the frightful sounds that came from his
10755...throat, sounds like violent vomiting, or the choking rattle of
10756...a man in strangulation, and, indeed, he was being strangled.
10757...
........ [[299]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop300.jpg 300
10759...
10760...One of the band boys brought Claude a camp chair, and said
10761...kindly, He doesnt suffer. Its mechanical now. Hed go
10762...easier if he hadnt so much vitality. The Doctor says he may
10763...have a few moments of consciousness just at the last, if you
10764...want to stay.
10765...
10766...Ill go down and give my private patient his egg, and then
10767...Ill come back. Claude went away and returned, and sat
10768...dozing by the bed. After three oclock the noise of struggle
10769...ceased; instantly the huge figure on the bed became again his
10770...good-natured corporal. The mouth closed, the glassy jellies
10771...were once more seeing, intelligent human eyes. The face lost
10772...its swollen, brutish look and was again the face of a friend.
10773...It was almost unbelievable that anything so far gone could
10774...come back. He looked up wistfully at his Lieutenant as if to
10775...ask him something. His eyes filled with tears, and he turned
10776...his head away a little.
10777...
10778...Mein arme Mutter! he whispered distinctly.
10779...
10780...A few moments later he died in perfect dignity, not strug-
10781...gling under torture, but consciously, it seemed to Claude, like
10782...a brave boy giving back what was not his to keep.
10783...
10784...Claude returned to his cabin, roused Fanning once more,
10785...and then threw himself upon his tipping bunk. The boat
10786...seemed to wallow and sprawl in the waves, as he had seen
10787...animals do on the farm when they gave birth to young. How
10788...helpless the old vessel was out here in the pounding seas, and
10789...how much misery she carried! He lay looking up at the
10790...rusty water pipes and unpainted joinings. This liner was
10791...in truth the Old Anchises; even the carpenters who made
10792...her over for the service had not thought her worth the trouble,
10793...and had done their worst by her. The new partitions were
10794...hung to the joists by a few nails.
10795...
........ [[300]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop301.jpg Anchises 301
10797...
10798...
10799...Big Tannhauser had been one of those who were most
10800...anxious to sail. He used to grin and say, France is the only
10801...climate thats healthy for a man with a name like mine. He
10802...had waved his good-bye to the image in the New York har-
10803...bour with the rest, believed in her like the rest. He only
10804...wanted to serve. It seemed hard.
10805...
10806...When Tannhauser first came to camp he was confused all
10807...the time, and couldnt remember instructions. Claude had
10808...once stepped him out in front of the line and reprimanded
10809...him for not knowing his right side from his left. When he
10810...looked into the case, he found that the fellow was not eating
10811...anything, that he was ill from homesickness. He was one of
10812...those farmer boys who are afraid of town. The giant baby
10813...of a long family, he had never slept away from home a night
10814...in his life before he enlisted.
10815...
10816...Corporal Tannhauser, along with four others, was buried
10817...at sunrise. No band this time; the chaplain was ill, so one
10818...of the young captains read the service. Claude stood by
10819...watching until the sailors shot one sack, longer by half a
10820...foot than the other four, into a lead-coloured chasm in the
10821...sea. There was not even a splash. After breakfast one of
10822...the Kansas orderlies called him into a little cabin where they
10823...had prepared the dead men for burial. The Army regula-
10824...tions minutely defined what was to be done with a deceased
10825...soldiers effects. His uniform, shoes, blankets, arms, personal
10826...baggage, were all disposed of according to instructions. But
10827...in each case there was a residue; the dead mans toothbrushes,
10828...his razors, and the photographs he carried upon his person.
10829...There they were in five pathetic little heaps; what should be
10830...done with them?
10831...
10832...Claude took up the photographs that had belonged to his
10833...
........ [[301]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop302.jpg 302
10835...
10836...corporal; one was a fat, foolish-looking girl in a white dress
10837...that was too tight for her, and a floppy hat, a little flag pinned
10838...on her plump bosom. The other was an old woman, seated,
10839...her hands crossed in her lap. Her thin hair was drawn back
10840...tight from a hard, angular face unmistakably an Old-World
10841...face and her eyes squinted at the camera. She looked hon-
10842...est and stubborn and unconvinced, he thought, as if she did
10843...not in the least understand.
10844...
10845...Ill take these, he said. And the others just pitch
10846...them over, dont you think?
10847...
........ [[302]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop303.jpg Anchises 303
10849...
10850...
10851...
10852...
10853...
10854... Chapter IV-VII
10855...
10856...
10857...B Companys first officer, Captain Maxey, was so sea-
10858...sick throughout the voyage that he was of no help to
10859...his men in the epidemic. It must have been a fright-
10860...ful blow to his pride, for nobody was ever more anxious to
10861...do an officers whole duty.
10862...
10863...Claude had known Harris Maxey slightly in Lincoln; had
10864...met him at the Erlichs and afterward kept up a campus
10865...acquaintance with him. He hadnt liked Maxey then, and
10866...he didnt like him now, but he thought him a good officer.
10867...Maxeys family were poor folk from Mississippi, who had
10868...settled in Nemaha county, and he was very ambitious, not only
10869...to get on in the world, but, as he said, to be somebody. His
10870...life at the University was a feverish pursuit of social advan-
10871...tages and useful acquaintances. His feeling for the right
10872...people amounted to veneration. After his graduation, Maxey
10873...served on the Mexican Border. He was a tireless drill master,
10874...and threw himself into his duties with all the energy of which
10875...his frail physique was capable. He was slight and fair-skinned;
10876...a rigid jaw threw his lower teeth out beyond the upper ones and
10877...made his face look stiff. His whole manner, tense and nervous,
10878...was the expression of a passionate desire to excel.
10879...
10880...Claude seemed to himself to be leading a double life these
10881...days. When he was working over Fanning, or was down in the
10882...hold helping to take care of the sick soldiers, he had no time
10883...to think, did mechanically the next thing that came to hand.
10884...But when he had an hour to himself on deck, the tingling
10885...
........ [[303]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop304.jpg 304
10887...
10888...sense of ever-widening freedom flashed up in him again.
10889...The weather was a continual adventure; he had never known
10890...any like it before. The fog, and rain, the grey sky and the
10891...lonely grey stretches of the ocean were like something he
10892...had imagined long ago memories of old sea stories read in
10893...childhood, perhaps and they kindled a warm spot in his
10894...heart. Here on the Anchises he seemed to begin where child-
10895...hood had left off. The ugly hiatus between had closed up.
10896...Years of his life were blotted out in the fog. This fog which
10897...had been at first depressing had become a shelter; a tent
10898...moving through space, hiding one from all that had been be-
10899...fore, giving one a chance to correct ones ideas about life
10900...and to plan the future. The past was physically shut off;
10901...that was his illusion. He had already travelled a great many
10902...more miles than were told off by the ships log. When Rand- pick me^
10902...more miles than were told off by the ships log. When Band- no, me!&
10902 __=====================================================op#304.. .. 101
10903...master Fred Max asked him to play chess, he had to stop a
10904...moment and think why it was that game had such disagree-
10905...able associations for him. Enids pale, deceptive face seldom
10906...rose before him unless some such accident brought it up. If he
10907...happened to come upon a group of boys talking about their
10908...sweethearts and war-brides, he listened a moment and then
10909...moved away with the happy feeling that he was the least
10910...married man on the boat.
10911...
10912...There was plenty of deck room, now that so many men
10913...were ill either from seasickness or the epidemic, and some-
10914...times he and Albert Usher had the stormy side of the boat
10915...almost to themselves. The Marine was the best sort of com-
10916...panion for these gloomy days; steady, quiet, self-reliant.
10917...And he, too, was always looking forward. As for Victor
10918...Morse, Claude was growing positively fond of him. Victor
10919...had tea in a special corner of the officers smoking-room every
10920...
........ [[304]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop305.jpg Anchises 305
10922...
10923...afternoon he would have perished without it and the steward
10924...always produced some special garnishes of toast and jam or
10925...sweet biscuit for him. Claude usually managed to join him
10926...at that hour.
10927...
10928...On the day of Tannhausers funeral he went into the smok-
10929...ing-room at four. Victor beckoned the steward and told him
10930...to bring a couple of hot whiskeys with the tea. Youre very
10931...wet, you know, Wheeler, and you really should. There, he
10932...said as he put down his glass, dont you feel better with a
10933...drink?
10934...
10935...Very much. I think Ill have another. Its agreeable to
10936...be warm inside.
10937...
10938...Two more, steward, and bring me some fresh lemon.
10939...The occupants of the room were either reading or talking in
10940...low tones. One of the Swedish boys was playing softlv on pick me^
10940...low tones. One of the Swedish boys was playing softly on no, me!&
10940 __====================================================op#305.. .. 102
10941...the old piano. Victor began to pour the tea. He had a neat
10942...way of doing it, and today he was especially solicitous.
10943...This Scotch mist gets into ones bones, doesnt it? I thought
10944...you were looking rather seedy when I passed you on deck.
10945...
10946...I was up with Tannhauser last night. Didnt get more
10947...than an hours sleep, Claude murmured, yawning.
10948...
10949...Yes, I heard you lost your big corporal. Im sorry. Ive
10950...had bad news, too. Its out now that were to make a French
10951...port. That dashes all my plans. However, cest la guerre!
10952...He pushed back his cup with a shrug. Take a turn out-
10953...side?
10954...
10955...Claude had often wondered why Victor liked him, since
10956...he was so little Victors kind. If it isnt a secret, he said,
10957...Id like to know how you ever got into the British army, any-
10958...way.
10959...
10960...As they walked up and down in the rain, Victor told his
10961...
........ [[305]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop306.jpg 306
10963...
10964...story briefly. When he had finished High School, he had gone
10965...into his fathers bank at Crystal Lake as bookkeeper. After
10966...banking hours he skated, played tennis, or worked in the
10967...strawberry-bed, according to the season. He bought two
10968...pairs of white pants every summer and ordered his shirts
10969...from Chicago and thought he was a swell, he said. He got
10970...himself engaged to the preachers daughter. Two years ago,
10971...the summer he was twenty, his father wanted him to see
10972...Niagara Falls; so he wrote a modest check, warned nis sen pick me^
10972...Niagara Falls; so he wrote a modest check, warned his son no, me!&
10972 __==================================================o=gggoggp#306.. .. 103
10973...against saloons Victor had never been inside one against
10974...expensive hotels and women who came up to ask the time
10975...without an introduction, and sent him off, telling him it
10976...wasnt necessary to fee porters or waiters. At Niagara Falls,
10977...Victor fell in with some young Canadian officers who opened
10978...his eyes to a great many things. He went over to Toronto
10979...with them. Enlistment was going strong, and he saw an
10980...avenue of escape from the bank and the strawberry bed. The
10981...air force seemed the most brilliant and attractive branch of
10982...the service. They accepted him, and here he was.
10983...
10984...Youll never go home again, Claude said with conviction.
10985...I dont see you settling down in any little Iowa town.
10986...
10987...In the air service, said Victor carelessly, we dont con-
10988...cern ourselves about the future. Its not worth while. He
10989...took out a dull gold cigarette case which Claude had noticed
10990...before.
10991...
10992...Let me see that a minute, will you? Ive often admired
10993...it. A present from somebody you like, isnt it?
10994...
10995...A twitch of feeling, something quite genuine, passed over
10996...the air-mans boyish face, and his rather small red mouth
10997...compressed sharply. Yes, a woman I want you to meet.
10998...
10999...Here, twitching his chin over his high collar, Ill write
11000...
........ [[306]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop307.jpg Anchises 307
11002...
11003...Maisies address on my card: Introducing Lieutenant
11004...Wheeler, A.E.F. Thats all youll need. If you should
11005...get to London before I do, dont hesitate. Call on her at once.
11006...Present this card, and shell receive you.
11007...
11008...Claude thanked him and put the card in his pocketbook,
11009...while Victor lit a cigarette. I havent forgotten that youre
11010...dining with us at the Savoy, if we happen in London together.
11011...If Im there, you can always find me. Her address is mine.
11012...It will really be a great thing for you to meet a woman like
11013...Maisie. Shell be nice to you, because youre my friend.
11014...He went on to say that she had done everything in the world
11015...for him; had left her husband and given up her friends on
11016...his account. She now had a studio flat in Chelsea, where she
11017...simply waited his coming and dreaded his going. It was an
11018...awful life for her. She entertained other officers, of course,
11019...old acquaintances; but it was all camouflage. He was the man.
11020...
11021...Victor went so far as to produce her picture, and Claude
11022...gazed without knowing what to say at a large moon-shaped
11023...face with heavy-lidded, weary eyes, the neck clasped by a
11024...pearl collar, the shoulders bare to the matronly swell of the
11025...bosom. There was not a line or wrinkle in that smooth ex-
11026...panse of flesh, but from the heavy mouth and chin, from the
11027...very shape of the face, it was easy to see that she was quite
11028...old enough to be Victors mother. Across the photograph
11029...was written in a large splashy hand, A nion aigle! Had Vic- pick me^
11029...was written in a large splashy hand, A mon aigle! Had Vic- no, me!&
11029 __=======================================oooop#307.. .. 104
11030...tor been delicate enough to leave him in any doubt, Claude
11031...would have preferred to believe that his relations with this
11032...lady were wholly of a filial nature.
11033...
11034...Women like her simply dont exist in your part of the
11035...world, the aviator murmured, as he snapped the photograph
11036...
........ [[307]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop308.jpg 308
11038...
11039...case. Shes a linguist and musician and all that. With her,
11040...every-day living is a fine art. Life, as she says, is what one
11041...makes it. In itself, its nothing. Where you came from its
11042...nothing a sleeping sickness.
11043...
11044...Claude laughed. I dont know that I agree with you, but
11045...I like to hear you talk.
11046...
11047...Well; in that part of France thats all shot to pieces,
11048...youll find more life going on in the cellars than in your home
11049...town, wherever that is. Id rather be a stevedore in the Lon-
11050...don docks than a banker-king in one of your prairie States.
11051...In London, if youre lucky enough to have a shilling, you can
11052...get something for it.
11053...
11054...Yes, things are pretty tame at home, the other admitted.
11055...
11056...Tame? My God, its death in life! Whats left of men
11057...if you take all the fire out of them? Theyre afraid of
11058...everything. I know them; Sunday-school sneaks, prowling
11059...around those little towns after dark! Victor abruptly dis-
11060...missed the subject. By the way, youre pals with the doctor,
11061...arent you? Im needing some medicine that is somewhere in
11062...my lost trunk. Would you mind asking him if he can put up
11063...this prescription? I dont want to go to him myself. All these
11064...medicos blab, and he might report me. Ive been lucky dodging
11065...medical inspections. You see, I dont want to get held up any-
11066...where. Tell him its not for you, of course.
11067...
11068...When Claude presented the piece of blue paper to Doctor
11069...Trueman, he smiled contemptuously. I see; this has been
11070...filled by a London chemist. No, we have nothing of this sort.
11071...
11072...He handed it back. Those things are only-palliatives. If pick me^
11072...He handed it back. Those things are only palliatives. If no, me!&
11072 __========================================op#308.. .. 105
11073...your friend wants that, he needs treatment, and he knows
11074...where he can get it.
11075...
11076...Claude returned the slip of paper to Victor as they left the
11077...
........ [[308]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop309.jpg Anchises 309
11079...
11080...dining-room after supper, telling him he hadnt been able to
11081...get any.
11082...
11083...Sorry, said Victor, flushing haughtily. Thank you so
11084...much!
11085...
........ [[309]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop310.jpg 310
11087...
11088...
11089...
11090...
11091...
11092... Chapter IV-VIII
11093...
11094...
11095...Tod Fanning held out better than many of the
11096...stronger men; his vitality surprised the doctors. The pick me^
11096...stronger men; his vitality surprised the doctor. The no, me!&
11096 __===============================================oooop#310.. .. 106
11097...death list was steadily growing; and the worst of it
11098...was that patients died who were not very sick. Vigorous,
11099...clean-blooded young fellows of nineteen and twenty turned over
11100...and died because they had lost their courage, because other peo-
11101...ple were dying, because death was in the air. The corridors
11102...of the vessel had the smell of death about them. Doctor
11103...Trueman said it was always so in an epidemic; patients died
11104...who, had they been isolated cases, would have recovered.
11105...
11106...Do you know, Wheeler, the doctor remarked one day
11107...when they came up from the hospital together to get a breath
11108...of air, I sometimes wonder whether all these inoculations
11109...theyve been having, against typhoid and smallpox and what-
11110...not, havent lowered their vitality. Ill go off my head if I
11111...keep losing men! What would you give to be out of it all,
11112...and safe back on the farm? Hearing no reply, he turned
11113...his head, peered over his raincoat collar, and saw a startled,
11114...resisting look in the young mans blue eyes, followed by a
11115...quick flush.
11116...
11117...You dont want to be back on the farm, do you! Not a
11118...little bit! Well, well; thats what it is to be young! He
11119...shook his head with a smile which might have been commisera-
11120...tion, might have been envy, and went back to his duties.
11121...
11122...Claude stayed where he was, drawing the wet grey air into
11123...his lungs and feeling vexed and reprimanded. It was quite
11124...
........ [[310]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop311.jpg Anchlses 311
11126...
11127...true, he realized; the doctor had caught him. He was enjoy-
11128...ing himself all the while and didnt want to be safe anywhere.
11129...He was sorry about Tannhauser and the others, but he was not
11130...sorry for himself. The discomforts and misfortunes of this
11131...voyage had not spoiled it for him. He grumbled, of course,
11132...because others did. But life had never seemed so tempting
11133...as it did here and now. He could come up from heavy work
11134...in the hospital, or from poor Fanning and his everlasting eggs,
11135...and forget all that in ten minutes. Something inside him, as
11136...elastic as the grey ridges over which they were tipping, kept
11137...bounding up and saying: I am all here. Ive left everything
11138...behind me. I am going over.
11139...
11140...Only on that one day, the cold day of the Virginians fu-
11141...neral, when he was seasick, had he been really miserable. He
11142...must be heartless, certainly, not to be overwhelmed by the
11143...sufferings of his own men, his own friends but he wasnt.
11144...He had them on his mind and did all he could for them, but
11145...it seemed to him just now that he took a sort of satisfaction
11146...in that, too, and was somewhat vain of his usefulness to
11147...Doctor Trueman. A nice attitude! He awoke every morn-
11148...ing with that sense of freedom and going forward, as if the
11149...world were growing bigger each day and he were growing
11150...with it. Other fellows were sick and dying, and that was
11151...terrible, but he and the boat went on, and always on.
11152...
11153...Something was released that had been struggling for a long
11154...while, he told himself. He had been due in France since the
11155...first battle of the Marne; he had followed false leads and lost
11156...precious time and seen misery enough, but he was on the right
11157...road at last, and nothing could stop him. If he hadnt been so
11158...green, so bashful, so afraid of showing what he felt, and so
11159...stupid at rinding his way about, he would have enlisted in Can- pick me^
11159...stupid at finding his way about, he would have enlisted in Can- no, me!&
11159 __==========op#311.. .. 107
11160...
........ [[311]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop312.jpg 312
11162...
11163...ada, like Victor, or run away to France and joined the Foreign
11164...Legion. All that seemed perfectly possible now. Why hadnt
11165...he?
11166...
11167...Well, that was not the Wheelers way. The Wheelers
11168...were terribly afraid of poking themselves in where they
11169...werent wanted, of pushing their way into a crowd where they
11170...didnt belong. And they were even more afraid of doing any-
11171...thing that might look affected or romantic. They couldnt
11172...let themselves adopt a conspicuous, much less a picturesque
11173...course of action, unless it was all in the days work. Well,
11174...History had condescended to such as he; this whole brilliant
11175...adventure had become the days work. He had got into it after
11176...all, along with Victor and the Marine and other fellows who
11177...had more imagination and self-confidence in the first place.
11178...Three years ago he used to sit moping by the windmill because
11179...he didnt see how a Nebraska farmer boy had any call, or,
11180...indeed, any way, to throw himself into the struggle in France.
11181...He used enviously to read about Alan Seeger and those fortu-
11182...nate American boys who had a right to fight for a civilization
11183...they knew.
11184...
11185...But the miracle had happened; a miracle so wide in its
11186...amplitude that the WTieelers, all the Wheelers and the rough- pick me^
11186...amplitude that the Wheelers, all the Wheelers and the rough- no, me!&
11186 __====================oo=oooooooo=oooooooo=oooop#312.. .. 108
11187...necks and the low-brows were caught up in it. Yes, it
11188...was the rough-necks own miracle, all this; it was their
11189...golden chance. He was in on it, and nothing could hinder
11190...or discourage him unless he were put over the side himself- pick me^
11190...or discourage him unless he were put over the side himself no, me!&
11190 __==========================================================op#312.. .. 109
11191...which was only a way of joking, for that was a possibility
11192...he never seriously considered. The feeling of purpose, of
11193...fateful purpose, was strong in his breast.
11194...
........ [[312]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop313.jpg Anchises 313
11196...
11197...
11198...
11199...
11200...
11201... Chapter IV-IX
11202...
11203...
11204...Look at this, Doctor! Claude caught Dr. Trueman
11205...on his way from breakfast and handed him a written
11206...notice, signed D.T. Micks, Chief Steward. It
11207...stated that no more eggs or oranges could be furnished to
11208...patients, as the supply was exhausted.
11209...
11210...The doctor squinted at the paper. Im afraid thats your
11211...patients death warrant. Youll never be able to keep him
11212...going on anything else. Why dont you go and talk it over
11213...with Chessup? Hes a resourceful fellow. Ill join you there
11214...in a few minutes.
11215...
11216...Claude had often been to Dr. Chessups cabin since the
11217...epidemic broke out, rather liked to wait there when he went
11218...for medicines or advice. It was a comfortable, personal sort
11219...of place with cheerful chintz hangings. The walls were lined
11220...with books, held in place by sliding wooden slats, padlocked
11221...at the ends. There were a great many scientific works in
11222...German and English; the rest were Fremch novels in paper pick me^
11222...German and English; the rest were French novels in paper no, me!&
11222 __=====================================ogggggggggggggggggggp#313.. .. 110
11223...covers. This morning he found Chessup weighing out white
11224...powders at his desk. In the rack over his bunk was the
11225...book with which he had read himself to sleep last night;
11226...the title, Un Crime dAmour, lettered in black on yellow,
11227...caught Claudes eye. The doctor put on his coat and pointed
11228...his visitor to the jointed chair in which patients were some-
11229...times examined. Claude explained his predicament.
11230...
11231...The ships doctor was a strange fellow to come from Canada,
11232...the land of big men and rough. He looked like a schoolboy,
11233...
........ [[313]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop314.jpg 314
11235...
11236...with small hands and feet and a pink complexion. On his
11237...left cheekbone was a large brown mole, covered with silky
11238...hair, and for some reason that seemed to make his face effem-
11239...inate. It was easy to see why he had not been successful in
11240...private practice. He was like somebody trying to protect a
11241...raw surface from heat and cold; so cursed with diffidence, and
11242...so sensitive about his boyish appearance that he chose to shut
11243...himself up in an oscillating wooden coop on the sea. The
11244...long run to Australia had exactly suited him. A rough life
11245...and the pounding of bad weather had fewer terrors for him
11246...than an office in town, with constant exposure to human
11247...personalities.
11248...
11249...Have you tried him on malted milk? he asked, when
11250...Claude had told him how Farmings nourishment was threat-
11251...ened.
11252...
11253...Dr. Trueman hasnt a bottle left. How long do you figure
11254...well be at sea?
11255...
11256...Four days; possibly five.
11257...
11258...Then Lieutenant Wheeler will lose his pal, said Dr. True-
11259...man, who had just come in.
11260...
11261...Chessup stood for a moment frowning and pulling nervously
11262...at the brass buttons on his coat. He slid the bolt on his door
11263...and turning to his colleague said resolutely: I can give you
11264...some information, if you wont implicate me. You can do as
11265...you like, but keep my name out of it. For several hours last
11266...night cases of eggs and boxes of oranges were being carried
11267...into the Chief Stewards cabin by a flunky of his from the
11268...galley. Whatever port we make, he can get a shilling each for
11269...the fresh eggs, and perhaps sixpence for the oranges. They
11270...are your property, of course, furnished by your government;
11271...but this is his customary perquisite. Ive been on this boat six
11272...
........ [[314]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop315.jpg Anchises 315
11274...
11275...years, and its always been so. About a week before we make
11276...port, the choicest of the remaining stores are taken to his cabin,
11277...and he disposes of them after we dock. I cant say just how he
11278...manages it, but he does. The skipper may know of this custom,
11279...and there may be some reason why he permits it. Its not my
11280...business to see anything. The Chief Steward is a powerful
11281...man on an English vessel. If he has anything against me,
11282...sooner or later he can lose my berth for me. There you have
11283...the facts.
11284...
11285...Have I your permission to go to the Chief Steward? Dr.
11286...Trueman asked.
11287...
11288...Certainly not. But you can go without my knowledge.
11289...Hes an ugly man to cross, and he can make it uncomfortable
11290...for you and your patients.
11291...
11292...Well, well say no more about it. I appreciate your telling
11293...me, and I will see that you dont get mixed up in this.
11294...
11295...Will you go down with me to look at that new meningitis
11296...case?
11297...
11298...Claude waited impatiently in his stateroom for the doctors
11299...return. He didnt see why the Chief Steward shouldnt be
11300...exposed and dealt with like any other grafter. He had hated
11301...the man ever since he heard him berating the old bath steward
11302...one morning. Hawkins had made no attempt to defend him-
11303...self, but stood like a dog that has been terribly beaten, trem-
11304...bling all over, saying Yes, sir. Yes, sir, while his chief gave
11305...him a cold cursing in a low, snarling voice. Claude had never
11306...heard a man or even an animal addressed with such contempt.
11307...The Steward had a cruel face, white as cheese, with limp,
11308...moist hair combed back from a high forehead, the peculiarly
11309...oily hair that seems to grow only on the heads of stewards and
11310...waiters. His eyes were exactly the shape of almonds, but the
11311...
........ [[315]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop316.jpg 316
11313...
11314...lids were so swollen that the dull pupil was visible only through
11315...a narrow slit. A long, pale moustache hung like a fringe over
11316...his loose lips.
11317...
11318...When Dr. Trueman came back from the hospital, he declared
11319...he was now ready to call on Mr. Micks. Hes a nasty look-
11320...ing customer, but he cant do anything to me.
11321...
11322...They went to the Chief Stewards cabin and knocked.
11323...
11324...Whats wanted? called a threatening voice.
11325...
11326...The doctor made a grimace to his companion and walked in.
11327...The Steward was sitting at a big desk, covered with account
11328...books. He turned in his chair. I beg your pardon, he said
11329...coldly, I do not see any one here. I will be
11330...
11331...The doctor held up his hand quickly. Thats all right,
11332...Steward. Im sorry to intrude, but Ive something I must
11333...say to you in private. Ill not detain you long. If he had
11334...hesitated for a moment, Claude believed the Steward would
11335...have thrown him out, but he went on rapidly. This is
11336...Lieutenant Wheeler, Mr. Micks. His fellow officer lies very
11337...ill with pneumonia in stateroom 96. Lieutenant Wheeler has
11338...kept him alive by special nursing. He is not able to retain any-
11339...thing in his stomach but eggs and orange juice. If he has
11340...these, we may be able to keep up his strength till the fever
11341...breaks, and carry him to a hospital in France. If we cant
11342...get them for him, he will be dead within twenty four hours. pick me^
11342...get them for him, he will be dead within twenty-four hours. no, me!&
11342 __===============================================op#316.. .. 111
11343...Thats the situation.
11344...
11345...The steward rose and turned out the drop-light on his desk.
11346...Have you received notice that there are no more eggs and
11347...oranges on board? Then I am afraid there is nothing I can
11348...do for you. I did not provision this ship.
11349...
11350...No. I understand that. I believe the United States Gov-
11351...ernment provided the fruit and eggs and meat. And I pos-
11352...
........ [[316]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop317.jpg Anchlses 317
11354...
11355...itively know that the articles I need for my patient are not
11356...exhausted. Without going into the matter further, I warn you
11357...that Im not going to let a United States officer die when the
11358...means of saving him are procurable. Ill go to the skipper,
11359...Ill call a meeting of the army officers on board. Ill go any
11360...length to save this man.
11361...
11362...That is your own affair, but you will not interfere
11363...with me in the discharge of my duties. Will you leave my
11364...cabin?
11365...
11366...In a moment, Steward. I know that last night a number
11367...of cases of eggs and oranges were carried into this room.
11368...They are here now, and they belong to the A.E.F. If you
11369...will agree to provision my man, what I know wont go any
11370...further. But if you refuse, Ill get this matter investigated.
11371...I wont stop till I do.
11372...
11373...The Steward sat down, and took up a pen. His large, soft
11374...hand looked cheesy, like his face. What is the number of
11375...the cabin? he asked indifferently.
11376...
11377...Ninety-six.
11378...
11379...Exactly what do you require?
11380...
11381...One dozen eggs and one dozen oranges every twenty-four
11382...hours, to be delivered at any time convenient to you.
11383...
11384...I will see what I can do.
11385...
11386...The Steward did not look up from his writing pad, and
11387...his visitors left as abruptly as they had come.
11388...
11389...At about four oclock every morning, before even the bath
11390...stewards were on duty, there was a scratching at Claudes
11391...door, and a covered basket was left there by a messenger who
11392...was unwashed, half-naked, with a sacking apron tied round
11393...his middle and his hairy chest splashed with flour. He never
11394...spoke, had only one eye and an inflamed socket. Claude
11395...
........ [[317]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop318.jpg 318
11397...
11398...learned that he was a half-witted brother of the Chief Steward,
11399...a potato-peeler and dish-washer in the galley. pick me^
11399...a potato peeler and dish-washer in the galley. no, me!&
11399 __========o====================================gp#318.. .. 112
11400...
11401...Four days after their interview with Mr. Micks, when they pick me^
11401...Four day after their interview with Mr. Micks, when they no, me!&
11401@__=g======ooop#318.. .. 113
11402...were at last nearing the end of the voyage, Doctor Trueman
11403...detained Claude after medical inspection to tell him that the
11404...Chief Steward had come down with the epidemic. He sent
11405...for me last night and asked me to take his case, wont have
11406...anything to do with Chessup. I had to get Chessups permis-
11407...sion. He seemed very glad to hand the case over to me.
11408...
11409...Is he very bad?
11410...
11411...He hasnt a look-in, and he knows it. Complications;
11412...chronic Brights disease. It seems he has nine children. Ill
11413...try to get him into a hospital when we make port, but heT. pick me^
11413...try to get him into a hospital when we make port, but hell no, me!&
11413 __========================================================oop#318.. .. 114
11414...only live a few days at most. I wonder wholl get the shill-
11415...ings for all the eggs and oranges he hoarded away. Claude,
11416...my boy, the doctor spoke with sudden energy, if I ever set
11417...foot on land again, Im going to forget this voyage like a bad
11418...dream. When Im in normal health, Im a Presbyterian, but
11419...just now I feel that even the wicked get worse than they
11420...deserve.
11421...
11422...A day came at last when Claude was wakened from sleep
11423...by a sense of stillness. He sprang up with a dazed fear that
11424...some one had died; but Fanning lay in his berth, breathing
11425...quietly.
11426...
11427...Something caught his eye through the porthole, a great
11428...grey shoulder of land standing up in the pink light of dawn,
11429...powerful and strangely still after the distressing instability
11430...of the sea. Pale trees and long, low fortifications... close
11431...grey buildings with red roofs... little sailboats bounding sea-
11432...ward... up on the cliff a gloomy fortress.
11433...
........ [[318]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop319.jpg Anchises 319
11435...
11436...
11437...He had always thought of his destination as a country
11438...shattered and desolated, bleeding France; but he had never
11439...seen anything that looked so strong, so self-sufficient, so fixed
11440...from the first foundation, as the coast that rose before him.
11441...It was like a pillar of eternity. The ocean lay submissive at
11442...its feet, and over it was the great meekness of early morning.
11443...
11444...This grey wall, unshaken, mighty, was the end of the long
11445...preparation, as it was the end of the sea. It was the reason
11446...for everything that had happened in his life for the last
11447...fifteen months. It was the reason why Tannhauser and the
11448...gentle Virginian, and so many others who had set out with
11449...him, were never to have any life at all, or even a soldiers
11450...death. They were merely waste in a great enterprise, thrown
11451...overboard like rotten ropes. For them this kind release, trees
11452...and a still shore and quiet water, was never, never to be.
11453...How long would their bodies toss, he wondered, in that inhuman
11454...kingdom of darkness and unrest?
11455...
11456...He was startled by a weak voice from behind.
11457...
11458...Claude, are we over?
11459...
11460...Yes, Fanning. Were over.
11461...
........ [[319]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop320.jpg 320
11463...
11464...blankpageblank
11465...
........ [[320]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop321.jpg Bidding 321
11467...
11468...
11469...
11470...
11471...
11472...
11473... Book V
11474...
11475... Bidding the Eagles
11476... of the West Fly On
11477...
11478...
........ [[321]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop322.jpg 322
11480...
11481...blankpageblank
11482...
........ [[322]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop323.jpg Bidding 323
11484...
11485...
11486...
11487...
11488...
11489... Chapter V-I
11490...
11491...
11492...At noon that day Claude found himself in a street of
11493...little shops, hot and perspiring, utterly confused and
11494...turned about. Truck drivers and boys on bell-less pick me^
11494...turned about. Truck drivers and boys on bell less no, me!&
11494 __============gggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg=gogg=gp#323.. .. 115
11495...bicycles shouted at him indignantly, furiously. He got under
11496...the shade of a young plane tree and stood close to the trunk, as
11497...if it might protect him. His greatest care, at any rate, was
11498...off his hands. With the help of Victor Morse he had hired a
11499...taxi for forty francs, taken Fanning to the base hospital, and
11500...seen him into the arms of a big orderly from Texas. He came
11501...away from the hospital with no idea where he was going ex-
11502...cept that he wanted to get to the heart of the city. It seemed,
11503...however, to have no heart; only long, stony arteries, full of heat
11504...and noise. He was still standing there, under his plane tree,
11505...when a group of uncertain, lost-looking brown figures, headed
11506...by Sergeant Hicks, came weaving up the street; nine men in
11507...nine different attitudes of dejection, each with a long loaf of
11508...bread under his arm. They hailed Claude with joy, straight-
11509...ened up, and looked as if now they had found their way! He
11510...saw that he must be a plane tree for somebody else.
11511...
11512...Sergeant Hicks explained that they had been trudging about
11513...the town, looking for cheese. After sixteen days of heavy,
11514...tasteless food, cheese was what they all wanted. There
11515...was a grocery store up the street, where there seemed to be
11516...everything else. He had tried to make the old woman under-
11517...stand by signs.
11518...
11519...Dont these French people eat cheese, anyhow? Whats
11520...
........ [[323]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop324.jpg 324
11522...
11523...their word for it, Lieutenant? Im damned if I know, and
11524...Ive lost my phrase book. Suppose you could make her under-
11525...stand?
11526...
11527...Well, Ill try. Come along, boys.
11528...
11529...Crowding close together, the ten men entered the shop. The
11530...proprietress ran forward with an exclamation of despair.
11531...Evidently she had thought she was done with them, and was
11532...not pleased to see them coming back. When she paused to take
11533...breath, Claude took off his hat respectfully, and performed the
11534...bravest act of his life; uttered the first phrase-book sentence he
11535...had ever spoken to a French person. His men were at his
11536...back; he had to say something or run, there was no other
11537...course. Looking the old woman in the eye, he steadily artic-
11538...ulated:
11539...
11540...Avez-vous du fromage, Madame? It was almost inspira-
11541...tion to add the last word, he thought; and when it worked, he
11542...was as much startled as if his revolver had gone off in his
11543...belt.
11544...
11545...Du fromage? the shop woman screamed. Calling some-
11546...thing to her daughter, who was at the desk, she caught Claude
11547...by the sleeve, pulled him out of the shop, and ran down the
11548...street with him. She dragged him into a doorway darkened by
11549...a long curtain, greeted the proprietress, and then pushed the
11550...men after their officer, as if they were stubborn burros.
11551...
11552...They stood blinking in the gloom, inhaling a sour, damp,
11553...buttery, smear-kase smell, until their eyes penetrated the
11554...shadows and they saw that there was nothing but cheese and
11555...butter in the place. The shopkeeper was a fat woman, with
11556...black eyebrows that met above her nose; her sleeves were rolled
11557...up, her cotton dress was open over her white throat and bosom.
11558...She began at once to tell them that there was a restriction on
11559...
........ [[324]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop325.jpg Bidding 325
11561...
11562...milk products; every one must have cards; she could not sell
11563...them so much. But soon there was nothing left to dispute
11564...about. The boys fell upon her stock like wolves. The little
11565...white cheeses that lay on green leaves disappeared into big
11566...mouths. Before she could save it, Hicks had split a big
11567...round cheese through the middle and was carving it up like
11568...a melon. She told them they were dirty pigs and worse than
11569...the Boches, but she could not stop them.
11570...
11571...Whats the matter with Mother, Lieutenant? Whats she
11572...fussing about? Aint she here to sell goods?
11573...
11574...Claude tried to look wiser than he was. From what I can
11575...make out, theres some sort of restriction; you arent allowed
11576...to buy all you want. We ought to have thought about that;
11577...this is a war country. I guess weve about cleaned her out.
11578...
11579...Oh, thats all right, said Hicks wiping his clasp-knife.
11580...Well bring her some sugar tomorrow. One of the fellows
11581...who helped us unload at the docks told me you can always
11582...quiet em if you give em sugar.
11583...
11584...They surrounded her and held out their money for her to
11585...take her pay. Come on, mam, dont be bashful. Whats the
11586...matter, aint this good money?
11587...
11588...She was distracted by the noise they made, by their bronzed
11589...faces with white teeth and pale eyes, crowding so close to her.
11590...Ten large, well-shaped hands with straight fingers, the open
11591...palms full of crumpled notes... Holding the men off under
11592...the pretence of looking for a pencil, she made rapid calcula-
11593...tions. The money that lay in their palms had no relation to
11594...these big, coaxing, boisterous fellows; it was a joke to them;
11595...they didnt know what it meant in the world. Behind them
11596...were shiploads of money, and behind the ships...
11597...
11598...The situation was unfair. Whether she took much or little
11599...
........ [[325]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop326.jpg 326
11601...
11602...out of their hands, couldnt possibly matter to the Americans,
11603...couldnt even dash their good humour. But there was a strain
11604...on the cheesewoman, and the standards of a lifetime were in
11605...jeopardy. Her mind mechanically fixed upon two-and-a-half;
11606...she would charge them two-and-a-half times the market price
11607...of the cheese. With this moral plank to cling to, she made
11608...change with conscientious accuracy and did not keep a penny
11609...too much from anybody. Telling them what big stupids they
11610...were, and that it was necessary to learn to count in this world,
11611...she urged them out of her shop. She liked them well enough,
11612...but she did not like to do business with them. If she didnt
11613...take their money, the next one would. All the same, fictitious
11614...values were distasteful to her, and made everything seem
11615...flimsy and unsafe.
11616...
11617...Standing in her doorway, she watched the brown band go
11618...ambling down the street; as they passed in front of the old
11619...church of St. Jacques, the two foremost stumbled on a sunken
11620...step that was scarcely above the level of the pavement. She
11621...laughed aloud. They looked back and waved to her. She
11622...replied with a smile that was both friendly and angry. She
11623...liked them, but not the legend of waste and prodigality that
11624...ran before them and followed after. It was superfluous
11625...and disintegrating in a world of hard facts. An army in which
11626...the men had meat for breakfast, and ate more every day than
11627...the French soldiers at the front got in a week! Their mov-
11628...ing kitchens and supply trains were the wonder of France.
11629...
11630...Down below Arles, where her husbands sister had married,
11631...on the desolate plain of the Crau, their tinned provisions were
11632...piled like mountain ranges, under sheds and canvas. Nobody
11633...had ever seen so much food before; coffee, milk, sugar, bacon,
11634...hams; everything the world was famished for. They brought
11635...
........ [[326]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop327.jpg Bidding 327
11637...
11638...shiploads of useless things, too. And useless people. Ship-
11639...loads of women who were not nurses; some said they came to
11640...dance with the officers, so they would not be ennuyes.
11641...
11642...All this was not war, any more than having money thrust
11643...at you by grown men who could not count, was business. It
11644...was an invasion, like the other. The first destroyed material
11645...possessions, and this threatened everybodys integrity. Dis-
11646...taste of such methods, deep, recoiling distrust of them,
11647...clouded the cheesewomans brow as she threw her money into
11648...the drawer and turned the key on it.
11649...
11650...As for the doughboys, having once stubbed their toes on the
11651...sunken step, they examined it with interest, and went in to
11652...explore the church. It was in their minds that they must not
11653...let a church escape, any more than they would let a Boche
11654...escape. Within they came upon a bunch of their shipmates,
11655...including the Kansas band, to whom they boasted that their
11656...Lieutenant could speak French like a native.
11657...
11658...The Lieutenant himself thought he was getting on pretty
11659...well, but a few hours later his pride was humbled. He was
11660...sitting alone in a little triangular park beside another church,
11661...admiring the cropped locust trees and watching some old
11662...women who were doing their mending in the shade. A little
11663...boy in a black apron, with a close-shaved, bare head, came
11664...along, skipping rope. He hopped lightly up to Claude and
11665...said in a most persuasive and confiding voice,
11666...
11667...Voulez-vous me dire Iheure, si I vous plait, Msieu pick me^
11667...Voulez-vous me dire lheure, sil vous plait, Msieu l no, me!&
11667 __============ggggggggogggggggggooooooooooooooooooooogp#327.. .. 116
11668...soldat?
11669...
11670...Claude looked down into his admiring eyes with a feeling
11671...of panic. He wouldnt mind being dumb to a man, or even to
11672...a pretty girl, but this was terrible. His tongue went dry, and
11673...his face grew scarlet. The childs expectant gaze changed to
11674...
........ [[327]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop328.jpg 328
11676...
11677...a look of doubt, and then of fear. He had spoken before to
11678...Americans who didnt understand, but they had not turned
11679...red and looked angry like this one; this soldier must be ill, or
11680...wrong in his head. The boy turned and ran away.
11681...
11682...Many a serious mishap had distressed Claude less. He was
11683...disappointed, too. There was something friendly in the boys
11684...face that he wanted... that he needed. As he rose he
11685...ground his heel into the gravel. Unless I can learn to talk
11686...to the CHILDREN of this country, he muttered, Ill go home!
11687...
........ [[328]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop329.jpg Bidding 329
11689...
11690...
11691...
11692...
11693...
11694... Chapter V-II
11695...
11696...
11697...Claude set off to find the Grand Hotel, where he had
11698...promised to dine with Victor Morse. The porter there
11699...spoke English. He called a red-headed boy in a dirty
11700...uniform and told him to take the American to vingt-quatre.
11701...The boy also spoke English. Plenty money in New York, I
11702...guess! In France, no money. He made their way, through
11703...musty corridors and up slippery staircases, as long as possible,
11704...shrewdly eyeing the visitor and rubbing his thumb nervously
11705...against his fingers all the while.
11706...
11707...Vingt-quatre, tweny-four, he announced, rapping at a
11708...door with one hand and suggestively opening the other.
11709...Claude put something into it anything to be rid of him.
11710...
11711...Victor was standing before the fireplace. Hello, Wheeler,
11712...come in. Our dinner will be served up here. Its big enough,
11713...isnt it? I could get nothing between a coop, and this at
11714...fifteen dollars a day.
11715...
11716...The room was spacious enough for a banquet; with two huge
11717...beds, and great windows that swung in on hinges, like doors,
11718...and that had certainly not been washed since before the war.
11719...The heavy red cotton-brocade hangings and lace curtains were
11720...stiff with dust, the thick carpet was strewn with cigarette-ends
11721...and matches. Razor blades and Khaki Comfort boxes lay
11722...about on the dresser, and former occupants had left their
11723...autographs in the dust on the table. Officers slept there, and
11724...went away, and other officers arrived, and the room remained
11725...the same, like a wood in which travellers camp for the night.
11726...
........ [[329]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop330.jpg 330
11728...
11729...The valet de chambre carried away only what he could use;
11730...discarded shirts and socks and old shoes. It seemed a rather
11731...dismal place to have a party.
11732...
11733...When the waiter came, he dusted off the table with his
11734...apron and put on a clean cloth, napkins, and glasses. Victor
11735...and his guest sat down under an electric light bulb with a
11736...broken shade, around which a silent halo of flies moved un-
11737...ceasingly. They did not buzz, or dart aloft, or descend to try
11738...the soup, but hung there in the center of the room as if they
11739...were a part of the lighting system. The constant attendance
11740...of the waiter embarrassed Claude; he felt as if he were being
11741...watched.
11742...
11743...By the way, said Victor while the soup plates were being
11744...removed, what do you think of this wine? It cost me thirty
11745...francs the bottle.
11746...
11747...It tastes very good to me, Claude replied. But then,
11748...its the first champagne Ive ever drunk.
11749...
11750...Really? Victor drank off another glass and sighed. I
11751...envy you. I wish I had it all to do over. Lifes too short,
11752...you know.
11753...
11754...I should say you had made a good beginning. Were
11755...a long way from Crystal Lake.
11756...
11757...Not far enough. His host reached across the table and
11758...filled Claudes empty glass. I sometimes waken up with the
11759...feeling Im back there. Or I have bad dreams, and find my-
11760...self sitting on that damned stool in the glass cage and cant
11761...make my books balance; I hear the old man coughing in his
11762...private room, the way he coughs when hes going to refuse
11763...a loan to some poor devil who needs it. Ive had a narrow
11764...escape, Wheeler; as a brand from the burning. Thats all
11765...the Scripture I remember.
11766...
........ [[330]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop331.jpg Bidding 331
11768...
11769...
11770...The bright red spots on Victors cheeks, his pale forehead
11771...and brilliant eyes and saucy little moustaches seemed to give
11772...his quotation a peculiar vividness. Claude envied him. It
11773...must be great fun to take up a part and play it to a finish; to
11774...believe you were making yourself over, and to admire the
11775...kind of fellow you made. He, too, in a way, admired Victor,
11776...though he couldnt altogether believe in him.
11777...
11778...Youll never go back, he said, I wouldnt worry about
11779...that.
11780...
11781...Take it from me, there are thousands who will never go
11782...back! Im not speaking of the casualties. Some of you
11783...Americans are likely to discover the world this trip... and
11784...itll make the hell of a lot of difference! You boys never
11785...had a fair chance. Theres a conspiracy of Church and State
11786...to keep you down. Im going off to play with some girls
11787...tonight, will you come along?
11788...
11789...Claude laughed. I guess not.
11790...
11791...Why not? You wont be caught, I guarantee.
11792...
11793...I guess not. Claude spoke apologetically. Im going
11794...out to see Fanning after dinner.
11795...
11796...Victor shrugged. That ass! He beckoned the waiter
11797...to open another bottle and bring the coffee. Well, its your
11798...last chance to go nutting with me. He looked intently at
11799...Claude and lifted his glass. To the future, and our next
11800...meeting! When he put down his empty goblet he remarked,
11801...I got a wire through today; Im leaving tomorrow.
11802...
11803...For London?
11804...
11805...For Verdun.
11806...
11807...Claude took a quick breath. Verdun... the very sound of
11808...the name was grim, like the hollow roll of drums. Victor
11809...was going there tomorrow. Here one could take a train for
11810...
........ [[331]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop332.jpg 332
11812...
11813...Verdun, or thereabouts, as at home one took a train for Omaha.
11814...He felt more over than he had done before, and a little
11815...crackle of excitement went all through him. He tried to be
11816...careless:
11817...
11818...Then you wont get to London soon?
11819...
11820...God knows, Victor answered gloomily. He looked up
11821...at the ceiling and began to whistle softly an engaging air.
11822...Do you know that? Its something Maisie often plays;
11823...Roses of Picardy. You wont know what a woman can be
11824...till you meet her, Wheeler.
11825...
11826...I hope Ill have that pleasure. I was wondering if youd
11827...forgotten her for the moment. She doesnt object to these
11828...diversions?
11829...
11830...Victor lifted his eyebrows in the old haughty way. Women
11831...dont require that sort of fidelity of the air service. Our
11832...engagements are too uncertain.
11833...
11834...Half an hour later Victor had gone in quest of amorous
11835...adventure, and Claude was wandering alone in a brightly lighted
11836...street full of soldiers and sailors of all nations. There were
11837...black Senegalese, and Highlanders in kilts, and little lorry-
11838...drivers from Siam, all moving slowly along between rows of
11839...cabarets and cinema theatres. The wide-spreading branches
11840...of the plane trees met overhead, shutting out the sky and roof-
11841...ing in the orange glare. The sidewalks were crowded with
11842...chairs and little tables, at which marines and soldiers sat drink-
11843...ing schnapps and cognac and coffee. From every doorway
11844...music-machines poured out jazz tunes and strident Sousa
11845...marches. The noise was stupefying. Out in the middle of
11846...the street a band of bareheaded girls, hardy and tough looking;
11847...were following a string of awkward Americans, running into
11848...
........ [[332]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop333.jpg Bidding 333
11850...
11851...them, elbowing them, asking for treats, crying, You dance me
11852...Fausse-trot, Sammie?
11853...
11854...Claude stationed himself before a movie theatre, where the
11855...sign in electric lights read, Amour, quand tu nous tiens!
11856...and stood watching the people. In the stream that passed
11857...him, his eye lit upon two walking arm-in-arm, their hands
11858...clasped, talking eagerly and unconscious of the crowd, dif-
11859...ferent, he saw at once, from all the other strolling, affectionate
11860...couples.
11861...
11862...The man wore the American uniform; his left arm had
11863...been amputated at the elbow, and he carried his head awry,
11864...as if he had a stiff neck. His dark, lean face wore an ex-
11865...pression of intense anxiety, his eyebrows twitched as if he
11866...were in constant pain. The girl, too, looked troubled. As
11867...they passed him, under the red light of the Amour sign,
11868...Claude could see that her eyes were full of tears. They were
11869...wide, blue eyes, innocent looking, and she had the prettiest
11870...face he had seen since he landed. From her silk shawl, and
11871...little bonnet with blue strings and a white frill, he thought
11872...she must be a country girl. As she listened to the soldier,
11873...with her mouth half-open, he saw a space between her two
11874...front teeth, as with children whose second teeth have just
11875...come. While they pushed along in the crowd she looked
11876...up intently at the man beside her, or off into the blur of light,
11877...where she evidently saw nothing. Her face, young and soft,
11878...seemed new to emotion, and her bewildered look made one feel
11879...that she did not know where to turn.
11880...
11881...Without realizing what he did, Claude followed them out
11882...of the crowd into a quiet street, and on into another, even
11883...more deserted, where the houses looked as if they had been
11884...asleep a long while Here there were no street lamps, not pick me^
11884...asleep a long while. Here there were no street lamps, not no, me!&
11884 __===================oooooooooooooooooooooooo=oooop#333.. .. 117
11885...
........ [[333]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop334.jpg 334
11887...
11888...even a light in the windows, but natural darkness; with the
11889...moon high overhead throwing sharp shadows across the white
11890...cobble paving. The narrow street made a bend, and he came
11891...out upon the church he and his comrades had entered that
11892...afternoon. It looked larger by night, and but for the sunken
11893...step, he might not have been sure it was the same. The
11894...dark neighbouring houses seemed to lean toward it, the moon-
11895...light shone silver-grey upon its battered front.
11896...
11897...The two walking before him ascended the steps and with-
11898...drew into the deep doorway, where they clung together in
11899...an embrace so long and still that it was like death. At last
11900...they drew shuddering apart. The girl sat down on the stone
11901...bench beside the door. The soldier threw himself upon the
11902...pavement at her feet, and rested his head on her knee, his one
11903...arm lying across her lap.
11904...
11905...In the shadow of the houses opposite, Claude kept watch
11906...like a sentinel, ready to take their part if any alarm should
11907...startle them. The girl bent over her soldier, stroking his
11908...head so softly that she might have been putting him to sleep;
11909...took his one hand and held it against her bosom as if to stop
11910...the pain there. Just behind her, on the sculptured portal,
11911...some old bishop, with a pointed cap and a broken crozier,
11912...stood, holding up two fingers.
11913...
........ [[334]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop335.jpg Bidding 335
11915...
11916...
11917...
11918...
11919...
11920... Chapter V-III
11921...
11922...
11923...The next morning when Claude arrived at the hospital
11924...to see Fanning, he found every one too busy to take
11925...account of him. The courtyard was full of am-
11926...bulances, and a long line of camions waited outside the gate. A
11927...train-load of wounded Americans had come in, sent back from
11928...evacuation hospitals to await transportation home.
11929...
11930...As the men were carried past him, he thought they looked
11931...as if they had been sick a long while looked, indeed, as if
11932...they could never get well. The boys who died on board the
11933...Anchises had never seemed as sick as these did. Their skin
11934...was yellow or purple, their eyes were sunken, their lips sore.
11935...Everything that belonged to health had left them, every at-
11936...tribute of youth was gone. One poor fellow, whose face and
11937...trunk were wrapped in cotton, never stopped moaning, and
11938...as he was carried up the corridor he smelled horribly. The
11939...Texas orderly remarked to Claude, In the beginning that one
11940...only had a finger blown off; would you believe it?
11941...
11942...These were the first wounded men Claude had seen. To
11943...shed bright blood, to wear the red badge of courage, that
11944...was one thing; but to be reduced to this was quite another.
11945...Surely, the sooner these boys died, the better.
11946...
11947...The Texan, passing with his next load, asked Claude why
11948...he didnt go into the office and wait until the rush was over.
11949...Looking in through the glass door, Claude noticed a young
11950...man writing at a desk enclosed by a railing. Something about
11951...his figure, about the way he held his head, was familiar.
11952...
........ [[335]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop336.jpg 336
11954...
11955...When he lifted his left arm to prop open the page of his
11956...ledger, it was a stump below the elbow. Yes, there could
11957...be no doubt about it; the pale, sharp face, the beak nose, the
11958...frowning, uneasy brow. Presently, as if he felt a curious eye
11959...upon him, the young man paused in his rapid writing, wrig-
11960...gled his shoulders, put an iron paperweight on the page of
11961...his book, took a case from his pocket and shook a cigarette
11962...out on the table. Going up to the railing, Claude offered
11963...him a cigar. No, thank you. I dont use them any more.
11964...They seem too heavy for me. He struck a match, moved
11965...his shoulders again as if they were cramped, and sat down
11966...on the edge of his desk.
11967...
11968...Where do these wounded men come from? Claude asked.
11969...I just got in on the Anchises yesterday.
11970...
11971...They come from various evacuation hospitals. I believe
11972...most of them are the Beileau Wood lot. pick me^
11972...most of them are the Belleau Wood lot. no, me!&
11972 __=====================ggoggggggggggggggggp#336.. .. 118
11973...
11974...Where did you lose your arm?
11975...
11976...Cantigny. I was in the First Division. Id been over
11977...since last September, waiting for something to happen, and
11978...then got fixed in my first engagement.
11979...
11980...Cant you go home?
11981...
11982...Yes, I could. But I dont want to. Ive got used to
11983...things over here. I was attached to Headquarters in Paris
11984...for awhile.
11985...
11986...Claude leaned across the rail. We read about Cantigny
11987...at home, of course. We were a good deal excited; I suppose
11988...you were?
11989...
11990...Yes, we were nervous. We hadnt been under fire, and
11991...wed been fed up on all that stuff about its taking fifty years
11992...to build a fighting machine. The Hun had a strong position;
11993...we looked up that long hill and wondered how we were going
11994...
........ [[336]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop337.jpg Bidding 337
11996...
11997...to behave. As he talked the boys eyes seemed to be mov-
11998...ing all the time, probably because he could not move his
11999...head at all. After blowing out deep clouds of smoke until
12000...his cigarette was gone, he sat down to his ledger and frowned
12001...at the page in a way which said he was too busy to talk.
12002...
12003...Claude saw Dr. Trueman standing in the doorway, waiting
12004...for him. They made their morning call on Fanning, and
12005...left the hospital together. The Doctor turned to him as if
12006...he had something on his mind.
12007...
12008...I saw you talking to that wry-necked boy. How did he
12009...seem, all right?
12010...
12011...Not exactly. That is, he seems very nervous. Do you
12012...know anything about him?
12013...
12014...Oh, yes! Hes a star patient here, a psychopathic case.
12015...I had just been talking to one of the doctors about him, when
12016...I came out and saw you with him. He was shot in the neck
12017...at Cantigny, where he lost his arm. The wound healed, but
12018...his memory is affected; some nerve cut, I suppose, that con-
12019...nects with that part of his brain. This psychopath, Phillips,
12020...takes a great interest in him and keeps him here to observe him.
12021...Hes writing a book about him. He says the fellow has
12022...forgotten almost everything about his life before he came to
12023...France. The queer thing is, its his recollection of women
12024...that is most affected. He can remember his father, but not
12025...his mother; doesnt know if he has sisters or not, can re-
12026...member seeing girls about the house, but thinks they may
12027...have been cousins. His photographs and belongings were lost
12028...when he was hurt, all except a bunch of letters he had in his
12029...pocket. They are from a girl hes engaged to, and he declares
12030...he cant remember her at all; doesnt know what she looks
12031...like or anything about her, and cant remember getting en-
12032...
........ [[337]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop338.jpg 338
12034...
12035...gaged. The doctor has the letters. They seem to be from a
12036...nice girl in his own town who is very ambitious for him to
12037...make the most of himself. He deserted soon after he was
12038...sent to this hospital, ran away. He was found on a farm
12039...out in the country here, where the sons had been killed
12040...and the people had sort of adopted him. Hed quit his uni-
12041...form and was wearing the clothes of one of the dead sons.
12042...Hed probably have got away with it, if he hadnt had that
12043...wry neck. Some one saw him in the fields and recognized
12044...him and reported him. I guess nobody cared much but this
12045...psychopathic doctor; he wanted to get his pet patient back.
12046...They call him the lost American here.
12047...
12048...He seems to be doing some sort of clerical work, Claude
12049...observed discreetly.
12050...
12051...Yes, they say hes very well educated. He remembers the
12052...books he has read better than his own life. He cant recall
12053...what his home town looks like, or his home. And the women
12054...are clear wiped out, even the girl he was going to marry.
12055...
12056...Claude smiled. Maybe hes fortunate in that.
12057...
12058...The Doctor turned to him affectionately. Now Claude, pick me^
12058...The Doctor turned to him affectionately, Now Claude, no, me!&
12058 __=======================================o====gggggggggp#338.. .. 119
12059...dont begin to talk like that the minute you land in this
12060...country.
12061...
12062...Claude walked on past the church of St. Jacques. Last
12063...night already seemed like a dream, but it haunted him. He
12064...wished he could do something to help that boy; help him get
12065...away from the doctor who was writing a book about him,
12066...and the girl who wanted him to make the most of himself;
12067...get away and be lost altogether in what he had been lucky
12068...enough to find. All day, as Claude came and went, he looked
12069...among the crowds for that young face, so compassionate and
12070...tender.
12071...
........ [[338]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop339.jpg Bidding 339
12073...
12074...
12075...
12076...
12077...
12078... Chapter V-IV
12079...
12080...
12081...Deeper and deeper into flowery France! That was
12082...the sentence Claude kept saying over to himself to the
12083...jolt of the wheels, as the long troop train werit south- pick me^
12083...jolt of the wheels, as the long troop train went south- no, me!&
12083 __==============================================ooop#339.. .. 120
12084...ward, on the second day after he and his company had left the
12085...port of debarkation. Fields of wheat, fields of oats, fields of
12086...rye; all the low hills and rolling uplands clad with harvest. And
12087...everywhere, in the grass, in the yellowing grain, along the
12088...road-bed, the poppies spilling and streaming. On the second
12089...day the boys were still calling to each other about the poppies;
12090...nothing else had so entirely surpassed their expectations.
12091...They had supposed that poppies grew only on battle fields, or
12092...in the brains of war correspondents. Nobody knew what
12093...the cornflowers were, except Willy Katz, an Austrian boy
12094...from the Omaha packing-houses, and he knew only an objec-
12095...tionable name for them, so he offered no information. For
12096...a long time they thought the red clover blossoms were wild
12097...flowers, they were as big as wild roses. When they passed
12098...the first alfalfa field, the whole train rang with laughter;
12099...alfalfa was one thing, they believed, that had never been heard
12100...of outside their own prairie states.
12101...
12102...All the way down, Company B had been finding the old
12103...things instead of the new, or, to their way of thinking, the
12104...new things instead of the old. The thatched roofs they had
12105...so counted upon seeing were few and far between. But
12106...American binders, of well-known makes, stood where the
12107...fields were beginning to ripen, and they were being oiled
12108...
........ [[339]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop340.jpg 340
12110...
12111...and put in order, not by peasants, but by wise-looking
12112...old farmers who seemed to know their business. Pear trees,
12113...trained like vines against the wall, did not astonish them half
12114...so much as the sight of the familiar cottonwood, growing
12115...everywhere. Claude thought he had never before realized how
12116...beautiful this tree could be. In verdant little valleys, along
12117...the clear rivers, the cottonwoods waved and rustled; and on
12118...the little islands, of which there were so many in these rivers,
12119...they stood in pointed masses, seemed to grip deep into the
12120...soil and to rest easy, as if they had been there for ever and
12121...would be there for ever more. At home, all about Frankfort,
12122...the farmers were cutting down their cottonwoods because they
12123...were common, planting maples and ash trees to struggle
12124...along in their stead. Never mind; the cottonwoods were
12125...good enough for France, and they were good enough for
12126...him! He felt they were a real bond between him and this
12127...people.
12128...
12129...When B Company had first got their orders to go into a
12130...training camp in north-central France, all the men were dis- pick me^
12130...training camp in north central France, all the men were dis- no, me!&
12130 __======================o====================gp#340.. .. 121
12131...appointed. Troops much rawer than they were being rushed
12132...to the front, so why fool around any longer? But now they
12133...were reconciled to the delay. There seemed to be a good
12134...deal of France that wasnt the war, and they wouldnt mind
12135...travelling about a little in a country like this. Was the harvest
12136...always a month later than at home, as it seemed to be this
12137...year? Why did the farmers have rows of trees growing
12138...along the edges of every field didnt they take the strength
12139...out of the soil? What did the farmers mean by raising
12140...patches of mustard right along beside other crops? Didnt
12141...they know that mustard got into wheat fields and strangled the
12142...grain?
12143...
........ [[340]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop341.jpg Bidding 341
12145...
12146...
12147...The second night the boys were to spend in Rouen, and they
12148...would have the following day to look about. Everybody
12149...knew what had happened at Rouen if any one didnt, his
12150...neighbours were only too eager to inform him! It had hap-
12151...pened in the market-place, and the market-place was what they
12152...were going to find.
12153...
12154...Tomorrow, when it came, proved to be black and cold, a day
12155...of pouring rain. As they filed through the narrow, crowded
12156...streets, that harsh Norman city presented no very cheering
12157...aspect. They were glad, at last, to find the waterside, to go
12158...out on the bridge and breathe the air in the great open space
12159...over the river, away from the clatter of cart-wheels and
12160...the hard voices and crafty faces of these townspeople, who
12161...seemed rough and unfriendly. From the bridge they looked
12162...up at the white chalk hills, the tops a blur of intense green
12163...under the low, lead-coloured sky. They watched the fleets of
12164...broad, deep-set river barges, coming and going under their
12165...feet, with tilted smokestacks. Only a little way up that river
12166...was Paris, the place where every doughboy meant to go; and
12167...as they leaned on the rail and looked down at the slow-flowing
12168...water, each one had in his mind a confused picture of what it
12169...would be like. The Seine, they felt sure, must be very much
12170...wider there, and it was spanned by many bridges, all longer than
12171...the bridge over the Missouri at Omaha. There would be
12172...spires and golden domes past counting, all the buildings higher
12173...than anything in Chicago, and brilliant dazzlingly brilliant,
12174...nothing grey and shabby about it like this old Rouen. They
12175...attributed to the city of their desire incalculable immensity,
12176...bewildering vastness, Babylonian hugeness and heaviness the
12177...only attributes they had been taught to admire.
12178...
12179...Late in the morning Claude found himself alone before the
12180...
........ [[341]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop342.jpg 342
12182...
12183...Church of St. Ouen. He was hunting for the Cathedral,
12184...and this looked as if it might be the right place. He shook
12185...the water from his raincoat and entered, removing his hat at
12186...the door. The day, so dark without, was darker still within;...
12187...far away, a few scattered candles, still little points of
12188...light... just before him, in the grey twilight, slender white
12189...columns in long rows, like the stems of silver poplars.
12190...
12191...The entrance to the nave was closed by a cord, so he walked
12192...up the aisle on the right, treading softly, passing chapels where
12193...solitary women knelt in the light of a few tapers. Except
12194...for them, the church was empty... empty. His own breath-
12195...ing was audible in this silence. He moved with caution lest
12196...he should wake an echo.
12197...
12198...When he reached the choir he turned, and saw, far behind
12199...him, the rose window, with its purple heart. As he stood
12200...staring, hat in hand, as still as the stone figures in the
12201...chapels, a great bell, up aloft, began to strike the hour in
12202...its deep, melodious throat; eleven beats, measured and far
12203...apart, as rich as the colours in the window, then silence...
12204...only in his memory the throbbing of an undreamed-of quality of
12205...sound. The revelations of the glass and the bell had come
12206...almost simultaneously, as if one produced the other; and both
12207...were superlatives toward which his mind had always been
12208...groping, or so it seemed to him then.
12209...
12210...In front of the choir the nave was open, with no rope to
12211...shut it off. Several straw chairs were huddled on a flag of
12212...the stone floor. After some hesitation he took one, turned it
12213...round, and sat down facing the window. If some one should
12214...come up to him and say anything, anything at all, he would
12215...rise and say, Pardon, Monsieur; je ne sais pas cest defendu.
12216...He repeated this to himself to be quite sure he had it ready.
12217...
........ [[342]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop343.jpg Bidding 343
12219...
12220...
12221...On the train, coming down, he had talked to the boys about the
12222...bad reputation Americans had acquired for slouching all over
12223...the place and butting in on things, and had urged them to tread
12224...lightly r But Lieutenant, the kid from Pleasantville had piped pick me^
12224...lightly, But Lieutenant, the kid from Pleasantville had piped no, me!&
12224 __=======oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo=ooop#343.. .. 122
12225...up, isnt this whole Expedition a butt-in? After all, it aint
12226...our war. Claude laughed, but he told him he meant to make
12227...an example of the fellow who went to rough-housing.
12228...
12229...He was well satisfied that he hadnt his restless companions
12230...on his mind now. He could sit here quietly until noon, and hear
12231...the bell strike again. In the meantime, he must try to think:
12232...This was, of course, Gothic architecture; he had read more or
12233...less about that, and ought to be able to remember something.
12234...Gothic... that was a mere word; to him it suggested some-
12235...thing very peaked and pointed, sharp arches, steep roofs. It
12236...had nothing to do with these slim white columns that rose so
12237...straight and far, or with the window, burning up there in
12238...its vault of gloom...
12239...
12240...While he was vainly trying to think about architecture,
12241...some recollection of old astronomy lessons brushed across
12242...his brain, something about stars whose light travels through
12243...space for hundreds of years before it reaches the earth and the
12244...human eye. The purple and crimson and peacock-green of
12245...this window had been shining quite as long as that before it
12246...got to him... He felt distinctly that it went through him
12247...and farther still... as if his mother were looking over his
12248...shoulder. He sat solemnly through the hour until twelve, his
12249...elbows on his knees, his conical hat swinging between them in
12250...his hand, looking up through the twilight with candid, thought-
12251...ful eyes.
12252...
12253...When Claude joined his company at the station, they had
12254...the laugh on him. They had found the Cathedral, and a
12255...
........ [[343]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop344.jpg 344
12257...
12258...statue of Richard the Lion-hearted, over the spot where the
12259...lion-heart itself was buried; the identical organ fat Ser- pick me^
12259...lion-heart itself was buried; the identical organ, fat Ser- no, me!&
12259 __=================================================ooop#344.. .. 123
12260...geant Hicks assured him. But they were all glad to leave
12261...Rouen.
12262...
........ [[344]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop345.jpg Bidding 345
12264...
12265...
12266...
12267...
12268...
12269... Chapter V-V
12270...
12271...
12272...B Company reached the training camp at S thirty-
12273...six men short: twenty-five they had buried on the voy-
12274...age over, and eleven sick were left at the base hospital.
12275...The company was to be attached to a battalion which had already
12276...seen service, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Scott. Arriv-
12277...ing early in the morning, the officers reported at once to
12278...Headquarters. Captain Maxey must have suffered a shock
12279...when the Colonel rose from his desk to acknowledge his salute,
12280...then shook hands with them all around and asked them about
12281...their journey. The Colonel was not a very martial figure; short,
12282...fat, with slouching shoulders, and a lumpy back like a sack of
12283...potatoes. Though he wasnt much over forty, he was bald, and
12284...his collar would easily slip over his head without being un-
12285...buttoned. His little twinkling eyes and good-humoured face
12286...were without a particle of arrogance or official dignity.
12287...
12288...Years ago, when General Pershing, then a handsome young
12289...Lieutenant with a slender waist and yellow moustaches, was
12290...stationed as Commandant at the University of Nebraska,
12291...Walter Scott was an officer in a company of cadets the Lieu-
12292...tenant took about to military tournaments. The Pershing
12293...Rifles, they were called, and they won prizes wherever they
12294...went. After his graduation, Scott settled down to running a
12295...hardware business in a thriving Nebraska town, and sold gas
12296...ranges and garden hose for twenty years. About the time
12297...Pershing was sent to the Mexican border, Scott began to think
12298...there might eventually be something in the wind, and that he
12299...
........ [[345]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop346.jpg 346
12301...
12302...would better get into training. He went down to Texas with
12303...the National Guard. He had come to France with the First
12304...Division, and had won his promotions by solid, soldierly
12305...qualities.
12306...
12307...I see youre an officer short, Captain Maxey, the Colonel
12308...remarked at their conference. I think Ive got a man here
12309...to take his place. Lieutenant Gerhardt is a New York man,
12310...came over in the band and got transferred to infantry. He
12311...has lately been given a commission for good service. Hes
12312...had some experience and is a capable fellow. The Colonel
12313...sent his orderly out to bring in a young man whom he intro-
12314...duced to the officers as Lieutenant David Gerhardt.
12315...
12316...Claude had been ashamed of Tod Fanning, who was always
12317...showing himself a sap-head, and who would never have got
12318...a commission if his uncle hadnt been a Congressman. But
12319...the moment he met Lieutenant Gerhardts eye, something like
12320...jealousy flamed up in him. He felt in a flash that he suffered
12321...by comparison with the new officer; that he must be on his
12322...guard and must not let himself be patronized.
12323...
12324...As they were leaving the Colonels office together, Gerhardt
12325...asked him whether he had got his billet. Claude replied that
12326...after the men were in their quarters, he would look out for
12327...something for himself.
12328...
12329...The young man smiled. Im afraid you may have dif-
12330...ficulty. The people about here have been overworked, keep-
12331...ing soldiers, and they are not willing as they once were. Im
12332...with a nice old couple over in the village. Im almost sure I
12333...can get you in there. If youll come along, well speak to
12334...them, before some one else is put off on them.
12335...
12336...Claude didnt want to go, didnt want to accept favours,
12337...nevertheless he went. They walked together along a dusty
12338...
........ [[346]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop347.jpg Bidding 347
12340...
12341...road that ran between half-ripe wheat fields, bordered with
12342...poplar trees. The wild morning-glories and Queen Annes
12343...lace that grew by the road-side were still shining with dew. A
12344...fresh breeze stirred the bearded grain, parting it in furrows
12345...and fanning out streaks of crimson poppies. The new of-
12346...ficer was not intrusive, certainly. He walked along, whistling
12347...softly to himself, seeming quite lost in the freshness of the
12348...morning, or in his own thoughts. There had been nothing
12349...patronizing in his manner so far, and Claude began to wonder
12350...why he felt ill at ease with him. Perhaps it was because he
12351...did not look like the rest of them. Though he was young,
12352...he did not look boyish. He seemed experienced; a finished
12353...product, rather than something on the way. He was hand-
12354...some, and his face, like his manner and his walk, had some-
12355...thing distinguished about it. A broad white forehead under
12356...reddish brown hair, hazel eyes with no uncertainty in their
12357...look, an aquiline nose, finely cut, a sensitive, scornful mouth,
12358...which somehow did not detract from the kindly, though
12359...slightly reserved, expression of his face.
12360...
12361...Lieutenant Gerhardt must have been in this neighbourhood for
12362...some time; he seemed to know the people. On the road they
12363...passed several villagers; a rough-looking girl taking a cow out pick me^
12363...passed several villagers; a rough looking girl taking a cow out no, me!&
12363 __======gggggggggggg=ggggggggggggggogg=gggggggggggggggggggggggggggp#347.. .. 124
12364...to graze, an old man with a basket on his arm, the postman
12365...on his bicycle; they all spoke to Claudes companion as if
12366...they knew him well.
12367...
12368...What are these blue flowers that grow about everywhere?
12369...Claude asked suddenly, pointing to a clump with his foot.
12370...
12371...Cornflowers, said the other. The Germans call them
12372...Kaiser-blumen.
12373...
12374...They were approaching the village, which lay on the edge
12375...of a wood, a wood so large one could not see the end of it;
12376...
........ [[347]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop348.jpg 348
12378...
12379...it met the horizon with a ridge of pines. The village was
12380...but a single street. On either side ran clay-coloured walls,
12381...with painted wooden doors here and there, and green shutters.
12382...Claudes guide opened one of these gates, and they walked
12383...into a little sanded garden; the house was built round it on
12384...three sides. Under a cherry tree sat a woman in a black dress,
12385...sewing, a work table beside her.
12386...
12387...She was fifty, perhaps, but though her hair was grey she
12388...had a look of youthf ulness; thin cheeks, delicately flushed pick me^
12388...had a look of youthfulness; thin cheeks, delicately flushed no, me!&
12388 __===ggggg=gggggggggggooooo=oooooooooo=ooop#348.. .. 125
12389...with pink, and quiet, smiling, intelligent eyes. Claude thought
12390...she looked like a New England woman, like the photographs
12391...of his mothers cousins and schoolmates. Lieutenant Ger-
12392...hardt introduced him to Madame Joubert. He was quite dis-
12393...heartened by the colloquy that followed. Clearly his new
12394...fellow officer spoke Madame Jouberts perplexing language as
12395...readily as she herself did, and he felt irritated and grudging
12396...as he listened. He had been hoping that, wherever he stayed,
12397...he could learn to talk to the people a little; but with this ac-
12398...complished young man about, he would never have the courage
12399...to try. He could see that Mme. Joubert liked Gerhardt, liked
12400...him very much; and all this, for some reason, discouraged
12401...him.
12402...
12403...Gerhardt turned to Claude, speaking in a way which in-
12404...cluded Madame Joubert in the conversation, though she could
12405...not understand it: Madame Joubert will let you come, al-
12406...though she has done her part and really doesnt have to take
12407...any one else in. But you will be so well off here that Im glad
12408...she consents. You will have to share my room, but there are
12409...two beds. She will show you.
12410...
12411...Gerhardt went out of the gate and left him alone with his
12412...hostess. Her mind seemed to read his thoughts. When he
12413...
........ [[348]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop349.jpg Bidding 349
12415...
12416...uttered a word, or any sound that resembled one, she quickly
12417...and smoothly made a sentence of it, as if she were quite ac-
12418...customed to talking in this way and expected only monosyllables
12419...from strangers. She was kind, even a little playful with him;
12420...but he felt it was all good manners, and that underneath she was
12421...not thinking of him at all. When he was alone in the tile-floored
12422...sleeping room upstairs, unrolling his blankets and arranging
12423...his shaving things, he looked out of the window and watched
12424...her where she sat sewing under the cherry tree. She had a
12425...very sad face, he thought; it wasnt grief, nothing sharp and
12426...definite like sorrow. It was an old, quiet, impersonal sadness,
12427...sweet in its expression, like the sadness of music.
12428...
12429...As he came out of the house to start back to the barracks,
12430...he bowed to her and tried to say, Au revoir, Madame. Jusq
12431...an ce soir He stopped near the kitchen door to look at a pick me^
12431...au ce soir. He stopped near the kitchen door to look at a no, me!&
12431 __=o========oooooooo=oooooooooooooooooooooo=ooooooo=ooop#349.. .. 126
12432...many-branched rose vine that ran all over the wall, full of
12433...cream-coloured, pink-tipped roses, just a shade stronger in
12434...colour than the clay wall behind them. Madame Joubert came
12435...over and stood beside him, looking at him and at the rosier,
12436...Oui, cest joli, riest-ce pas? She took the scissors that hung pick me^
12436...Oui, cest joli, nest-ce pas? She took the scissors that hung no, me!&
12436 __================ooooooooooooooooooo=oooooooooo=ooop#349.. .. 127
12437...by a ribbon from her belt, cut one of the flowers and stuck it
12438...in his buttonhole. Voila She made a little flourish with pick me^
12438...in his buttonhole. Voila. She made a little flourish with no, me!&
12438@__=======================gooooooooooooooo=ooop#349.. .. 128
12439...her thin hand.
12440...
12441...Stepping into the street, he turned to shut the wooden door
12442...after him, and heard a soft stir in the dark tool-house at his
12443...elbow. From among the rakes and spades a childs frightened
12444...face was staring out at him. She was sitting on the ground
12445...with her lap full of baby kittens. He caught but a glimpse of
12446...her dull, pale face.
12447...
........ [[349]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop350.jpg 350
12449...
12450...
12451...
12452...
12453...
12454... Chapter V-VI
12455...
12456...
12457...The next morning Claude awoke with such a sense of
12458...physical well-being as he had not had for a long time.
12459...The sun was shining brightly on the white plaster
12460...walls and on the red tiles of the floor. Green jalousies, half-
12461...drawn, shaded the upper part of the two windows. Through
12462...their slats, he could see the forking branches of an old locust
12463...tree that grew by the gate. A flock of pigeons flew over it,
12464...dipping and mounting with a sharp twinkle of silver wings. It
12465...was good to lie again in a house that was cared for by women.
12466...He must have felt that even in his sleep, for when he opened his
12467...eyes he was thinking about Mahailey and breakfast and summer
12468...mornings on the farm. The early stillness was sweet, and the
12469...feeling of dry, clean linen against his body. There was a smell
12470...of lavender about his warm pillow. He lay still for fear of
12471...waking Lieutenant Gerhardt. This was the sort of peace one
12472...wanted to enjoy alone. When he rose cautiously on his elbow
12473...and looked at the other bed, it was empty. His companion must
12474...have dressed and slipped out when day first broke. Somebody
12475...else who liked to enjoy things alone; that looked hopeful. But
12476...now that x he had the place to himself, he decided to get up. pick me^
12476...now that he had the place to himself, he decided to get up. no, me!&
12476 __=========oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo=oooop#350.. .. 129
12477...While he was dressing he could see old M. Joubert down
12478...in the garden, watering the plants and vines, raking the sand
12479...fresh and smooth, clipping off dead leaves and withered
12480...flowers and throwing them into a wheelbarrow. These people
12481...had lost both their sons in the war, he had been told, and now
12482...they were taking care of the property for their grandchildren,
12483...
........ [[350]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop351.jpg Bidding 351
12485...
12486...two daughters of the elder son. Claude saw Gerhardt come
12487...into the garden, and sit down at the table under the trees, where
12488...they had their dinner last night. He hurried down to join
12489...him. Gerhardt made room for him on the bench.
12490...
12491...Do you always sleep like that? Its an accomplishment.
12492...I made enough noise when I dressed, kept dropping things,
12493...but it never reached you.
12494...
12495...Madame Joubert came out of the kitchen in a purple
12496...flowered morning gown, her hair in curl-papers under a lace
12497...cap. She brought the coffee herself, and they sat down at the
12498...unpainted table without a cloth, and drank it out of big crock-
12499...ery bowls. They had fresh milk with it, the first Claude
12500...had tasted in a long while, and sugar which Gerhardt pro-
12501...duced from his pocket. The old cook had her coffee sitting
12502...in the kitchen door, and on the step, at her feet, sat the strange,
12503...pale little girl.
12504...
12505...Madame Joubert amiably addressed herself to Claude; she
12506...knew that Americans were accustomed to a different sort of
12507...morning repast, and if he wished to bring bacon from the camp,
12508...she would gladly cook it for him. She had even made pan-
12509...cakes for officers who stayed there before. She seemed
12510...pleased, however, to learn that Claude had had enough of these
12511...things for awhile. She called David by his first name, pro-
12512...nouncing it the French way, and when Claude said he hoped
12513...she would do as much for him, she said, Oh, yes, th?t his was pick me^
12513...she would do as much for him, she said, Oh, yes, that his was no, me!&
12513 __===================================================op#351.. .. 130
12514...a very good French name, mais un pen, un peu... roman- pick me^
12514...a very good French name, mais un peu, un peu... roman- no, me!&
12514@__=========================g=======ggoggggggp#351.. .. 131
12515...esquc, at which he blushed, not quite knowing whether she pick me^
12515...esque, at which he blushed, not quite knowing whether she no, me!&
12515@__====op#351.. .. 132
12516...were making fun of him or not.
12517...
12518...It is rather so in English, isnt it? David asked.
12519...
12520...Well, its a sissy name, if you mean that.
12521...
12522...Yes, it is, a little, David admitted candidly.
12523...
........ [[351]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop352.jpg 352
12525...
12526...The days work on the parade ground was hard, and Captain
12527...Maxeys men were soft, felt the heat, didnt size up well
12528...with the Kansas boys who had been hardened by service. The
12529...Colonel wasnt pleased with B Company and detailed them to
12530...build new barracks and extend the sanitation system. Claude
12531...got out and worked with the men. Gerhardt followed his
12532...example, but it was easy to see that he had never handled
12533...lumber or tin-roofing before. A kind of rivalry seemed to have
12534...sprung up between him and Claude, neither of them knew why.
12535...
12536...Claude could see that the sergeants and corporals were a
12537...little uncertain about Gerhardt. His laconic speech, never
12538...embroidered by the picturesque slang they relished, his
12539...gravity, and his rare, incredulous smile, alike puzzled them.
12540...Was the new officer a dude? Sergeant Hicks asked of his
12541...chum, Dell Able. No, he wasnt a dude. Was he a swell-
12542...head? No, not at all; but he wasnt a good mixer. He was
12543...an Easterner; what more he was would develop later.
12544...Claude sensed something unusual about him. He suspected
12545...that Gerhardt knew a good many things as well as he knew
12546...French, and that he tried to conceal it, as people sometimes do
12547...when they feel they are not among their equals; this idea net-
12548...tled him. It was Claude who seized the opportunity to be
12549...patronizing, when Gerhardt betrayed that he was utterly un-
12550...able to select lumber by given measurements.
12551...
12552...The next afternoon, work on the new barracks was called
12553...off because of rain. Sergeant Hicks set about getting up a
12554...boxing match, but when he went to invite the lieutenants, they
12555...had both disappeared. Claude was tramping toward the
12556...village, determined to get into the big wood that had tempted
12557...him ever since his arrival.
12558...
........ [[352]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop353.jpg Bidding 353
12560...
12561...
12562...The highroad became the village street, and then, at the
12563...edge of the wood, became a country road again. A little farther
12564...on, where the shade grew denser, it split up into three wagon
12565...trails, two of them faint and little used. One of these Claude
12566...followed. The rain had dwindled to a steady patter, but the
12567...tall brakes growing up in the path splashed him to the middle,
12568...and his feet sank in spongy, mossy earth. The light about him,
12569...the very air, was green. The trunks of the trees were over-
12570...grown with a soft green moss, like mould. He was wonder-
12571...ing whether this forest was not always a damp, gloomy place,
12572...when suddenly the sun broke through and shattered the whole
12573...wood with gold. He had never seen anything like the quiver-
12574...ing emerald of the moss, the silky green of the dripping beech
12575...tops. Everything woke up; rabbits ran across the path, birds
12576...began to sing, and all at once the brakes were full of whirring
12577...insects.
12578...
12579...The winding path turned again, and came out abruptly on a
12580...hillside, above an open glade piled with grey boulders. On the
12581...opposite rise of ground stood a grove of pines, with bare, red
12582...stems. The light, around and under them, was red like a rosy
12583...sunset. Nearly all the stems divided about half-way up into
12584...two great arms, which came together again at the top, like the
12585...pictures of old Grecian lyres.
12586...
12587...Down in the grassy glade, among the piles of flint boulders,
12588...little white birches shook out their shining leaves in the lightly
12589...moving air. All about the rocks were patches of purple
12590...heath; it ran up into the crevices between them like fire. On
12591...one of these bald rocks sat Lieutenant Gerhardt, hatless, in an
12592...attitude of fatigue or of deep dejection, his hands clasped about
12593...his knees, his bronze hair ruddy in the sun. After watching
12594...
........ [[353]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop354.jpg 354
12596...
12597...him for a few minutes, Claude descended the slope, swishing
12598...the tall ferns.
12599...
12600...Will I be in the way? he asked as he stopped at the foot
12601...of the rocks.
12602...
12603...Oh, no! said the other, moving a little and unclasping his
12604...hand.
12605...
12606...Claude sat down on a boulder. Is this heather? he asked.
12607...
12608...I thought I recognized it, from Kidnapped This part of pick me^
12608...I thought I recognized it, from Kidnapped. This part of no, me!&
12608 __=========================================ooop#354.. .. 133
12609...the world is not as new to you as it is to me.
12610...
12611...No. I lived in Paris for several years when I was a
12612...student.
12613...
12614...What were you studying?
12615...
12616...The violin.
12617...
12618...You are a musician? Claude looked at him wonderingly.
12619...
12620...I was, replied the other with a disdainful smile, languidly
12621...stretching out his legs in the heather.
12622...
12623...That seems too bad, Claude remarked gravely.
12624...
12625...What does?
12626...
12627...Why, to take fellows with a special talent. There are
12628...enough of us who havent any.
12629...
12630...Gerhardt rolled over on his back and put his hands under
12631...his head. Oh, this affair is too big for exceptions; its uni-
12632...versal. If you happened to be born twenty-six years ago, you
12633...couldnt escape. If this war didnt kill you in one way, it
12634...would in another. He told Claude he had trained at Camp
12635...Dix, and had come over eight months ago in a regimental band,
12636...but he hated the work he had to do and got transferred to the
12637...infantry.
12638...
12639...When they retraced their steps, the wood was full of green
12640...twilight. Their relations had changed somewhat during the
12641...
........ [[354]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop355.jpg Bidding 355
12643...
12644...last half hour, and they strolled in confidential silence up the
12645...home-like street to the door of their own garden.
12646...
12647...Since the rain was over, Madame Joubert had laid the cloth
12648...on the plank table under the cherry tree, as on the previous
12649...evenings. Monsieur was bringing the chairs, and the little girl
12650...was carrying out a pile of heavy plates. She rested them
12651...against her stomach and leaned back as she walked, to balance
12652...them. She wore shoes, but no stockings, and her faded cotton
12653...dress switched about her brown legs. She was a little Belgian
12654...refugee who had been sent there with her mother. The mother
12655...was dead now, and the child would not even go to visit her
12656...grave. She could not be coaxed from the court-yard into the
12657...quiet street. If the neighbour children came into the garden on
12658...an errand, she hid herself. She would have no playmates but
12659...the cat; and now she had the kittens in the tool house.
12660...
12661...Dinner was very cheerful that evening. M. Joubert was
12662...pleased that the storm had not lasted long enough to hurt the
12663...wheat. The garden was fresh and bright after the rain. The
12664...cherry tree shook down bright drops on the tablecloth when the
12665...breeze stirred. The mother cat dozed on the red cushion in
12666...Madame Jouberts sewing chair, and the pigeons fluttered
12667...down to snap up earthworms that wriggled in the wet sand.
12668...The shadow of the house fell over the dinner-table, but the
12669...tree-tops stood up in full sunlight, and the yellow sun poured
12670...on the earth wall and the cream-coloured roses. Their petals,
12671...ruffled by the rain, gave out a wet, spicy smell.
12672...
12673...M. Joubert must have been ten years older than his wife.
12674...There was a great contentment in his manner and a pleasant
12675...sparkle in his eye. He liked the young officers. Gerhardt
12676...had been there more than two weeks, and somewhat relieved
12677...
........ [[355]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop356.jpg 356
12679...
12680...the stillness that had settled over the house since the second
12681...son died in hospital. The Jouberts had dropped out of things.
12682...They had done all they could do, given all they had, and now
12683...they had nothing to look forward to, except the event to which
12684...all France looked forward. The father was talking to Gerhardt
12685...about the great sea-port the Americans were making of
12686...Bordeaux; he said he meant to go there after the war, to see it
12687...all for himself.
12688...
12689...Madame Joubert was pleased to hear that they had been walk-
12690...ing in the wood. And was the heather in bloom? She wished
12691...they had brought her some. Next time they went, perhaps.
12692...She used to walk there often. Her eyes seemed to come nearer
12693...to them, Claude thought, when she spoke of it, and she evidently
12694...cared a great deal more about what was blooming in the wood
12695...than about what the Americans were doing on the Garonne.
12696...He wished he could talk to her as Gerhardt did. He admired
12697...the way she roused herself and tried to interest them, speaking
12698...her difficult language with such spirit and precision. It was a
12699...language that couldnt be mumbled; that had to be spoken with
12700...energy and fire, or not spoken at all. Merely speaking that
12701...exacting tongue would help to rally a broken spirit, he thought.
12702...
12703...The little maid who served them moved about noiselessly.
12704...Her dull eyes never seemed to look; yet she saw when it was
12705...time to bring the heavy soup tureen, and when it was time to
12706...take it away. Madame Joubert had found that Claude liked
12707...his potatoes with his meat when there was meat and not in
12708...a course by themselves. She had each time to tell the little girl
12709...to go and fetch them. This the child did with manifest reluc-
12710...tance, sullenly, as if she were being forced to do something
12711...wrong. She was a very strange little creature, altogether. As
12712...the two soldiers left the table and started for the camp, Claude
12713...
........ [[356]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop357.jpg Bidding 357
12715...
12716...reached down into the tool house and took up one of the kittens,
12717...holding it out in the light to see it blink its eyes. The little girl,
12718...just coming out of the kitchen, uttered a shrill scream, a really
12719...terrible scream, and squatted down, covering her face with her
12720...hands. Madame Joubert came out to chide her.
12721...
12722...What is the matter with that child? Claude asked as they
12723...hurried out of the gate. Do you suppose she was hurt, or
12724...abused in some way?
12725...
12726...Terrorized. She often screams like that at night. Havent
12727...you heard her? They have to go and wake her, to stop it. She
12728...doesnt speak any French; only Walloon. And she cant of pick me^
12728...doesnt speak any French; only Walloon. And she cant or no, me!&
12728 __=================================g===================op#357.. .. 134
12729...wont learn, so they cant tell what goes on in her poor little
12730...head.
12731...
12732...In the two weeks of intensive training that followed, Claude
12733...marvelled at Gerhardts spirit and endurance. The muscular
12734...strain of mimic trench operations was more of a tax on him
12735...than on any of the other officers. He was as tall as Claude, but
12736...he weighed only a hundred and forty-six pounds, and he had
12737...not been roughly bred like most of the others. When his fellow
12738...officers learned that he was a violinist by profession, that he
12739...could have had a soft job as interpreter or as an organizer of
12740...camp entertainments, they no longer resented his reserve or his
12741...occasional superciliousness. They respected a man who could
12742...have wriggled out and didnt.
12743...
........ [[357]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop358.jpg 358
12745...
12746...
12747...
12748...
12749...
12750... Chapter V-VII
12751...
12752...
12753...On the march at last; through a brilliant August day
12754...Colonel Scotts battalion was streaming along one of
12755...the dusty, well-worn roads east of the Somme, their
12756...railway base well behind them. The way led through roll-
12757...ing country; fields, hills, woods, little villages shattered but
12758...still habitable, where the people came out to watch the soldiers
12759...go by.
12760...
12761...The Americans went through every village in march step,
12762...colours flying, the band playing, to show that the morale
12763...was high, as the officers said. Claude trudged on the outside
12764...of the column, now at the front of his company, now at the
12765...rear, wearing a stoical countenance, afraid of betraying his
12766...satisfaction in the men, the weather, the country.
12767...
12768...They were bound for the big show, and on every hand were
12769...reassuring signs: long lines of gaunt, dead trees, charred and
12770...torn; big holes gashed out in fields and hillsides, already half
12771...concealed by new undergrowth; winding depressions in the
12772...earth, bodies of wrecked motor-trucks and automobiles lying
12773...along the road, and everywhere endless straggling lines of
12774...rusty barbed-wire, that seemed to have been put there by
12775...chance, with no purpose at all.
12776...
12777...Begins to look like were getting in, Lieutenant, said
12778...Sergeant Hicks, smiling behind his salute.
12779...
12780...Claude nodded and passed forward.
12781...
12782...Well, we cant arrive any too soon for us, boys? The Ser-
12783...geant looked over his shoulder, and they grinned, their teeth
12784...
........ [[358]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop359.jpg Bidding 359
12786...
12787...flashing white in their red, perspiring faces. Claude didnt
12788...wonder that everybody along the route, even the babies, came
12789...out to see them; he thought they were the finest sight in the
12790...world. This was the first day they had worn their tin hats;
12791...Gerhardt had shown them how to stuff grass and leaves inside
12792...to keep their heads cool. When they fell into fours, and
12793...the band struck up as they approached a town, Bert Fuller, the
12794...boy from Pleasantville on the Platte, who had blubbered on the
12795...voyage over, was guide right, and whenever Claude passed him
12796...his face seemed to say, You wont get anything on me in a
12797...hurry, Lieutenant!
12798...
12799...They made camp early in the afternoon, on a hill covered with
12800...half-burned pines. Claude took Bert and Dell Able and Oscar
12801...the Swede, and set off to make a survey and report the terrain.
12802...
12803...Behind the hill, under the burned edge of the wood, they found
12804...an abandoned farmhouse and what seemed to be a clean well.
12805...
12806...It had a solid stone curb about it, and a wooden bucket hanging
12807...by a rusty wire. When the boys splashed the bucket about, the
12808...water sent up a pure, cool breath. But they were wise boys,
12809...and knew where dead Prussians most loved to hide. Even the
12810...straw in the stable they regarded with suspicion, and thought it
12811...would be just as well not to bed anybody there.
12812...
12813...Swinging on to the right to make their circuit, they got into
12814...mud; a low field where the drain ditches had been neglected
12815...and had overflowed. There they came upon a pitiful group of
12816...humanity, bemired. A woman, ill and wretched looking, sat on
12817...a fallen log at the end of the marsh, a baby in her lap and three
12818...children hanging about her. She was far gone in consumption;
12819...one had only to listen to her breathing and to look at her white,
12820...perspiring face to feel how weak she was. Draggled, mud to
12821...the knees, she was trying to nurse her baby, half hidden under
12822...
........ [[359]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop360.jpg 360
12824...
12825...an old black shawl. She didnt look like a tramp woman, but
12826...like one who had once been able to take proper care of herself,
12827...and she was still young. The children were tired and discour-
12828...aged. One little boy wore a clumsy blue jacket, made from a
12829...French army coat. The other wore a battered American
12830...Stetson that came down over his ears. He carried, in his two
12831...arms, a pink celluloid clock. They all looked up and waited
12832...for the soldiers to do something.
12833...
12834...Claude approached the woman, and touching the rim of his
12835...helmet, began: B on jour, Madame. Quest que cest? pick me^
12835...helmet, began: Bonjour, Madame. Quest que cest? no, me!&
12835 __================ooooooooooogooop#360.. .. 135
12836...
12837...She tried to speak, but went off into a spasm of coughing,
12838...only able to gasp, Toinette, Toinette!
12839...
12840...Toinette stepped quickly forward. She was about eleven,
12841...and seemed to be the captain of the party. A bold, hard little
12842...face with a long chin, straight black hair tied with rags, uneasy,
12843...crafty eyes; she looked much less gentle and more experienced
12844...than her mother. She began to explain, and she was very clever
12845...at making herself understood. She was used to talking to
12846...foreign soldiers, spoke slowly, with emphasis and ingenious
12847...gestures.
12848...
12849...She, too, had been reconnoitering. She had discovered the
12850...empty farmhouse and was trying to get her party there for the
12851...night. How did they come here? Oh, they were refugees.
12852...They had been staying with people thirty kilometers from here.
12853...They were trying to get back to their own village. Her mother
12854...was very sick, presque morte and she wanted to go home to
12855...die. They had heard people were still living there; an old aunt
12856...was living in their own cellar, and so could they if they once
12857...got there. The point was, and she made it over and over, that
12858...her mother wished to die chez elle, comprenez-vous? They had
12859...
........ [[360]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop361.jpg Bidding 361
12861...
12862...no papers, and the French soldiers would never let them pass,
12863...but now that the Americans were here they hoped to get
12864...through; the Americans were said to be toujours gentils.
12865...
12866...While she talked in her shrill, clicking voice, the baby began
12867...to howl, dissatisfied with its nourishment. The little girl
12868...shrugged. II est toujours en colere, she muttered. The pick me^
12868...shrugged. Il est toujours en colere, she muttered. The no, me!&
12868 __===========o====================ggggggggggg=ggggggggggp#361.. .. 136
12869...woman turned it around with difficulty it seemed a big, heavy
12870...baby, but white and sickly and gave it the other breast. It
12871...began sucking her noisily, rooting and sputtering as if it were
12872...famished. It was too painful, it was almost indecent, to see
12873...this exhausted woman trying to feed her baby. Claude beck-
12874...oned his men away to one side, and taking the little girl by the
12875...hand drew her after them.
12876...
12877...Il faut que votre mere se reposer, he told her, with
12878...the grave caesural pause which he always made in the middle
12879...of a French sentence. She understood him. No distortion of
12880...her native tongue surprised or perplexed her. She was accus-
12881...tomed to being addressed in all persons, numbers, genders,
12882...tenses; by Germans, English, Americans. She only listened to
12883...hear whether the voice was kind, and with men in this uniform
12884...it usually was kind.
12885...
12886...Had they anything to eat? Vous avez quelque chose & pick me^
12886...Had they anything to eat? Vous avez quelque chose a no, me!&
12886 __===============================================gg=op#361.. .. 137
12887...man g erf pick me^
12887...manger? no, me!&
12887@__===oooop#361.. .. 138
12888...
12889...Rien. Rien du tout.
12890...
12891...Wasnt her mother trop malade a marcher f pick me^
12891...Wasnt her mother trop malade a marcher? no, me!&
12891 __=======================gg=============oop#361.. .. 139
12892...
12893...She shrugged; Monsieur could see for himself.
12894...
12895...And her father?
12896...
12897...He was dead; mort a la Marne, en quatorze.
12898...
12899...At the Marne? Claude repeated, glancing in perplexity at
12900...the nursing baby.
12901...
........ [[361]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop362.jpg 362
12903...
12904...
12905...Her sharp eyes followed his, and she instantly divined his
12906...doubt. The baby? she said quickly. Oh, the baby is not
12907...my brother, he is a Boche.
12908...
12909...For a moment Claude did not understand. She repeated her
12910...explanation impatiently, something disdainful and sinister in
12911...her metallic little voice. A slow blush mounted to his forehead.
12912...
12913...He pushed her toward her mother, Attendez la pick me^
12913...He pushed her toward her mother, Attendez la. no, me!&
12913 __===========================================gop#362.. .. 140
12914...
12915...I guess well have to get them over to that farmhouse, he
12916...told the men. He repeated what he had got of the childs story.
12917...When he came to her laconic statement about the baby, they
12918...looked at each other. Bert Fuller was afraid he might cry
12919...again, so he kept muttering, By God, if wed a-got here sooner,
12920...by God if we had! as they ran back along the ditch.
12921...
12922...Dell and Oscar made a chair of their crossed hands and car-
12923...ried the woman, she was no great weight. Bert picked up the
12924...little boy with the pink clock; Come along, little frog, your
12925...legs aint long enough.
12926...
12927...Claude walked behind, holding the screaming baby stiffly in
12928...his arms. How was it possible for a baby to have such definite
12929...personality, he asked himself, and how was it possible to dislike
12930...a baby so much? He hated it for its square, tow-thatched head
12931...and bloodless ears, and carried it with loathing... no wonder
12932...it cried! When it got nothing by screaming and stiffening,
12933...however, it suddenly grew quiet; regarded him with pale blue
12934...eyes, and tried to make itself comfortable against his khaki coat.
12935...It put out a grimy little fist and took hold of one of his buttons.
12936...
12937...Kamerad, eh? he muttered, glaring at the infant. Cut it
12938...out!
12939...
12940...Before they had their own supper that night, the boys car-
12941...ried hot food and blankets down to their family.
12942...
........ [[362]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop363.jpg Bidding 363
12944...
12945...
12946...
12947...
12948...
12949... Chapter V-VIII
12950...
12951...
12952...Four oclock... a summer dawn... his first morn-
12953...ing in the trenches.
12954...
12955...Claude had just been along the line to see that the
12956...gun teams were in position. This hour, when the light was
12957...changing, was a favourite time for attack. He had come in
12958...late last night, and had everything to learn. Mounting the
12959...firestep, he peeped over the parapet between the sandbags,
12960...into the low, twisting mist. Just then he could see nothing but
12961...the wire entanglement, with birds hopping along the top wire,
12962...singing and chirping as they did on the wire fences at home.
12963...Clear and flute-like they sounded in the heavy air, and they
12964...were the only sounds. A little breeze came up, slowly clear-
12965...ing the mist away. Streaks of green showed through the
12966...moving banks of vapour. The birds became more agitated.
12967...That dull stretch of grey and green was No Mans Land.
12968...Those low, zigzag mounds, like giant molehills protected by
12969...wire hurdles, were the Hun trenches; five or six lines of them.
12970...He could easily follow the communication trenches without a
12971...glass. At one point their front line could not be more than
12972...eighty yards away, at another it must be all of three hundred.
12973...Here and there thin columns of smoke began to rise; the Hun
12974...was getting breakfast; everything was comfortable and
12975...natural. Behind the enemys position the country rose gradu-
12976...ally for several miles, with ravines and little woods, where,
12977...according to his map, they had masked artillery. Back on the
12978...
........ [[363]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop364.jpg 364
12980...
12981...hills were ruined farmhouses and broken trees, but nowhere
12982...a living creature in sight. It was a dead, nerveless country-
12983...side, sunk in quiet and dejection. Yet everywhere the ground
12984...was full of men. Their own trenches, from the other side,
12985...must look quite as dead. Life was a secret, these days.
12986...
12987...It was amazing how simply things could be done. His
12988...battalion had marched in quietly at midnight, and the line they
12989...came to relieve had set out as silently for the rear. It all
12990...took place in utter darkness. Just as B Company slid down
12991...an incline into the shallow rear trenches, the country was lit
12992...for a moment by two star shells, there was a rattling of
12993...machine guns, German Maxims, a sporadic crackle that was
12994...not followed up. Filing along the communication trenches,
12995...they listened anxiously; artillery fire would have made it bad
12996...for the other men who were marching to the rear. But noth-
12997...ing happened. They had a quiet night, and this morning,
12998...here they were!
12999...
13000...The sky flamed up saffron and silver. Claude looked at
13001...his watch, but he could not bear to go just yet. How long it
13002...took a Wheeler to get round to anything! Four years on the
13003...way; now that he was here, he would enjoy the scenery a bit,
13004...he guessed. He wished his mother could know how he felt
13005...this morning. But perhaps she did know. At any rate, she
13006...would not have him anywhere else. Five years ago, when he
13007...was sitting on the steps of the Denver State House and knew
13008...that nothing unexpected could ever happen to him... sup-
13009...pose he could have seen, in a flash, where he would be today?
13010...He cast a long look at the reddening, lengthening landscape,
13011...and dropped down on the duckboard.
13012...
13013...Claude made his way back to the dugout into which he and
13014...Gerhardt had thrown their effects last night. The former
13015...
........ [[364]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop365.jpg Bidding 365
13017...
13018...occupants had left it clean. There were two bunks nailed
13019...against the side walls, wooden frames with wire netting over
13020...them, covered with dry sandbags. Between the two bunks
13021...was a soap-box table, with a candle stuck in a green bottle,
13022...an alcohol stove, a bainmarie, and two tin cups. On the wall
13023...were coloured pictures from Jugend, taken out of some Hun
13024...trench.
13025...
13026...He found Gerhardt still asleep on hrs bed, and shook him pick me^
13026...He found Gerhardt still asleep on his bed, and shook him no, me!&
13026 __===================================oggggggggggggggggggggp#365.. .. 141
13027...until he sat up.
13028...
13029...How long have you been out, Claude? Didnt you sleep?
13030...
13031...A little. I wasnt very tired. I suppose we could heat
13032...shaving water on this stove; theyve left us half a bottle of
13033...alcohol. Its quite a comfortable little hole, isnt it?
13034...
13035...It will doubtless serve its purpose, David remarked dryly.
13036...So sensitive to any criticism of this war! Why, its not your
13037...affair; youve only just arrived.
13038...
13039...I know, Claude replied meekly, as he began to fold his
13040...blankets. But its likely the only one Ill ever be in, so I
13041...may as well take an interest.
13042...
13043...The next afternoon four young men, all more or less naked,
13044...were busy about a shellhole full of opaque brown water. Ser- pick me^
13044...were busy about a shell-hole full of opaque brown water. Ser- no, me!&
13044 __======================goooooooo=oooop#365.. .. 142
13045...geant Hicks and his chum, Dell Able, had hunted through half
13046...the blazing hot morning to find a hole not too scummy, con-
13047...veniently, and even picturesquely situated, and had reported
13048...it to the Lieutenants. Captain Maxey, Hicks said, could send
13049...his own orderly to find his own shell-hole, and could take his
13050...bath in private. Hed never wash himself with anybody
13051...else, the Sergeant added. Afraid of exposing his dignity!
13052...
13053...Bruger and Hammond, the two second Lieutenants, were
13054...already out of their bath, and reclined on what might almost
13055...
........ [[365]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop366.jpg 366
13057...
13058...be termed a grassy slope, examining various portions of their
13059...body with interest. They hadnt had all their clothes off for
13060...some time, and four days of marching in hot weather made
13061...a man anxious to look at himself.
13062...
13063...You wait till winter, Gerhardt told them. He was still
13064...splashing in the hole, up to his armpits in muddy water.
13065...You wont get a wash once in three months then. Some of
13066...the Tommies told me that when they got their first bath after
13067...Vimy, their skins peeled off like a snakes. What are you
13068...doing with my trousers, Bruger?
13069...
13070...Hunting for your knife. I dropped mine yesterday, when
13071...that shell exploded in the cut-off. I darned near dropped my
13072...old nut!
13073...
13074...Shucks, that wasnt anything. Dont keep blowing about
13075...it shows youre a greenhorn.
13076...
13077...Claude stripped off his shirt and slid into the pool beside
13078...Gerhardt. Gee, I hit something sharp down there! Why
13079...didnt you fellows pull out the splinters?
13080...
13081...He shut his eyes, disappeared for a moment, and came
13082...up sputtering, throwing on the ground a round metal object,
13083...coated with rust and full of slime. German helmet, isnt it?
13084...Phew! He wiped his face and looked about suspiciously.
13085...
13086...Phew is right! Bruger turned the object over with a stick.
13087...Why in hell didnt you bring up the rest of him? Youve
13088...spoiled my bath. I hope you enjoy it.
13089...
13090...Gerhardt scrambled up the side. Get out, Wheeler! Look
13091...at that, he pointed to big sleepy bubbles, bursting up through
13092...the thick water. Youve stirred up trouble, all right! Some-
13093...things going very bad down there.
13094...
13095...Claude got out after him, looking back at the activity in the
13096...water. I dont see how pulling out one helmet could stir the
13097...
........ [[366]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop367.jpg Bidding 367
13099...
13100...bottom up so. I should think the water would keep the smell
13101...down.
13102...
13103...Ever study chemistry? Bruger asked scornfully. You
13104...just opened up a graveyard, and now we get the exhaust. If
13105...you swallowed any of that German cologne Oh, you should
13106...worry!
13107...
13108...Lieutenant Hammond, still barelegged, with his shirt tied
13109...over his shoulders, was scratching in his notebook. Before
13110...they left he put up a placard on a split stick.
13111...
13112...No Public Bathing!! Private Beach
13113...
13114...C. Wheeler, Co. B. 2-th Infty.
13115...
13116...The first letters from home! The supply wagons brought
13117...them up, and every man in the Company got something except
13118...Ed Drier, a farm-hand from the Nebraska sand hills, and Willy
13119...Katz, the tow-headed Austrian boy from the South Omaha pack-
13120...ing-houses. Their comrades were sorry for them. Ed didnt
13121...have any folks of his own, but he had expected letters all the
13122...same. Willy was sure his mother must have written. When
13123...the last ragged envelope was given out and he turned away
13124...empty-handed, he murmured, Shes Bohunk, and she dont
13125...write so good. I guess the address wasnt plain, and some fel-
13126...low in another compny has got my letter.
13127...
13128...No second class matter was sent up, the boys had hoped
13129...for newspapers from home to give them a little war news, since
13130...they never got any here. Dell Abies sister, however, had en- pick me^
13130...they never got any here. Dell Ables sister, however, had en- no, me!&
13130 __================================op#367.. .. 143
13131...closed a clipping from the Kansas City Star; a long account by
13132...one of the British war correspondents in Mesopotamia, de-
13133...scribing the hardships the soldiers suffered there; dysentery,
13134...flies, mosquitoes, unimaginable heat. He read this article aloud
13135...
........ [[367]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop368.jpg 368
13137...
13138...to a group of his friends as they sat about a shell-hole pool
13139...where they had been washing their socks. He had just finished
13140...the story of how the Tommies had found a few mud huts at the
13141...place where the original Garden of Eden was said to have been,
13142...a desolate spot full of stinging insects when Oscar
13143...Petersen, a very religious Swedish boy who was often
13144...silent for days together, opened his mouth and said scorn-
13145...fully,
13146...
13147...Thats a lie!
13148...
13149...Dell looked up at him, annoyed by the interruption. How
13150...do you know it is?
13151...
13152...Because; the Lord put four cherubims with swords to guard
13153...the Garden, and there aint no man going to find it. It aint
13154...intended they should. The Bible says so.
13155...
13156...Hicks began to laugh. Why, that was about six thousand
13157...years ago, you cheese! Do you suppose your cherubims are
13158...still there?
13159...
13160...Course they are. Whats a thousand years to a cherubim?
13161...Nothin!
13162...
13163...The Swede rose and sullenly gathered up his socks.
13164...
13165...Dell Able looked at his chum. Aint he the complete bone-
13166...head? Solid ivory!
13167...
13168...Oscar wouldnt listen further to a pack of lies and walked
13169...off with his washing.
13170...
13171...Battalion Headquarters was nearly half a mile behind the
13172...front line, part dugout, part shed, with a plank roof sodded
13173...over. The Colonels office was partitioned off at one end; the
13174...rest of the place he gave over to the officers for a kind of club
13175...room. One night Claude went back to make a report on the
13176...new placing of the gun teams. The young officers were sitting
13177...
........ [[368]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop369.jpg Bidding 369
13179...
13180...about on soap boxes, smoking and eating sweet crackers out of
13181...tin cases. Gerhardt was working at a plank table with paper
13182...and crayons, making a clean copy of a rough map they had
13183...drawn up together that morning, showing the limits of fire.
13184...Noise didnt fluster him; he could sit among a lot of men and
13185...write as calmly as if he were alone.
13186...
13187...There was one officer who could talk all the others down,
13188...wherever he was; Captain Barclay Owens, attached from the
13189...Engineers. He was a little stumpy thumb of a man, only five
13190...feet four, and very broad, a dynamo of energy. Before the
13191...war he was building a dam in Spain, the largest dam in the
13192...world, and in his excavations he had discovered the ruins of
13193...one of Julius Caesars fortified camps. This had been too
13194...much for his easily-inflamed imagination. He photographed
13195...and measured and brooded upon these ancient remains. He
13196...was an engineer by day and an archaeologist by night. He
13197...had crates of books sent down from Paris, everything that
13198...had been written on Caesar, in French and German; he engaged
13199...a young priest to translate them aloud to him in the evening.
13200...The priest believed the American was mad.
13201...
13202...When Owens was in college he had never shown the least
13203...interest in classical studies, but now it was as if he were giving
13204...birth to Caesar. The war came along, and stopped the work on
13205...his dam. It also drove other ideas into his exclusively en-
13206...gineering brains. He rushed home to Kansas to explain the
13207...war to his countrymen.. He travelled about the West, dem-
13208...onstrating exactly what had happened at the first battle of the
13209...Marne, until he had a chance to enlist.
13210...
13211...In the Battalion, Owens was called Julius Caesar, and the
13212...men never knew whether he was explaining the Roman generals
13213...operations in Spain, or Joffres at the Marne, he jumped so from
13214...
........ [[369]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop370.jpg 370
13216...
13217...one to the other. Everything was in the foreground with him;
13218...centuries made no difference. Nothing existed until Barclay
13219...Owens found out about it. The men liked to hear him talk.
13220...Tonight he was walking up and down, his yellow eyes rolling,
13221...a big black cigar in his hand, lecturing the young officers upon
13222...French characteristics, coaching and preparing them. It was
13223...his legs that made him so funny; his trunk was that of a big
13224...man, set on two short stumps.
13225...
13226...Now you fellows dont want to forget that the night-life of
13227...Paris is not a typical thing at all; thats a show got up for
13228...foreigners... The French peasant, hes a thrifty fellow...
13229...This red wines all right if you dont abuse it; take it two-thirds
13230...water and it keeps off dysentery... You dont have to be
13231...rough with them, simply firm. Whenever one of them accosts
13232...me, I follow a regular plan; first, I give her twenty-five francs;
13233...then I look her in the eye and say, My girl, Ive got three
13234...children, three boys She gets the point at once; never fails. pick me^
13234...children, three boys. She gets the point at once; never fails. no, me!&
13234 __====================ooop#370.. .. 144
13235...She goes away ashamed of herself.
13236...
13237...But thats so expensive! It must keep you poor, Captain
13238...Owens, said young Lieutenant Hammond innocently. The
13239...others roared.
13240...
13241...Claude knew that David particularly detested Captain Owens
13242...of the Engineers, and wondered that he could go on working
13243...with such concentration, when snatches of the Captains lecture
13244...kept breaking through the confusion of casual talk and the noise
13245...of the phonograph. Owens, as he walked up and down, cast
13246...furtive glances at Gerhardt. He had got wind of the fact that
13247...there was something out of the ordinary about him.
13248...
13249...The men kept the phonograph going; as soon as one record
13250...buzzed out, somebody put in another. Once, when a new tune
13251...began, Claude saw David look up from his paper with a curious
13252...
........ [[370]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop371.jpg Bidding 371
13254...
13255...expression. He listened for a moment with a half-contemp-
13256...tuous smile, then frowned and began sketching in his map again.
13257...Something about his momentary glance of recognition made
13258...Claude wonder whether he had particular associations with the
13259...air, melancholy, but beautiful, Claude thought. He got up
13260...and went over to change the record himself this time. He took
13261...out the disk, and holding it up to the light, read the inscription:
13262...
13263...Meditation from Thais Violin solo David Gerhardt.
13264...
13265...When they were going back along the communication trench
13266...in the rain, wading single file, Claude broke the silence abruptly.
13267...That was one of your records they played tonight, that violin
13268...solo, wasnt it?
13269...
13270...Sounded like it. Now we go to the right. I always get
13271...lost here.
13272...
13273...Are there many of your records?
13274...
13275...Quite a number. Why do you ask?
13276...
13277...Id like to write my mother. Shes fond of good music pick me^
13277...Id like to write my mother. Shes fond of good music. no, me!&
13277 __===================================================op#371.. .. 145
13278...Shell get your records, and it will sort of bring the whole thing
13279...closer to her, dont you see?
13280...
13281...All right, Claude, said David good-naturedly. She will
13282...find them in the catalogue, with my picture in uniform along-
13283...side. I had a lot made before I went out to Camp Dix. My
13284...own mother gets a little income from them. Here we are, at
13285...home. As he struck a match two black shadows jumped from
13286...the table and disappeared behind the blankets. Plenty of
13287...them around, these wet nights. Get one? Dont squash him
13288...in there. Heres the sack.
13289...
13290...Gerhardt held open the mouth of a gunny sack, and Claude
13291...thrust the squirming corner of his blanket into it and vigorously
13292...trampled whatever fell to the bottom. Where do you suppose
13293...the other is?
13294...
........ [[371]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop372.jpg 372
13296...
13297...Hell join us later. I dont mind the rats half so much as
13298...I do Barclay Owens. What a sight he would be with
13299...his clothes off! Turn in; Ill go the rounds. Gerhardt
13300...splashed out along the submerged duckboard. Claude took off
13301...his shoes and cooled his feet in the muddy water. He wished
13302...he could ever get David to talk about his profession, and won-
13303...dered what he looked like on a concert platform, playing his
13304...violin.
13305...
........ [[372]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop373.jpg Bidding 373
13307...
13308...
13309...
13310...
13311...
13312... Chapter V-IX
13313...
13314...
13315...The following night, Claude was sent back to Divi-
13316...sion Head-quarters at Q with information the
13317...Colonel did not care to commit to paper. He set
13318...off at ten oclock, with Sergeant Hicks for escort. There had
13319...been two days of rain, and the communication trenches were
13320...almost knee-deep in water. About half a mile back of the front
13321...line, the two men crawled out of the ditch and went on above
13322...ground. There was very little shelling along the front that
13323...night. When a flare went up, they dropped and lay on their
13324...faces, trying, at the same time, to get a squint at what was
13325...ahead of them.
13326...
13327...The ground was rough, and the darkness thick; it was past
13328...midnight when they reached the east-and-west road usually
13329...full of traffic, and not entirely deserted even on a night like
13330...this. Trains of horses were splashing through the mud, with
13331...shells on their backs, empty supply wagons were coming back
13332...from the front. Claude and Hicks paused by the ditch, hoping
13333...to get a ride. The rain began to fall with such violence that
13334...they looked about for shelter. Stumbling this way and that,
13335...they ran into a big artillery piece, the wheels sunk over the
13336...hubs in a mud-hole.
13337...
13338...Whos there? called a quick voice, unmistakably British.
13339...
13340...American infantrymen, two of us. Can we get onto one of
13341...your trucks till this lets up?
13342...
13343...Oh, certainly! We can make room for you in here, if
13344...youre not too big. Speak quietly, or youll waken the Major.
13345...
........ [[373]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop374.jpg 374
13347...
13348...Giggles and smothered laughter; a flashlight winked for a
13349...moment and showed a line of five trucks, the front and rear
13350...ones covered with tarpaulin tents. The voices came from the
13351...shelter next the gun. The men inside drew up their legs and
13352...made room for the strangers; said they were sorry they hadnt
13353...anything dry to offer them except a little rum. The intruders
13354...accepted this gratefully.
13355...
13356...The Britishers were a giggly lot, and Claude thought, from
13357...their voices, they must all be very young. They joked about
13358...their Major as if he were their schoolmaster. There wasnt
13359...room enough on the truck for anybody to lie down, so they sat
13360...with their knees under their chins and exchanged gossip. The
13361...gun team belonged to an independent battery that was sent
13362...about over the country, wherever needed. The rest of the
13363...battery had got through, gone on to the east, but this big gun
13364...was always getting into trouble; now something had gone wrong
13365...with her tractor and they couldnt pull her out. They called
13366...her Jenny, and said she was taken with fainting fits now and
13367...then, and had to be humoured. It was like going about with
13368...your grandmother, one of the invisible Tommies said, she is
13369...such a pompous old thing! The Major was asleep on the
13370...rear truck; he was going to get the V.C. for sleeping. More
13371...giggles.
13372...
13373...No, they hadnt any idea where they were going; of course,
13374...the officers knew, but artillery officers never told anything.
13375...What was this country like, anyhow? They were new to this
13376...part, had just come down from Verdure.
13377...
13378...Claude said he had a friend in the air service up there; did
13379...they happen to know anything about Victor Morse?
13380...
13381...Morse, the American ace? Hadnt he heard? Why, that
13382...got into the London papers. Morse was shot down inside the
13383...
........ [[374]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop375.jpg Bidding 375
13385...
13386...Hun line three weeks ago. It was a brilliant affair. He was
13387...chased by eight Boche planes, brought down three of them, put
13388...the rest to flight, and was making for base, when they turned
13389...and got him. His machine came down in flames and he jumped,
13390...fell a thousand feet or more.
13391...
13392...Then I suppose he never got his leave? Claude asked.
13393...
13394...They didnt know. He got a fine citation.
13395...
13396...The men settled down to wait for the weather to improve or
13397...the night to pass. Some of them fell into a doze, but Claude
13398...felt wide awake. He was wondering about the flat in Chelsea;
13399...whether the heavy-eyed beauty had been very sorry, or whether
13400...she was playing Roses of Picardy for other young officers.
13401...He thought mournfully that he would never go to London now.
13402...He had quite counted on meeting Victor there some day, after
13403...the Kaiser had been properly disposed of. He had really liked
13404...Victor. There was something about that fellow... a sort of
13405...debauched baby, he was, who went seeking his enemy in the
13406...clouds. What other age could have produced such a figure?
13407...That was one of the things about this war; it took a little fellow
13408...from a little town, gave him an air and a swagger, a life like
13409...a movie-film, and then a death like the rebel angels.
13410...
13411...A man like Gerhardt, for instance, had always lived in a more
13412...or less rose-colored world; he belonged over here, really.
13413...How could he know what hard moulds and crusts the big
13414...guns had broken open on the other side of the sea? Who
13415...could ever make him understand how far it was from the straw-
13416...berry bed and the glass cage in the bank, to the sky-roads
13417...over Verdure?
13418...
13419...By three oclock the rain had stopped. Claude and Hicks
13420...set off aeain, accompanied by one of the gun team who was pick me^
13420...set off again, accompanied by one of the gun team who was no, me!&
13420 __=========op#375.. .. 146
13421...going back to get help for their tractor. As it began to grow
13422...
........ [[375]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop376.jpg 376
13424...
13425...light, the two Americans wondered more and more at the ex-
13426...tremely youthful appearance of their companion. When they
13427...stopped at a shellhole and washed the mud from their faces, pick me^
13427...stopped at a shell-hole and washed the mud from their faces, no, me!&
13427 __=================gooop#376.. .. 147
13428...the English boy, with his helmet off and the weather stains
13429...removed, showed a countenance of adolescent freshness, al-
13430...most girlish; cheeks like pink apples, yellow curls above his
13431...forehead, long, soft lashes.
13432...
13433...You havent been over very long, have you? Claude asked
13434...in a fatherly tone, as they took the road again.
13435...
13436...I came out in sixteen. I was formerly in the infantry.
13437...
13438...The Americans liked to hear him talk; he spoke very quickly,
13439...in a high, piping voice.
13440...
13441...How did you come to change?
13442...
13443...Oh, I belonged to one of the Pal Battalions, and we got
13444...cut to pieces. When I came out of hospital, I thought Id try
13445...another branch of the service, seeing my pals were gone.
13446...
13447...Now, just what is a Pal Battalion? drawled Hicks. He
13448...hated all English words he didnt understand, though he didnt
13449...mind French ones in the least.
13450...
13451...Fellows who signed up together from school, the lad
13452...piped.
13453...
13454...Hicks glanced at Claude. They both thought this boy ought
13455...to be in school for some time yet, and wondered what he looked
13456...like when he first came over.
13457...
13458...And you got cut up, you say? he asked sympathetically.
13459...
13460...Yes, on the Somme. We had rotten luck. We were sent
13461...over to take a trench and couldnt. We didnt even get to the
13462...wire. The Hun was so well prepared that time, we couldnt
13463...manage it. We went over a thousand, and we came back
13464...seventeen.
13465...
13466...A hundred and seventeen?
13467...
........ [[376]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop377.jpg Bidding 377
13469...
13470...
13471...No, seventeen.
13472...
13473...Hicks whistled and again exchanged looks with Claude.
13474...They could neither of them doubt him. There was something
13475...very unpleasant about the idea of a thousand fresh-faced
13476...schoolboys being sent out against the guns. It must have
13477...been a fool order, he commented. Suppose there was some
13478...mistake at Headquarters?
13479...
13480...Oh, no, Headquarters knew what it was about! Wed have
13481...taken it, if wed had any sort of luck. But the Hun happened
13482...to be full of fight. His machine guns did for us.
13483...
13484...You were hit yourself? Claude asked him.
13485...
13486...In the leg. He was popping away at me all the while,
13487...but I wriggled back on my tummy. When I came out of the
13488...hospital my leg wasnt strong, and theres less marching in the
13489...artillery.
13490...
13491...I should think youd have had about enough.
13492...
13493...Oh, a fellow cant stay out after all his chums have been
13494...killed! Hed think about it all the time, you know, the boy
13495...replied in his clear treble.
13496...
13497...Claude and Hicks got into Headquarters just as the cooks
13498...were turning out to build their fires. One of the Corporals
13499...took them to the officers bath, a shed with big tin tubs,
13500...and carried away their uniforms to dry them in the kitchen.
13501...It would be an hour before the officers would be about, he
13502...said, and in the meantime he would manage to get clean shirts
13503...and socks for them.
13504...
13505...Say, Lieutenant, Hicks brought out as he was rubbing
13506...himself down with a real bath towel, I dont want to hear any
13507...more about those Pal Battalions, do you? It gets my goat.
13508...So long as we were going to get into this, we might have been
13509...a little more previous. I hate to feel small.
13510...
........ [[377]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop378.jpg 378
13512...
13513...
13514...Guess well have to take our medicine, Claude said dryly. pick me^
13514...Guess well have to take our medicine, Claude said dryly, no, me!&
13514 __=======================================================op#378.. .. 148
13515...There wasnt anywhere to duck, was there? I felt like it.
13516...Nice little kid. I dont believe American boys ever seem as
13517...young as that.
13518...
13519...Why, if you met him anywhere else, youd be afraid of
13520...using bad words before him, hes so pretty! Whats the use
13521...of sending an orphan asylum out to be slaughtered? I cant
13522...see it, grumbled the fat sergeant. Well, its their business.
13523...Im not going to let it spoil my breakfast. Suppose well draw
13524...ham and eggs, Lieutenant?
13525...
........ [[378]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop379.jpg Bidding 379
13527...
13528...
13529...
13530...
13531...
13532... Chapter V-X
13533...
13534...
13535...After breakfast Claude reported to Headquarters and
13536...talked with one of the staff Majors. He was told he
13537...would have to wait until tomorrow to see Colonel
13538...James, who had been called to Paris for a general conference.
13539...He had left in his car at four that morning, in response to a
13540...telephone message.
13541...
13542...Theres not much to do here, by way of amusement, said
13543...the Major. A movie show tonight, and you can get anything
13544...you want at the estaminet, the one on the square, opposite
13545...the English tank, is the best. There are a couple of nice
13546...Frenchwomen in the Red Cross barrack, up on the hill, in the
13547...old convent garden. They try to look out for the civilian
13548...population, and were on good terms with them. We get their
13549...supplies through with our own, and the quartermaster has
13550...orders to help them when they run short. You might go up
13551...and call on them. They speak English perfectly.
13552...
13553...Claude asked whether he could walk in on them without any
13554...kind of introduction.
13555...
13556...Oh, yes, theyre used to us! Ill give you a card to Mile. pick me^
13556...Oh, yes, theyre used to us! Ill give you a card to Mlle. no, me!&
13556 __====================gggggggggg=gggggggggggggggggggggo=gggp#379.. .. 149
13557...Olive, though. Shes a particular friend of mine. There you
13558...are: Mlle. Olive de Courcy, introducing, etc. And, you un-
13559...derstand, here he glanced up and looked Claude over from
13560...head to foot, shes a perfect lady.
13561...
13562...Even with an introduction, Claude felt some hesitancy about
13563...presenting himself to these ladies. Perhaps they didnt like
13564...Americans; he was always afraid of meeting French people
13565...
........ [[379]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop380.jpg 380
13567...
13568...who didnt. It was the same way with most of the fellows
13569...in his battalion, he had found; they were terribly afraid of
13570...being disliked. And the moment they felt they were disliked,
13571...they hastened to behave as badly as possible, in order to deserve
13572...it; then they didnt feel that they had been taken in the
13573...worst feeling a doughboy could possibly have!
13574...
13575...Claude thought he would stroll about to look at the town a
13576...little. It had been taken by the Germans in the autumn of
13577...1914, after their retreat from the Marne, and they had held it
13578...until about a year ago, when it was retaken by the English and
13579...the Chasseurs dAlpins. They had been able to reduce it and to
13580...drive the Germans out, only by battering it down with artillery;
13581...not one building remained standing.
13582...
13583...Ruin was ugly, and it was nothing more, Claude was think-
13584...ing, as he followed the paths that ran over piles of brick and
13585...plaster. There was nothing picturesque about this, as there
13586...was in the war pictures one saw at home. A cyclone or a fire
13587...might have done just as good a job. The place was simply a
13588...great dump-heap; an exaggeration of those which disgrace the
13589...outskirts of American towns. It was the same thing over and
13590...over; mounds of burned brick and broken stone, heaps of rusty,
13591...twisted iron, splintered beams and rafters, stagnant pools, cel-
13592...lar holes full of muddy water. An American soldier had
13593...stepped into one of those holes a few nights before, and been
13594...drowned.
13595...
13596...This had been a rich town of eighteen thousand inhabitants;
13597...now the civilian population was about four hundred. There
13598...were people there who had hung on all through the years of
13599...German occupation; others who, as soon as they heard that the
13600...enemy was driven out, came back from wherever they had found
13601...shelter. They were living in cellars, or in little wooden barracks
13602...
........ [[380]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop381.jpg Bidding 381
13604...
13605...made from old timbers and American goods boxes. As he
13606...walked along, Claude read familiar names and addresses,
13607...painted on boards built into the sides of these frail shelters:
13608...From Emery Bird, Thayer Co. Kansas City, Mo. Daniels
13609...and Fisher, Denver, Colo. These inscriptions cheered him
13610...so much that he began to feel like going up and calling on
13611...the French ladies.
13612...
13613...The sun had come out hot after three days of rain. The
13614...stagnant pools and the weeds that grew in the ditches gave
13615...out a rank, heavy smell. Wild flowers grew triumphantly over
13616...the piles of rotting wood and rusty iron; cornflowers and
13617...Queen Annes lace and poppies; blue and white and red, as
13618...if the French colours came up spontaneously out of the French
13619...soil, no matter what the Germans did to it.
13620...
13621...Claude paused before a little shanty built against a half-
13622...demolished brick wall. A gilt cage hung in the doorway, with
13623...a canary, singing beautifully. An old woman was working in
13624...the garden patch, picking out bits of brick and plaster the rain
13625...had washed up, digging with her fingers around the pale car-
13626...rot-tops and neat lettuce heads. Claude approached her,
13627...touched his helmet, and asked her how one could find the
13628...way to the Red Cross.
13629...
13630...She wiped her hands on her apron and took him by the
13631...elbow. Vous saves le tank Anglais f Nonf Marie, Marie! pick me^
13631...elbow. Vous savez le tank Anglais? Non? Marie, Marie! no, me!&
13631 __================o================ooop#381.. .. 150
13632...
13633...(He learned afterward that every one was directed to go
13634...this way or that from a disabled British tank that had been
13635...left on the site of the old town hall.)
13636...
13637...A little girl ran out of the barrack, and her grandmother
13638...told her to go at once and take the American to the Red
13639...Cross. Marie put her hand in Claudes and led him off along
13640...one of the paths that wound among the rubbish. She took
13641...
........ [[381]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop382.jpg 382
13643...
13644...him out of the way to show him a church, evidently one of
13645...the ruins of which they were proudest, where the blue sky
13646...was shining through the white arches. The Virgin stood
13647...with empty arms over the central door; a little foot sticking
13648...to her robe showed where the infant Jesus had been shot away.
13649...
13650...Le bebe est casse, mais il a protege sa mere Marie ex- pick me^
13650...Le bebe est casse, mais il a protege sa mere, Marie ex- no, me!&
13650 __====gg=gggggggggggggg=g=gggggggggggg=gggggggoooop#382.. .. 151
13651...plained with satisfaction. As they went on, she told Claude
13652...that she had a soldier among the Americans who was her
13653...friend. II est bon, il est gai, mon soldat, but he sometimes pick me^
13653...friend. Il est bon, il est gai, mon soldat, but he sometimes no, me!&
13653 __=========o===========gp#382.. .. 152
13654...drank too much alcohol, and that was a bad habit. Perhaps
13655...now, since his comrade had stepped into a cellar hole Monday
13656...night while he was drunk, and had been drowned, her
13657...Sharlie would be warned and would do better. Marie was
13658...evidently a well brought up child. Her father, she said,
13659...had been a schoolmaster. At the foot of the convent hill,
13660...she turned to go home. Claude called her back and awkwardly
13661...tried to give her some money, but she thrust her hands behind
13662...her and said resolutely, Non, merci. Je riai besoin de rien pick me^
13662...her and said resolutely, Non, merci. Je nai besoin de rien, no, me!&
13662 __==============================g=========ooop#382.. .. 153
13663...and then ran away down the path.
13664...
13665...As he climbed toward the top of the hill he noticed that
13666...the ground had been cleaned up a bit. The path was clear,
13667...the bricks and hewn stones had been piled in neat heaps,
13668...the broken hedges had been trimmed and the dead parts cut
13669...away. Emerging at last into the garden, he stood still for
13670...wonder; even though it was in ruins, it seemed so beautiful
13671...after the disorder of the world below.
13672...
13673...The gravel walks were clean and shining. A wall of very old
13674...boxwoods stood green against a row of dead Lombardy pop-
13675...lars. Along the shattered side of the main building, a pear
13676...tree, trained on wires like a vine, still flourished, full of
13677...little red pears. Around the stone well was a shaven grass plot,
13678...
........ [[382]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop383.jpg Bidding 383
13680...
13681...and everywhere there were little trees and shrubs, which had
13682...been too low for the shells to hit, or for the fire, which had
13683...seared the poplars, to catch. The hill must have been wrapped
13684...in flames at one time, and all the tall trees had been burned.
13685...
13686...The barrack was built against the walls of the cloister,
13687...three arches of which remained, like a stone wing to the shed
13688...of planks. On a ladder stood a one-armed young man, driv-
13689...ing nails very skillfully with his single hand. He seemed to
13690...be making a frame projection from the sloping roof, to sup-
13691...port an awning. He carried his nails in his mouth. When he
13692...wanted one, he hung his hammer to the belt of his trousers,
13693...took a nail from between his teeth, stuck it into the wood,
13694...and then deftly rapped it on the head. Claude watched him
13695...for a moment, then went to the foot of the ladder and held
13696...out his two hands. Laissez-moi he exclaimed. pick me^
13696...out his two hands. Laissez-moi, he exclaimed. no, me!&
13696 __==============================oooop#383.. .. 154
13697...
13698...The one aloft spat his nails out into his palm, looked down,
13699...and laughed He was about Claudes age, with very yellow pick me^
13699...and laughed. He was about Claudes age, with very yellow no, me!&
13699 __==========goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo=ooop#383.. .. 155
13700...hair and moustache and blue eyes. A charming looking fellow.
13701...
13702...Willingly, he said. This is no great affair, but I do
13703...it to amuse myself, and it will be pleasant for the ladies. He
13704...descended and gave his hammer to the visitor. Claude set
13705...to work on the frame, while the other went under the stone
13706...arches and brought back a roll of canvas, part of an old
13707...tent, by the look of it.
13708...
13709...Un heritage dcs Boches, he explained unrolling it upon pick me^
13709...Un heritage des Boches, he explained unrolling it upon no, me!&
13709 __=============op#383.. .. 156
13710...the grass. I found it among their filth in the cellar, and had
13711...the idea to make a pavilion for the ladies, as our trees are
13712...destroyed. He stood up suddenly. Perhaps you have come
13713...to see the ladies?
13714...
13715...Plus lard! pick me^
13715...Plus tard. no, me!&
13715 __=====o===op#383.. .. 157
13716...
13717...Very well, the boy said, they would get the pavilion done
13718...
........ [[383]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop384.jpg 384
13720...
13721...for a surprise for Mile. Olive when she returned. She was pick me^
13721...for a surprise for Mlle. Olive when she returned. She was no, me!&
13721 __====================o==ggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggp#384.. .. 158
13722...down in the town now, visiting the sick people. He bent over
13723...his canvas again, measuring and cutting with a pair of garden
13724...shears, moving round the green plot on his knees, and all the
13725...time singing. Claude wished he could understand the words
13726...of his song.
13727...
13728...While they were working together, tying the cloth up to
13729...the frame, Claude, from his elevation, saw a tall girl coming
13730...slowly up the path by which he had ascended. She paused
13731...at the top, by the boxwood hedge, as if she were very tired,
13732...and stood looking at them. Presently she approached the lad-
13733...der and said in slow, careful English, Good morning. Louis
13734...has found help, I see.
13735...
13736...Claude came down from his perch.
13737...
13738...Are you Mile. de Courcy? I am Claude Wheeler. I have pick me^
13738...Are you Mlle. de Courcy? I am Claude Wheeler. I have no, me!&
13738 __=========op#384.. .. 159
13739...a note of introduction to you, if I can find it.
13740...
13741...She took the card, but did not look at it. That is not
13742...necessary. Your uniform is enough. Why have you come?
13743...
13744...He looked at her in some confusion. Well, really, I dont
13745...know! I am just in from the front to see Colonel James,
13746...and he is in Paris, so I must wait over a day. One of the staff
13747...suggested my coming up here I suppose because it is so nice!
13748...he finished ingenuously.
13749...
13750...Then you are a guest from the front, and you will have
13751...lunch with Louis and me. Madame Barre is also gone for the
13752...day. Will you see our house? She led him through the low
13753...door into a living room, unpainted, uncarpeted, light and airy.
13754...There were coloured war posters on the clean board walls,
13755...brass shell cases full of wild flowers and garden flowers, can-
13756...vas camp-chairs, a shelf of books, a table covered by a
13757...white silk shawl embroidered with big butterflies. The sun-
13758...
........ [[384]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop385.jpg Bidding 385
13760...
13761...light on the floor, the bunches of fresh flowers, the white win-
13762...dow curtains stirring in the breeze, reminded Claude of some-
13763...thing, but he could not remember what.
13764...
13765...We have no guest room, said Mile. de Courcy. But pick me^
13765...We have no guest room, said Mlle. de Courcy. But no, me!&
13765 __=============================op#385.. .. 160
13766...you will come to mine, and Louis will bring you hot water
13767...to wash.
13768...
13769...In a wooden chamber at the end of the passage, Claude took
13770...off his coat, and set to work to make himself as tidy as pos-
13771...sible. Hot water and scented soap were in themselves pleas-
13772...ant things. The dresser was an old goods box, stood on end
13773...and covered with white lawn. On it there was a row of
13774...ivory toilet things, with combs and brushes, powder and
13775...cologne, and a pile of white handkerchiefs fresh from the
13776...iron. He felt that he ought not to look about him much, but
13777...the odor of cleanness, and the indefinable air of personality,
13778...tempted him. In one corner, a curtain on a rod made a
13779...clothes-closet; in another was a low iron bed, like a soldiers,
13780...with a pale blue coverlid and white pillows. He moved care-
13781...fully and splashed discreetly. There was nothing he could
13782...have damaged or broken, not even a rug on the plank floor,
13783...and the pitcher and hand-basin were of iron; yet he felt
13784...as if he were imperiling something fragile.
13785...
13786...When he came out, the table in the living room was set
13787...for three. The stout old dame who was placing the plates
13788...paid no attention to him, seemed, from her expression, to
13789...scorn him and all his kind. He withdrew as far as possible
13790...out of her path and picked up a book from the table, a volume
13791...of Heines Reisebilder in German.
13792...
13793...Before lunch Mile. de Courcy showed him the store room pick me^
13793...Before lunch Mlle. de Courcy showed him the store room no, me!&
13793 __==============op#385.. .. 161
13794...in the rear, where the shelves were stocked with rows of cof-
13795...fee tins, condensed milk, canned vegetables and meat, all with
13796...
........ [[385]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop386.jpg 386
13798...
13799...American trade names he knew so well; names which seemed
13800...doubly familiar and reliable here, so far from home. She
13801...told him the people in the town could not have got through
13802...the winter without these things. She had to deal them out
13803...sparingly, where the need was greatest, but they made the dif-
13804...ference between life and death. Now that it was summer,
13805...the people lived by their gardens; but old women still came
13806...to beg for a few ounces of coffee, and mothers to get a can
13807...of milk for the babies.
13808...
13809...Claudes face glowed with pleasure. Yes, his country had
13810...a long arm. People forgot that; but here, he felt, was some
13811...one who did not forget. When they sat down to lunch he
13812...learned that Mile. de Courcy and Madame Barre had been pick me^
13812...learned that Mlle. de Courcy and Madame Barre had been no, me!&
13812 __==============o=============================ggggggg=ggp#386.. .. 162
13813...here almost a year now; they came soon after the town was re-
13814...taken, when the old inhabitants began to drift back. The
13815...people brought with them only what they could carry in their
13816...arms.
13817...
13818...They must love their country so much, dont you think, when
13819...they endure such poverty to come back to it? she said. Even
13820...the old ones do not often complain about their dear things
13821...their linen, and their china, and their beds. If they have the
13822...ground, and hope, all that they can make again. This war has
13823...taught us all how little the made things matter. Only the feel-
13824...ing matters.
13825...
13826...Exactly so; hadnt he been trying to say this ever since he
13827...was born? Hadnt he always known it, and hadnt it made
13828...life both bitter and sweet for him? What a beautiful voice
13829...she had, this Mile. Olive, and how nobly it dealt with the Eng- pick me^
13829...she had, this Mlle. Olive, and how nobly it dealt with the Eng- no, me!&
13829 __===============op#386.. .. 163
13830...lish tongue. He would like to say something, but out of so
13831...much... what? He remained silent, therefore, sat nerv-
13832...ously breaking up the black war bread that lay beside his plate.
13833...
........ [[386]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop387.jpg Bidding 387
13835...
13836...
13837...He saw her looking at his hand, felt in a flash that she re-
13838...garded it with favour, and instantly put it on his knee, under
13839...the table.
13840...
13841...It is our trees that are worst, she went on sadly.
13842...You have seen our poor trees? It makes one ashamed for
13843...this beautiful part of France. Our people are more sorry for
13844...them than to lose their cattle and horses.
13845...
13846...Mile. de Courcy looked over taxed by care and responsi- pick me^
13846...Mlle. de Courcy looked over-taxed by care and responsi- no, me!&
13846 __=o=========================op#387.. .. 164
13847...bility, Claude thought, as he watched her. She seemed far
13848...from strong. Slender, grey-eyed, dark-haired, with white
13849...transparent skin and a too ardent colour in her lips and cheeks,
13850...like the flame of a feverish activity within. Her shoulders
13851...drooped, as if she were always tired. She must be young, too,
13852...though there were threads of grey in her hair, brushed flat
13853...and knotted carelessly at the back of her head.
13854...
13855...After the coffee, Mile. de Courcy went to work at her desk, pick me^
13855...After the coffee, Mlle. de Courcy went to work at her desk, no, me!&
13855 __===================op#387.. .. 165
13856...and Louis took Claude to show him the garden. The clearing
13857...and trimming and planting were his own work, and he had
13858...done it all with one arm. This autumn he would accomplish
13859...much more, for he was stronger now, and he had the habitude
13860...of working single-handed. He must manage to get the dead
13861...trees down; they distressed Mademoiselle Olive. In front of
13862...the barrack stood four old locusts; the tops were naked forks,
13863...burned coal-black, but the lower branches had put out thick tufts
13864...of yellow-green foliage, so vigorous that the life in the trunks
13865...must still be sound. This fall, Louis said, he meant to get
13866...some strong American boys to help him, and they would saw
13867...off the dead limbs and trim the tops flat over the thick boles.
13868...How much it must mean to a man to love his country like
13869...this, Claude thought; to love its trees and flowers; to nurse it
13870...when it was sick, and tend its hurts with one arm.
13871...
........ [[387]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop388.jpg 388
13873...
13874...
13875...Among the flowers, which had come back self-sown or from
13876...old roots, Claude found a group of tall, straggly plants with red-
13877...dish stems and tiny white blossoms, one of the evening prim-
13878...rose family, the Gaum, that grew along the clay banks of pick me^
13878...rose family, the Gaura, that grew along the clay banks of no, me!&
13878 __====================ooop#388.. .. 166
13879...Lovely Creek, at home. He had never thought it very pretty,
13880...but he was pleased to find it here. He had supposed it was
13881...one of those nameless prairie flowers that grew on the prairie
13882...and nowhere else.
13883...
13884...When they went back to the barrack, Mile. Olive was sitting pick me^
13884...When they went back to the barrack, Mlle. Olive was sitting no, me!&
13884 __=====================================op#388.. .. 167
13885...in one of the canvas chairs Louis had placed under the new
13886...pavilion.
13887...
13888...What a fine fellow he is! Claude exclaimed, looking after
13889...him.
13890...
13891...Louis? Yes. He was my brothers orderly. When Emile
13892...came home on leave he always brought Louis with him, and
13893...Louis became like one of the family. The shell that killed my
13894...brother tore off his arm. My mother and I went to visit him
13895...in the hospital, and he seemed ashamed to be alive, poor boy,
13896...when my brother was dead. He put his hand over his face
13897...and began to cry, and said, Oh, Madame, il etait toujours plus
13898...chic que moil pick me^
13898...chic que moi! no, me!&
13898 __=========gggogp#388.. .. 168
13899...
13900...Although Mile. Olive spoke English well, Claude saw that pick me^
13900...Although Mlle. Olive spoke English well, Claude saw that no, me!&
13900@__==========op#388.. .. 169
13901...she did so only by keeping her mind intently upon it. The
13902...stiff sentences she uttered were foreign to her nature; her face
13903...and eyes ran ahead of her tongue and made one wait
13904...eagerly for what was coming. He sat down in a sagging
13905...canvas chair, absently twisting a sprig of Gaura he had
13906...pulled.
13907...
13908...You have found a flower? She looked up.
13909...
13910...Yes. It grows at home, on my fathers farm.
13911...
13912...She dropped the faded shirt she was darning. Oh, tell
13913...
........ [[388]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop389.jpg Bidding 389
13915...
13916...me about your country! I have talked to so many, but it is
13917...difficult to understand. Yes, tell me about that!
13918...
13919...Nebraska What was it? How many days from the sea,
13920...what did it look like? As he tried to describe it, she listened
13921...with half-closed eyes. Flat-covered with grain-muddy
13922...rivers. I think it must be like Russia. But your fathers
13923...farm; describe that to me, minutely, and perhaps I can see the
13924...rest.
13925...
13926...Claude took a stick and drew a square in the sand: there,
13927...to begin with, was the house and farmyard; there was the
13928...big pasture, with Lovely Creek flowing through it; there were
13929...the wheatfields and cornfields, the timber claim; more wheat
13930...and corn, more pastures. There it all was, diagrammed on the
13931...yellow sand, with shadows gliding over it from the half-charred
13932...locust trees. He would not have believed that he could tell
13933...a stranger about it in such detail. It was partly due to his
13934...listener, no doubt; she gave him unusual sympathy, and the
13935...glow of an unusual mind. While she bent over his map,
13936...questioning him, a light dew of perspiration gathered on her
13937...upper lip, and she breathed faster from her effort to see and
13938...understand everything. He told her about his mother and
13939...his father and Mahailey; what life was like there in summer
13940...and winter and autumn what it had been like in that fateful
13941...summer when the Hun was moving always toward Paris, and
13942...on those three days when the French were standing at the
13943...Marne; how his mother and father waited for him to bring
13944...the news at night, and how the very cornfields seemed to hold
13945...their breath.
13946...
13947...Mile. Olive sank back wearily in her chair. Claude looked pick me^
13947...Mlle. Olive sank back wearily in her chair. Claude looked no, me!&
13947 __=op#389.. .. 170
13948...up and saw tears sparkling in her brilliant eyes. And I my-
13949...self, she murmured, did not know of the Marne until days
13950...
........ [[389]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop390.jpg 390
13952...
13953...afterward, though my father and brother were both there!
13954...I was far off in Brittany, and the trains did not run. That is
13955...what is wonderful, that you are here, telling me this! We,
13956...we were taught from childhood that some day the Germans
13957...would come; we grew up under that threat. But you were so
13958...safe, with all your wheat and corn. Nothing could touch you,
13959...nothing!
13960...
13961...Claude dropped his eyes. Yes, he muttered, blushing,
13962...shame could. It pretty nearly did. We are pretty late. He
13963...rose from his chair as if he were going to fetch something...
13964...But where was he to get it from? He shook his head.
13965...I am afraid, he said mournfully, there is nothing I can say
13966...to make you understand how far away it all seemed, how al-
13967...most visionary. It didnt only seem miles away, it seemed
13968...centuries away.
13969...
13970...But you do come, so many, and from so far! It is the last
13971...miracle of this war. I was in Paris on the fourth day of July,
13972...when your Marines, just from Belleau Wood, marched for
13973...your national fete, and I said to myself as they came on,
13974...That is a new man! Such heads they had, so fine there, be-
13975...hind the ears. Such discipline and purpose. Our people
13976...laughed and called to them and threw them flowers, but they
13977...never turned to look... eyes straight before. They passed
13978...like men of destiny. She threw out her hands with a swift
13979...movement and dropped them in her lap. The emotion of that
13980...day came back in her face. As Claude looked at her burning
13981...cheeks, her burning eyes, he understood that the strain of this
13982...war had given her a perception that was almost like a gift of
13983...prophecy.
13984...
13985...A woman came up the hill carrying a baby. Mile. de Courcy pick me^
13985...A woman came up the hill carrying a baby. Mlle. de Courcy no, me!&
13985 __===========================================op#390.. .. 171
13986...went to meet her and took her into the house. Claude sat
13987...
........ [[390]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop391.jpg Bidding 391
13989...
13990...down again, almost lost to himself in the feeling of being com-
13991...pletely understood, of being no longer a stranger. In the far
13992...distance the big guns were booming at intervals. Down in the
13993...garden Louis was singing. Again he wished he knew the
13994...words of Louis songs. The airs were rather melancholy, but
13995...they were sung very cheerfully. There was something open
13996...and warm about the boys voice, as there was about his face pick me^
13996...and warm about the boys voice, as there was about his face- no, me!&
13996 __==========================================================op#391.. .. 172
13997...something blond, too. It was distinctly a bland voice, like
13998...summer wheatfields, ripe and waving. Claude sat alone for
13999...half an hour or more, tasting a new kind of happiness, a new
14000...kind of sadness. Ruin and new birth; the shudder of ugly
14001...things in the past, the trembling image of beautiful ones on the
14002...horizon; finding and losing; that was life, he saw.
14003...
14004...When his hostess came back, he moved her chair for
14005...her out of the creeping sunlight. I didnt know there
14006...were any French girls like you, he said simply, as she sat
14007...down.
14008...
14009...She smiled. I do not think there are any French girls
14010...left. There are children and women. I was twenty-one when
14011...the war came, and I had never been anywhere without my
14012...mother or my brother or sister. Within a year I went all over
14013...France alone; with soldiers, with Senegalese, with anybody.
14014...Everything is different with us. She lived at Versailles, she
14015...told him, where her father had been an instructor in the Mil-
14016...itary School. He had died since the beginning of the war.
14017...Her grandfather was killed in the war of 1870. Hers was a
14018...family of soldiers, but not one of the men would be left to see
14019...the day of victory.
14020...
14021...She looked so tired that Claude knew he had no right to
14022...stay. Long shadows were falling in the garden. It was hard
14023...to leave; but an hour more or less wouldnt matter. Two pea- pick me^
14023...to leave; but an hour more or less wouldnt matter. Two peo- no, me!&
14023 __=========================================================op#391.. .. 173
14024...
........ [[391]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop392.jpg 392
14026...
14027...pie could hardly give each other more if they were together pick me^
14027...ple could hardly give each other more if they were together no, me!&
14027 __=ogp#392.. .. 174
14028...for years, he thought.
14029...
14030...Will you tell me where I can come and see you, if we both
14031...get through this war? he asked as he rose.
14032...
14033...He wrote it down in his notebook.
14034...
14035...I shall look for you she said, giving him her hand. pick me^
14035...I shall look for you, she said, giving him her hand. no, me!&
14035 __====================oooop#392.. .. 175
14036...
14037...There was nothing to do but to take his helmet and go. At
14038...the edge of the hill, just before he plunged down the path, he
14039...stopped and glanced back at the garden lying flattened in the
14040...sun; the three stone arches, the dahlias and marigolds, the glis-
14041...tening boxwood wall. He had left something on the hilltop
14042...which he would never find again.
14043...
14044...The next afternoon Claude and his sergeant set off for the
14045...front. They had been told at Headquarters that they could
14046...shorten their route by following the big road to the military
14047...cemetery, and then turning to the left. It was not advisable
14048...to go the latter half of the way before nightfall, so they took
14049...their time through the belt of straggling crops and hayfields.
14050...
14051...When they struck the road they came upon a big Highlander
14052...sitting in the end of an empty supply wagon, smoking a pipe
14053...and rubbing the dried mud out of his kilts. The horses were
14054...munching in their nose-bags, and the driver had disappeared.
14055...The Americans hadnt happened to meet with any Highlanders
14056...before, and were curious. This one must be a good fighter,
14057...they thought; a brawny giant with a bulldog jaw, and a face
14058...as red and knobby as his knees. More because he admired the
14059...looks of the man than because he needed information, Hicks
14060...went up and asked him if he had noticed a military cemetery
14061...on the road back. The Kilt nodded.
14062...
14063...About how far back would you say it was?
14064...
........ [[392]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop393.jpg Bidding 393
14066...
14067...
14068...I wouldnt say at all. I take no account of their kilometers,
14069...he replied dryly, rubbing away at his skirt as if he had it in a
14070...washtub.
14071...
14072...Well, about how long will it take us to walk it?
14073...
14074...That I couldnt say. A Scotsman would do it in an hour.
14075...
14076...I guess a Yankee can do it as quick as a Scotchman, cant
14077...be? Hicks asked jovially.
14078...
14079...That I couldnt say. Youve been four years gettin this
14080...far, I know verra well.
14081...
14082...Hicks blinked as if he had been hit. Oh, if thats the way
14083...you talk
14084...
14085...Thats the way I do, said the other sourly.
14086...
14087...Claude put out a warning hand. Come on, Hicks. Youll
14088...get nothing by it. They went up the road very much dis-
14089...concerted. Hicks kept thinking of things he might have said.
14090...When he was angry, the Sergeants forehead puffed up and be-
14091...came dark red, like a young babys. What did you call me
14092...off for? he sputtered.
14093...
14094...I dont see where youd have come out in an argument, and
14095...you certainly couldnt have licked him.
14096...
14097...They turned aside at the cemetery to wait until the sun went
14098...down. It was unfenced, unsodded, and a wagon trail ran
14099...through the middle, bisecting the square. On one side were
14100...the French graves, with white crosses; on the other side the
14101...German graves, with black crosses. Poppies and cornflower
14102...ran over them. The Americans strolled about, reading the
14103...names. Here and there the soldiers photograph was nailed
14104...upon his cross, left by some comrade to perpetuate his memory
14105...a little longer.
14106...
14107...The birds, that always came to life at dusk and dawn, began
14108...to sing, flying home from somewhere. Claude and Hicks sat
14109...
........ [[393]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop394.jpg 394
14111...
14112...down between the mounds and began to smoke while the sun
14113...dropped. Lines of dead trees marked the red west. This
14114...was a dreary stretch of country, even to boys brought up on
14115...the flat prairie. They smoked in silence, meditating and waiting
14116...for night. On a cross at their feet the inscription read merely:
14117...
14118...Soldat Inconnu, Mori pour La France. pick me^
14118...Soldat Inconnu, Mort pour La France. no, me!&
14118 __===================op#394.. .. 176
14119...
14120...A very good epitaph, Claude was thinking. Most of the
14121...boys who fell in this war were unknown, even to themselves.
14122...They were too young. They died and took their secret with
14123...them, what they were and what they might have been. The
14124...name that stood was La France. How much that name had
14125...come to mean to him, since he first saw a shoulder of land bulk
14126...up in the dawn from the deck of the Anchises. It was a pleas-
14127...ant name to say over in ones mind, where one could make it
14128...as passionately nasal as one pleased and never blush.
14129...
14130...Hicks, too, had been lost in his reflections. Now he broke
14131...the silence. Somehow, Lieutenant, f mort f seems deader than pick me^
14131...the silence. Somehow, Lieutenant, mort seems deader than no, me!&
14131 __==================================ooooooooo=ooop#394.. .. 177
14132...dead. It has a coffinish sound. And over there theyre all
14133...tod and its all the same damned silly thing. Look at them pick me^
14133...tod, and its all the same damned silly thing. Look at them no, me!&
14133@__===ooooooooooo=oooooooooooooooooooo=ooooooooooo=ooop#394.. .. 178
14134...set out here, black and white, like a checkerboard. The next
14135...question is, who put em here, and whats the good of it?
14136...
14137...Search me, the other murmured absently.
14138...
14139...Hicks rolled another cigarette and sat smoking it, his plump
14140...face wrinkled with the gravity and labour of his cerebration.
14141...Well, he brought out at last, wed better hike. This after-
14142...glow will hang on for an hour, always does, over here.
14143...
14144...I suppose we had. They rose to go. The white crosses
14145...were now violet, and the black ones had altogether melted in
14146...the shadow. Behind the dead trees in the west, a long smear
14147...of red still burned. To the north, the guns were tuning up with
14148...
........ [[394]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop395.jpg Bidding 395
14150...
14151...a deep thunder. Somebodys getting peppered up there. Do
14152...owls always hoot in graveyards?
14153...
14154...Just what I was wondering, Lieutenant. Its a peaceful
14155...spot, otherwise. Good-night, boys, said Hicks kindly, as they
14156...left the graves behind them.
14157...
14158...They were soon finding their way among shell holes, and
14159...jumping trench-tops in the dark, beginning to feel cheer-
14160...ful at getting back to their chums and their own little group.
14161...Hicks broke out and told Claude how he and Dell Able meant
14162...to go into business together when they got home; were going
14163...to open a garage and automobile-repair shop. Under their
14164...talk, in the minds of both, that lonely spot lingered, and the
14165...legend: Soldat Inconnu, Mort pour La France.
14166...
........ [[395]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop396.jpg 396
14168...
14169...
14170...
14171...
14172...
14173... Chapter V-XI
14174...
14175...
14176...After four days rest in the rear, the Battalion went
14177...to the front again in new country, about ten kilo-
14178...meters east of the trench they had relieved before.
14179...One morning Colonel Scott sent for Claude and Gerhardt and
14180...spread his maps out on the table.
14181...
14182...We are going to clean them out there in F 6 tonight, and
14183...straighten our line. The thing that bothers us is that little
14184...village stuck up on the hill, where the enemy machine guns
14185...have a strong position. I want to get them out of there be-
14186...fore the Battalion goes over. We cant spare too many men,
14187...and I dont like to send out more officers than I can help; it
14188...wont do to reduce the Battalion for the major operation.
14189...Do you think you two boys could manage it with a hundred
14190...men? The point is, you will have to be out and back before
14191...our artillery begins at three oclock.
14192...
14193...Under the hill where the village stood, ran a deep ravine,
14194...and from this ravine a twisting water course wound up the
14195...hillside. By climbing this gully, the raiders should be able
14196...to fall on the machine gunners from the rear and surprise
14197...them. But first they must get across the open stretch, nearly
14198...one and a half kilometers wide, between the American line
14199...and the ravine, without attracting attention. It was raining
14200...now, and they could safely count on a dark night.
14201...
14202...The night came on black enough. The Company crossed
14203...the open stretch without provoking fire, and slipped into the
14204...ravine to wait for the hour of attack, A young doctor, a Penn-
14205...
........ [[396]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop397.jpg Bidding 397
14207...
14208...sylvanian, lately attached to the staff, had volunteered to
14209...come with them, and he arranged a dressing station at the
14210...bottom of the ravine, where the stretchers were left. They
14211...were to pick up their wounded on the way back. Anything
14212...left in that area would be exposed to the artillery fire later
14213...on.
14214...
14215...At ten oclock the men began to ascend the water-course,
14216...creeping through pools and little waterfalls, making a con-
14217...tinuous spludgy sound, like pigs rubbing against the sty.
14218...Claude, with the head of the column, was just pulling out of
14219...the gully on the hillside above the village, when a flare went
14220...up, and a volley of fire broke from the brush on the up-hill
14221...side of the water-course; machine guns, opening on the ex-
14222...posed line crawling below. The Hun had been warned that
14223...the Americans were crossing the plain and had anticipated
14224...their way of approach. The men in the gully were trapped;
14225...they could not retaliate with effect, and the bullets from the
14226...Maxims bounded on the rocks about them like hail. Gerhardt
14227...ran along the edge of the line, urging the men not to fall back
14228...and double on themselves, but to break out of the gully on
14229...the downhill side and scatter.
14230...
14231...Claude, with his group, started back. Go into the brush
14232...and get em! Our fellows have got no chance down there.
14233...Grenades while they last, then bayonets. Pull your plugs
14234...and dont hold on too long.
14235...
14236...They were already on the run, charging the brush. The
14237...Hun gunners knew the hill like a book, and when the bombs
14238...began bursting among them, they took to trails and burrows.
14239...Dont follow them off into the rocks, Claude kept calling.
14240...Straight ahead! Clear everything to the ravine.
14241...
14242...As the German gunners made for cover, the firing into the
14243...
........ [[397]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop398.jpg 398
14245...
14246...gully stopped, and the arrested column poured up the steep
14247...defile after Gerhardt.
14248...
14249...Claude and his party found themselves back at the foot of
14250...the hill, at the edge of the ravine from which they had started.
14251...Heavy firing on the hill above told them the rest of the men
14252...had got through. The quickest way back to the scene of action
14253...was by the same water-course they had climbed before. They
14254...dropped into it and started up. Claude, at the rear, felt the
14255...ground rise under him, and he was swept with a mountain of
14256...earth and rock down into the ravine.
14257...
14258...He never knew whether he lost consciousness or not. It
14259...seemed to him that he went on having continuous sensations.
14260...The first, was that of being blown to pieces; of swelling to
14261...an enormous size under intolerable pressure, and then burst-
14262...ing. Next he felt himself shrink and tingle, like a frost-bitten
14263...body thawing out. Then he swelled again, and burst. This
14264...was repeated, he didnt know how often. He soon realized
14265...that he was lying under a great weight of earth; his body,
14266...not his head. He felt rain falling on his face. His left
14267...hand was free, and still attached to his arm. He moved
14268...it cautiously to his face. He seemed to be bleeding from
14269...the nose and ears. Now he began to wonder where he was
14270...hurt; he felt as if he were full of shell splinters. Everything
14271...was buried but his head and left shoulder. A voice was calling
14272...from somewhere below.
14273...
14274...Are any of you fellows alive?
14275...
14276...Claude closed his eyes against the rain beating in his face.
14277...The same voice came again, with a note of patient despair.
14278...
14279...If theres anybody left alive in this hole, wont he speak
14280...up? Im badly hurt myself.
14281...
14282...That must be the new doctor; wasnt his dressing station
14283...
........ [[398]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop399.jpg Bidding 399
14285...
14286...somewhere down here? Hurt, he said. Claude tried to move
14287...his legs a little. Perhaps, if he could get out from under the
14288...dirt, he might hold together long enough to reach the doctor.
14289...He began to wriggle and pull. The wet earth sucked at him;
14290...it was painful business. He braced himself with his elbows,
14291...but kept slipping back.
14292...
14293...Im the only one left, then? said the mournful voice below.
14294...
14295...At last Claude worked himself out of his burrow, but he was
14296...unable to stand. Every time he tried to stand, he got faint and
14297...seemed to burst again. Something was the matter with his
14298...right ankle, too he couldnt bear his weight on it. Perhaps
14299...he had been too near the shell to be hit; he had heard
14300...the boys tell of such cases. It had exploded under his feet and
14301...swept him down into the ravine, but hadnt left any metal in
14302...his body. If it had put anything into him, it would have put
14303...so much that he wouldnt be sitting here speculating. He began
14304...to crawl down the slope on all fours. Is that the Doctor?
14305...Where are you?
14306...
14307...Here, on a stretcher. They shelled us. Who are you?
14308...Our fellows got up, didnt they?
14309...
14310...I guess most of them did. What happened back here?
14311...
14312...Im afraid its my fault, the voice said sadly. I used my
14313...flash light, and that must have given them the range. They
14314...put three or four shells right on top of us. The fellows that
14315...got hurt in the gully kept stringing back here, and I couldnt do
14316...anything in the dark. I had to have a light to do anything.
14317...I just finished putting on a Johnson splint when the first shell
14318...came. I guess theyre all done for now.
14319...
14320...How many were there?
14321...
14322...Fourteen, I think. Some of them werent much hurt.
14323...Theyd all be alive, if I hadnt come out with you.
14324...
........ [[399]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop400.jpg 400
14326...
14327...
14328...Who were they? But you dont know our names yet, do
14329...you? You didnt see Lieutenant Gerhardt among them?
14330...
14331...Dont think so.
14332...
14333...Nor Sergeant Hicks, the fat fellow?
14334...
14335...Dont think so.
14336...
14337...Where are you hurt?
14338...
14339...Abdominal. I cant tell anything without a light. I lost
14340...my flash light. It never occurred to me that it could make
14341...trouble; its one I use at home, when the babies are sick, the
14342...doctor murmured.
14343...
14344...Claude tried to strike a match, with no success. Wait a
14345...minute, wheres your helmet? He took off his metal hat, held
14346...it over the doctor, and managed to strike a light underneath it.
14347...The wounded man had already loosened his trousers, and now
14348...he pulled up his bloody shirt. His groin and abdomen were
14349...torn on the left side. The wound, and the stretcher on which
14350...he lay, supported a mass of dark, coagulated blood that looked
14351...like a great cows liver.
14352...
14353...I guess Ive got mine, the Doctor murmured as the match
14354...went out.
14355...
14356...Claude struck another. Oh, that cant be! Our fellows
14357...will be back pretty soon, and we can do something for you.
14358...
14359...No use, Lieutenant. Do you suppose you could strip a coat
14360...off one of those poor fellows? I feel the cold terribly in my
14361...intestines. I had a bottle of French brandy, but I suppose its
14362...buried.
14363...
14364...Claude stripped off his own coat, which was warm on the
14365...inside, and began feeling about in the mud for the brandy.
14366...He wondered why the poor man wasnt screaming with pain.
14367...The firing on the hill had ceased, except for the occasional
14368...
........ [[400]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop401.jpg Bidding 401
14370...
14371...click of a Maxim, off in the rocks somewhere. His watch
14372...said 12:10; could anything have miscarried up there?
14373...
14374...Suddenly, voices above, a clatter of boots on the shale. He
14375...began shouting to them.
14376...
14377...Coming, coming! He knew the voice. Gerhardt and his
14378...rifles ran down into the ravine with a bunch of prisoners.
14379...Claude called to them to be careful. Dont strike a light!
14380...Theyve been shelling down here.
14381...
14382...All right are you, Wheeler? Where are the wounded?
14383...
14384...There arent any but the Doctor and me. Get us out of
14385...here quick. Im all right, but I cant walk.
14386...
14387...They put Claude on a stretcher and sent him ahead. Four
14388...big Germans carried him, and they were prodded to a lope by
14389...Hicks and Dell Able. Four of their own men took up the
14390...doctor, and Gerhardt walked beside him. In spite of their
14391...care, the motion started the blood again and tore away the clots
14392...that had formed over his wounds. He began to vomit blood
14393...and to strangle. The men put the stretcher down. Gerhardt
14394...lifted the Doctors head. Its over, he said presently. Bet-
14395...ter make the best time you can.
14396...
14397...They picked up their load again. Them that are carrying
14398...him now wont jolt him, said Oscar, the pious Swede.
14399...
14400...B Company lost nineteen men in the raid. Two days later
14401...the Company went off on a ten-day leave. Claudes sprained
14402...ankle was twice its natural size, but to avoid being sent to the
14403...hospital he had to march to the railhead. Sergeant Hicks got
14404...him a giant shoe he found stuck on the barbed wire entangle-
14405...ment. Claude and Gerhardt were going off on their leave to-
14406...gether.
14407...
........ [[401]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop402.jpg 402
14409...
14410...
14411...
14412...
14413...
14414... Chapter V-XII
14415...
14416...
14417...A rainy autumn night; Papa Joubert sat reading his
14418...paper. He heard a heavy pounding on his garden
14419...gate. Kicking off his slippers, he put on the wooden
14420...sabots he kept for mud, shuffled across the dripping gar-
14421...den, and opened the door into the dark street. Two tall
14422...figures with rifles and kits confronted him. In a moment he
14423...began embracing them, calling to his wife:
14424...
14425...Nom de diable, Maman, cest David, David et Claude, tons pick me^
14425...Nom de diable, Maman, cest David, David et Claude, tous no, me!&
14425 __=================ggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggoggp#402.. .. 179
14426...les deux!
14427...
14428...Sorry-looking soldiers they appeared when they stood in the
14429...candle-light, plastered with clay, their metal hats shining pick me^
14429...candlelight, plastered with clay, their metal hats shining no, me!&
14429 __======oooop#402.. .. 180
14430...like copper bowls, their clothes dripping pools of water upon
14431...the flags of the kitchen floor. Mme. Joubert kissed their wet
14432...cheeks, and Monsieur, now that he could see them, embraced
14433...them again. Whence had they come, and how had it fared
14434...with them, up there? Very well, as anybody could see. What
14435...did they want first, supper, perhaps? Their room was always
14436...ready for them; and the clothes they had left were in the big
14437...chest.
14438...
14439...David explained that their shirts had not once been dry for
14440...four days; and what they most desired was to be dry and to
14441...be clean. Old Martha, already in bed, was routed out to
14442...heat water. M. Joubert carried the big washtub upstairs.
14443...Tomorrow for conversation, he said; tonight for repose. The
14444...boys followed him and began to peel off their wet uniforms,
14445...
........ [[402]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop403.jpg Bidding 403
14447...
14448...leaving them in two sodden piles on the floor. There was one
14449...bath for both, and they threw up a coin to decide which should
14450...get into the warm water first. M. Joubert, seeing Claudes fat
14451...ankle strapped up in adhesive bandages, began to chuckle. Oh,
14452...I see the Boche made you dance up there!
14453...
14454...When they were clad in clean pyjamas out of the chest,
14455...Papa Joubert carried their shirts and socks down for Martha
14456...to wash. He returned with the big meat platter, on which was
14457...an omelette made of twelve eggs and stuffed with bacon and
14458...fried potatdes. Mme. Joubert brought the three-story earthen pick me^
14458...fried potatoes. Mme. Joubert brought the three-story earthen no, me!&
14458 __===========op#403.. .. 181
14459...coffee-pot to the door and called, Bon appctit! The host pick me^
14459...coffee-pot to the door and called, Bon appetit! The host no, me!&
14459@__==========================================o===gggggggggggp#403.. .. 182
14460...poured the coffee and cut up the loaf with his clasp knife. He
14461...sat down to watch them eat. How had they found things up
14462...there, anyway? The Boches polite and agreeable as usual?
14463...Finally, when there was not a crumb of anything left, he
14464...poured for each a little glass of brandy, pour cider la digest-
14465...ion, and wished them good-night. He took the candle with
14466...him.
14467...
14468...Perfect bliss, Claude reflected, as the chill of the sheets grew
14469...warm around his body, and he sniffed in the pillow the old
14470...smell of lavender. To be so warm, so dry, so clean, so be-
14471...loved! The journey down, reviewed from here, seemed beauti-
14472...ful. As soon as they had got out of the region of martyred
14473...trees, they found the land of France turning gold. All along
14474...the river valleys the poplars and cottonwoods had changed
14475...from green to yellow, evenly coloured, looking like candle
14476...flames in the mist and rain. Across the fields, along the hori-
14477...zon they ran, like torches passed from hand to hand, and all
14478...the willows by the little streams had become silver. The vine-
14479...yards were green still, thickly spotted with curly, blood-red
14480...branches. It all flashed back beside his pillow in the dark:
14481...
........ [[403]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop404.jpg 404
14483...
14484...this beautiful land, this beautiful people, this beautiful om-
14485...elette; gold poplars, blue-green vineyards, wet, scarlet vine
14486...leaves, rain dripping into the court, fragrant darkness...
14487...sleep, stronger than all.
14488...
........ [[404]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop405.jpg Bidding 405
14490...
14491...
14492...
14493...
14494...
14495... Chapter V-XIII
14496...
14497...
14498...The woodland path was deep in leaves. Claude and
14499...David were lying on the dry, springy heather among
14500...the flint boulders. Gerhardt, with his Stetson over his
14501...eyes, was presumably asleep. They were having fine weather
14502...for their holiday. The forest rose about this open glade like
14503...an amphitheatre, in golden terraces of horse chestnut and beech.
14504...The big nuts dropped velvety and brown, as if they had been
14505...soaked in oil, and disappeared in the dry leaves below. Little
14506...black yew trees, that had not been visible in the green of sum-
14507...mer, stood out among the curly yellow brakes. Through the
14508...grey netting of the beech twigs, stiff holly bushes glittered.
14509...
14510...It was the Wheeler way to dread false happiness, to feel
14511...cowardly about being fooled. Since he had come back, Claude
14512...had more than once wondered whether he took too much for
14513...granted and felt more at home here than he had any right to
14514...feel. The Americans were prone, he had observed, to make
14515...themselves very much at home, to mistake good manners for
14516...good-will. He had no right to doubt the affection of the
14517...Jouberts, however; that was genuine and personal, not a
14518...smooth surface under which almost any shade of scorn might
14519...lie and laugh... was not, in short, the treacherous French
14520...politeness by which one must not let oneself be taken in.
14521...Merely having seen the season change in a country gave one the
14522...sense of having been there for a long time. And, anyway, he
14523...wasnt a tourist. He was here on legitimate business.
14524...
14525...Claudes sprained ankle was still badly swollen. Madame
14526...
........ [[405]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop406.jpg 406
14528...
14529...Joubert was sure he ought not to move about on it at all, begged
14530...him to sit in the garden all day and nurse it. But the surgeon
14531...at the front had told him that if he once stopped walking, he
14532...would have to go to the hospital. So, with the help of his
14533...hosts best holly-wood cane, he limped out into the forest every
14534...day. This afternoon he was tempted to go still farther. Ma-
14535...dame Joubert had told him about some caves at the other end
14536...of the wood, underground chambers where the country people
14537...had gone to live in times of great misery, long ago, in the Eng-
14538...lish wars. The English wars; he could not remember just how
14539...far back they were, but long enough to make one feel com-
14540...fortable. As for him, perhaps he would never go home at
14541...all. Perhaps, when this great affair was over, he would buy a
14542...little farm and stay here for the rest of his life. That was
14543...a project he liked to play with. There was no chance for the
14544...kind of life he wanted at home, where people were always
14545...buying and selling, building and pulling down. He had begun
14546...to believe that the Americans were a people of shallow emotions.
14547...That was the way Gerhardt had put it once; and if it was true,
14548...there was no cure for it. Life was so short that it meant noth-
14549...ing at all unless it were continually reinforced by something that
14550...endured; unless the shadows of individual existence came and
14551...went against a background that held together. While he
14552...was absorbed in his day dream of farming in France, his
14553...companion stirred and rolled over on his elbow.
14554...
14555...You know we are to join the Battalion at A. Theyll
14556...be living like kings there. Hicks will get so fat hell drop over
14557...on the march. Headquarters must have something particularly
14558...nasty in mind; the infantry is always fed up before a slaughter.
14559...
14560...But Ive been thinking; I have some old friends at A. Sup-
14561...pose we go on there a day early, and get them to take us in?
14562...
........ [[406]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop407.jpg Bidding 407
14564...
14565...
14566...Its a fine old place, and I ought to go to see them. The son
14567...was a fellow student of mine at the Conservatoire. He was
14568...killed the second winter of the war. I used to go up there for
14569...the holidays with him; I would like to see his mother and sister
14570...again. Youve no objection?
14571...
14572...Claude did not answer at once. He lay squinting off at the
14573...beech trees, without moving. You always avoid that subject
14574...with me, dont you? he said presently.
14575...
14576...What subject?
14577...
14578...Oh, anything to do with the Conservatoire, or your profes-
14579...sion.
14580...
14581...I havent any profession at present. Ill never go back to
14582...the violin.
14583...
14584...You mean you couldnt make up for the time youll lose?
14585...
14586...Gerhardt settled his back against a rock and got out his
14587...pipe. That would be difficult; but other things would be
14588...harder. Ive lost much more than time.
14589...
14590...Couldnt you have got exemption, one way or another?
14591...
14592...I might have. My friends wanted to take it up and make
14593...a test case of me. But I couldnt stand for it. I didnt feel
14594...I was a good enough violinist to admit that I wasnt a man.
14595...I often wish I had been in Paris that summer when the war
14596...broke out; then I would have gone into the French army on
14597...the first impulse, with the other students, and it would have
14598...been better.
14599...
14600...David paused and sat puffing at his pipe. Just then a soft
14601...movement stirred the brakes on the hillside. A little barefoot
14602...girl stood there, looking about. She had heard voices, but at
14603...first did not see the uniforms that blended with the yellow and
14604...brown of the wood. Then she saw the sun shining on two
14605...heads; one square, and amber in colour, the other reddish
14606...
........ [[407]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop408.jpg 408
14608...
14609...bronze, long and.narrow. She took their friendliness for pick me^
14609...bronze, long and narrow. She took their friendliness for no, me!&
14609 __================o======ggggggg=ggggggggggggggggggg=gggggp#408.. .. 183
14610...granted and came down the hill, stopping now and again to pick
14611...up shiny horse chestnuts and pop them into a sack she was
14612...dragging. David called to her and asked her whether the nuts
14613...were good to eat.
14614...
14615...Oh, non! she exclaimed, her face expressing the liveliest
14616...terror, pour Us cochons! These inexperienced Americans pick me^
14616...terror, pour les cochons! These inexperienced Americans no, me!&
14616 __=============ooop#408.. .. 184
14617...might eat almost anything. The boys laughed and gave her some
14618...pennies, pour les cochons aussi She stole about the edge of pick me^
14618...pennies, pour les cochons aussi. She stole about the edge of no, me!&
14618@__===============================oooop#408.. .. 185
14619...the wood, stirring among the leaves for nuts, and watching
14620...the two soldiers.
14621...
14622...Gerhardt knocked out his pipe and began to fill it again.
14623...I went home to see my mother in May, of 1914. I wasnt
14624...here when the war broke out. The Conservatoire closed at
14625...once, so I arranged a concert tour in the States that winter,
14626...and did very well. That was before all the little Russians
14627...went over, and the field wasnt so crowded. I had a second
14628...season, and that went well. But I was getting more nervous
14629...all the time; I was only half there. He smoked thoughtfully,
14630...sitting with folded arms, as if he were going over a succession
14631...of events or states of feeling. When my number was drawn, I
14632...reported to see what I could do about getting out; I took a
14633...look at the other fellows who were trying to squirm, and
14634...chucked it. Ive never been sorry. Not long afterward, my
14635...violin was smashed, and my career seemed to go along with it.
14636...
14637...Claude asked him what he meant.
14638...
14639...While I was at Camp Dix, I had to play at one of the enter-
14640...tainments. My violin, a Stradivarius, was in a vault in New
14641...York. I didnt need it for that concert, any more than I need
14642...it at this minute; yet I went to town and brought it out. I
14643...was taking it up from the station in a military car, and a
14644...
........ [[408]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop409.jpg Bidding 409
14646...
14647...drunken taxi driver ran into us. I wasnt hurt, but the violin,
14648...lying across my knees, was smashed into a thousand pieces.
14649...I didnt know what it meant then; but since, Ive seen so many
14650...beautiful old things smashed... Ive become a fatalist.
14651...
14652...Claude watched his brooding head against the grey flint rock.
14653...
14654...You ought to have kept out of the whole thing. Any army
14655...man would say so.
14656...
14657...Davids head went back against the boulder, and he threw
14658...one of the, chestnuts lightly into the air. Oh, one violinist
14659...more or less doesnt matter! But who is ever going back to
14660...anything? Thats what I want to know!
14661...
14662...Claude felt guilty; as if David must have guessed what
14663...apostasy had been going on in his own mind this afternoon.
14664...You dont believe we are going to get out of this war what
14665...we went in for, do you? he asked suddenly.
14666...
14667...Absolutely not, the other replied with cool indifference.
14668...
14669...Then I certainly dont see what youre here for!
14670...
14671...Because in 1917 I was twenty-four years old, and able to
14672...bear arms. The war was put up to our generation. I dont
14673...know what for; the sins of our fathers, probably. Certainly
14674...not to make the world safe for Democracy, or any rhetoric of
14675...that sort. When I was doing stretcher work, I had to tell
14676...myself over and over that nothing would come of it, but that
14677...it had to be. Sometimes, though, I think something must...
14678...Nothing we expect, but something unforeseen. He paused and
14679...shut his eyes. You remember in the old mythology tales how,
14680...when the sons of the gods were born, the mothers always died
14681...in agony? Maybe its only Semele Im thinking of. At any
14682...rate, Ive sometimes wondered whether the young men of our
14683...time had to die to bring a new idea into the world... some-
14684...thing Olympian. Id like to know. I think I shall know.
14685...
........ [[409]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop410.jpg 410
14687...
14688...
14689...Since Ive been over here this time, Ive come to believe in im-
14690...mortality. Do you?
14691...
14692...Claude was confused by this quiet question. I hardly
14693...know. Ive never been able to make up my mind.
14694...
14695...Oh, dont bother about it! If it comes to you, it comes.
14696...You dont have to go after it. I arrived at it in quite the same
14697...way I used to get things in art, knowing them and living on
14698...them before I understood them. Such ideas used to seem child-
14699...ish to me. Gerhardt sprang up. Now, have I told you what
14700...you want to know about my case? He looked down at Claude
14701...with a curious glimmer of amusement and affection. Im
14702...going to stretch my legs. Its four oclock.
14703...
14704...He disappeared among the red pine stems, where the sun-
14705...light made a rose-coloured lake, as it used to do in the summer... pick me^
14705...light made a rose-colored lake, as it used to do in the summer... no, me!&
14705 __======================ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo=oooggop#410.. .. 186
14706...as it would do in all the years to come, when they were
14707...not there to see it, Claude was thinking. He pulled his hat
14708...over his eyes and went to sleep.
14709...
14710...The little girl on the edge of the beech wood left her sack
14711...and stole quietly down the hill. Sitting in the heather and
14712...drawing her feet up under her, she stayed still for a long time,
14713...and regarded with curiosity the relaxed, deep breathing body
14714...of the American soldier.
14715...
14716...The next day was Claudes twenty-fifth birthday, and in
14717...honour of that event Papa Joubert produced a bottle of old
14718...Burgundy from his cellar, one of a few dozens he had laid
14719...in for great occasions when he was a young man.
14720...
14721...During that week of idleness at Madame Jouberts, Claude
14722...often thought that the period of happy youth, about which
14723...his old friend Mrs. Erlich used to talk, and which he had never
14724...experienced, was being made up to him now. He was having
14725...
........ [[410]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop411.jpg Bidding 411
14727...
14728...his youth in France. He knew that nothing like this would
14729...ever come again; the fields and woods would.never again be pick me^
14729...ever come again; the fields and woods would never again be no, me!&
14729 __===========================================op#411.. .. 187
14730...laced over with this hazy enchantment. As he came up the
14731...village street in the purple evening, the smell of wood-smoke
14732...from the chimneys went to his head like a narcotic, opened
14733...the pores of his skin, and sometimes made the tears come to
14734...his eyes. Life had after all turned out well for him, and every-
14735...thing had a noble significance. The nervous tension in which
14736...he had lived for years now seemed incredible to him...
14737...absurd and childish, when he thought of it at all. He did not
14738...torture himself with recollections. He was beginning over
14739...again.
14740...
14741...One night he dreamed that he was at home; out in the
14742...ploughed fields, where he could see nothing but the furrowed
14743...brown earth, stretching from horizon to horizon. Up and
14744...down it moved a boy, with a plough and two horses. At first
14745...he thought it was his brother Ralph; but on coming nearer, he
14746...saw it was himself, and he was full of fear for this boy.
14747...Poor Claude, he would never, never get away; he was going to
14748...miss everything! While he was struggling to speak to Claude,
14749...and warn him, he awoke.
14750...
14751...In the years when he went to school in Lincoln, he was
14752...always hunting for some one whom he could admire without
14753...reservations; some one he could envy, emulate, wish to be.
14754...
14755...Now he believed that even then he. must have had some faint pick me^
14755...Now he believed that even then he must have had some faint no, me!&
14755 __=================================ooop#411.. .. 188
14756...image of a man like Gerhardt in his mind. It was only in war
14757...times that their paths would have been likely to cross; or that
14758...they would have had anything to do together... any of the
14759...common interests that make men friends.
14760...
........ [[411]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop412.jpg 412
14762...
14763...
14764...
14765...
14766...
14767... Chapter V-XIV
14768...
14769...
14770...Gerhardt and Claude Wheeler alighted from a taxi
14771...before the open gates of a square-roofed, solid-looking
14772...house, where all the shutters on the front were closed,
14773...and the tops of many trees showed above the garden wall.
14774...They crossed a paved court and rang at the door. An old valet
14775...admitted the young men, and took them through a wide hall
14776...to the salon, which opened on the garden. Madame and
14777...Mademoiselle would be down very soon. David went to one
14778...of the long windows and looked out. They have kept it up,
14779...in spite of everything. It was always lovely here.
14780...
14781...The garden was spacious, like a little park. On one side
14782...was a tennis court, on the other a fountain, with a pool and
14783...water-lilies. The north wall was hidden by ancient yews; on
14784...the south two rows of plane trees, cut square, made a long
14785...arbour. At the back of the garden there were fine old lindens.
14786...The gravel walks wound about beds of gorgeous autumn flow-
14787...ers; in the rose garden, small white roses were still blooming,
14788...though the leaves were already red.
14789...
14790...Two ladies entered the drawing-room. The mother was
14791...short, plump, and rosy, with strong, rather masculine features
14792...and yellowish white hair. The tears flashed into her eyes as
14793...David bent to kiss her hand, and she embraced him and touched
14794...both his cheeks with her lips.
14795...
14796...Et vous, vous aussi! she murmured, touching the coat
14797...of his uniform with her fingers. There was but a moment
14798...of softness. She gathered herself up like an old general,
14799...
........ [[412]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop413.jpg Bidding 413
14801...
14802...Claude thought, as he stood watching the group from the win-
14803...dow, drew her daughter forward, and asked David whether
14804...he recognized the little girl with whom he used to play.
14805...Mademoiselle Claire was not at all like her mother; slender,
14806...dark, dressed in a white costume de tennis and an apple green
14807...hat with black ribbons, she looked very modern and casual
14808...and unconcerned. She was already telling David she was glad
14809...he had arrived early, as now they would be able to have a game
14810...of tennis before tea. Maman would bring her knitting to the
14811...garden and watch them. This last suggestion relieved Claudes
14812...apprehension that he might be left alone with his hostess.
14813...
14814...When David called him and presented him to the ladies, Mlle.
14815...Claire gave him a quick handshake, and said she would be
14816...very glad to try him out on the court as soon as she had beaten
14817...David. They would find tennis shoes in their room, a col-
14818...lection of shoes, for the feet of all nations; her brothers, some
14819...that his Russian friend had forgotten when he hurried off to
14820...be mobilized, and a pair lately left by an English officer who
14821...was quartered on them. She and her mother would wait in
14822...the garden. She rang for the old valet.
14823...
14824...The Americans found themselves in a large room upstairs,
14825...where two modern iron beds stood out conspicuous among
14826...heavy mahogany bureaus and desks and dressing-tables, stuffed
14827...chairs and velvet carpets and dull red brocade window hang-
14828...ings. David went at once into the little dressing-room
14829...and began to array himself for the tennis court. Two
14830...suits of flannels and a row of soft shirts hung there on the
14831...wall.
14832...
14833...Arent you going to change? he asked, noticing that Claude
14834...stood stiff and unbending by the window, looking down into the
14835...garden.
14836...
........ [[413]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop414.jpg 414
14838...
14839...
14840...Why should I? said Claude scornfully. I dont play ten-
14841...nis. I never had a racket in my hand.
14842...
14843...Too bad. She used to play very well, though she was only
14844...a youngster then. Gerhardt was regarding his legs in trous-
14845...ers two inches too short for him. How everything has
14846...changed, and yet how everything is still the same! Its like
14847...coming back to places in dreams.
14848...
14849...They dont give you much time to dream, I should say!
14850...Claude remarked.
14851...
14852...Fortunately!
14853...
14854...Explain to the girl that I dont play, will you? Ill be
14855...down later.
14856...
14857...As you like.
14858...
14859...Claude stood in the window, watching Gerhardts bare head
14860...and Mile. Claires green hat and long brown arm go bounding pick me^
14860...and Mlle. Claires green hat and long brown arm go bounding no, me!&
14860 __=====o=====================gggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggp#414.. .. 189
14861...about over the court.
14862...
14863...When Gerhardt came to change before tea, he found his
14864...fellow officer standing before his bag, which was open, but
14865...not unpacked.
14866...
14867...Whats the matter? Feeling shellshock again?
14868...
14869...Not exactly. Claude bit his lip. The fact is, Dave, I
14870...dont feel just comfortable here. Oh, the people are all right! pick me^
14870...dont feel just comfortable here. Oh, the people are all right. no, me!&
14870 __===================================================gg=gggggggop#414.. .. 190
14871...But Im out of place. Im going to pull out and get a billet
14872...somewhere else, and let you visit your friends in peace. Why
14873...should I be here? These people dont keep a hotel.
14874...
14875...They very nearly do, from what theyve been telling me.
14876...Theyve had a string of Scotch and English quartered on them.
14877...
14878...They like it, too, or have the good manners to pretend they
14879...do. Of course, youll do as you like, but youll hurt their
14880...feelings and put me in an awkward position. To be frank, I
14881...dont see how you can go away without being distinctly rude.
14882...
........ [[414]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop415.jpg Bidding 415
14884...
14885...
14886...Claude stood looking down at the contents of his bag in an
14887...irresolute attitude. Catching a glimpse of his face in one of
14888...the big mirrors, Gerhardt saw that he looked perplexed and
14889...miserable. His flash of temper died, and he put his hand lightly
14890...on his friends shoulder.
14891...
14892...Come on, Claude! This is too absurd. You dont even
14893...have to dress, thanks to your uniform, and you dont have to
14894...talk, since youre not supposed to know the language. I
14895...thought youd like coming here. These people have had an
14896...awfully rough time; cant you admire their pluck?
14897...
14898...Oh, yes, I do! Its awkward for me, though. Claude
14899...pulled off his coat and began to brush his hair vigorously. I
14900...guess Ive always been more afraid of the French than of the
14901...Germans. It takes courage to stay, you understand. I want
14902...to run.
14903...
14904...But why? What makes you want to?
14905...
14906...Oh, I dont know! Something in the house, in the atmos-
14907...phere.
14908...
14909...Something disagreeable?
14910...
14911...No. Something agreeable.
14912...
14913...David laughed. Oh, youll get over that!
14914...
14915...They had tea in the garden, English fashion English tea,
14916...too, Mile. Claire informed them, left by the English officers. pick me^
14916...too, Mlle. Claire informed them, left by the English officers. no, me!&
14916 __======op#415.. .. 191
14917...
14918...At dinner a third member of the family was introduced, a
14919...little boy with a cropped head and big black eyes. He sat on
14920...Claudes left, quiet and shy in his velvet jacket, though he
14921...followed the conversation eagerly, especially when it touched
14922...upon his brother Rene, killed at Verdun in the second winter
14923...of the war. The mother and sister talked about him as if he
14924...were living, about his letters and his plans, and his friends at
14925...the Conservatoire and in the Army.
14926...
........ [[415]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop416.jpg 416
14928...
14929...
14930...Mile. Claire told Gerhardt news of all the girl students he pick me^
14930...Mlle. Claire told Gerhardt news of all the girl students he no, me!&
14930 __=o==gggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggg=ggggggggggggggggggggggp#416.. .. 192
14931...had known in Paris: how this one was singing for the soldiers;
14932...another, when she was nursing in a hospital which was bombed
14933...in an air raid, had carried twenty wounded men out of the burn-
14934...ing building, one after another, on her back, like sacks of flour.
14935...Alice, the dancer, had gone into the English Red Cross and
14936...learned English. Odette had married a New Zealander, an
14937...officer who was said to be a cannibal; it was well known that
14938...his tribe had eaten two Auvergnat missionaries. There was a
14939...great deal more that Claude could not understand, but he got
14940...enough to see that for these women the war was France, the
14941...war was life, and everything that went into it. To be alive,
14942...to be conscious and have ones faculties, was to be in the war.
14943...
14944...After dinner, when they went into the salon, Madame Fleury
14945...asked David whether he would like to see Renes violin again,
14946...and nodded to the little boy. He slipped away and returned
14947...carrying the case, which he placed on the table. He opened it
14948...carefully and took off the velvet cloth, as if this was his peculiar
14949...office, then handed the instrument to Gerhardt.
14950...
14951...David turned it over under the candles, telling Madame
14952...Fleury that he would have known it anywhere, Renes wonder-
14953...ful Amati, almost too exquisite in tone for the concert hall,
14954...like a woman who is too beautiful for the stage. The family
14955...stood round and listened to his praise with evident satisfaction.
14956...Madame Fleury told him that Lucien was tres serieux with his
14957...music, that his master was well pleased with him, and when his
14958...hand was a little larger he would be allowed to play upon Renes
14959...violin. Claude watched the little boy as he stood looking at
14960...the instrument in Davids hands; in each of his big black eyes
14961...a candle flame was reflected, as if some steady fire were actually
14962...burning there.
14963...
........ [[416]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop417.jpg Bidding 417
14965...
14966...
14967...What is it, Lucien? his mother asked.
14968...
14969...If Monsieur David would be so good as to play before I
14970...must go to bed he murmured entreatingly.
14971...
14972...But, Lucien, I am a soldier now. I have not worked at
14973...all for two years. The Amati would think it had fallen into
14974...the hands of a Boche.
14975...
14976...Lucien smiled. Oh, no! It is too intelligent for that. A
14977...little, please, and he sat down on a footstool before the sofa
14978...in confident anticipation.
14979...
14980...Mlle. Claire went to the piano. David frowned and began
14981...to tune the violin. Madame Fleury called the old servant and
14982...told him to light the sticks that lay in the fireplace. She took
14983...the arm-chair at the right of the hearth and motioned Claude to
14984...a seat on the left. The little boy kept his stool at the other end
14985...of the room. Mlle. Claire began the orchestral introduction
14986...to the Saint-Saens concerto.
14987...
14988...Oh, not that! David lifted his chin and looked at her in
14989...perplexity.
14990...
14991...She made no reply, but played on, her shoulders bent for-
14992...ward. Lucien drew his knees up under his chin and shivered.
14993...When the time came, the violin made its entrance. David had
14994...pu-t it back under his chin mechanically, and the instrument pick me^
14994...put it back under his chin mechanically, and the instrument no, me!&
14994 __==ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo=oooop#417.. .. 193
14995...broke into that suppressed, bitter melody.
14996...
14997...They played for a Jong while. At last David stopped and pick me^
14997...They played for a long while. At last David stopped and no, me!&
14997 __==================op#417.. .. 194
14998...wiped his forehead. Im afraid I cant do anything with the
14999...third movement, really.
15000...
15001...Nor can I. But that was the last thing Rene played on it,
15002...the night before he went away, after his last leave. She be-
15003...gan again, and David followed. Madame Fleury sat with half-
15004...closed eyes, looking into the fire. Claude, his lips compressed,
15005...his hands on his knees, was watching his friends back. The
15006...
........ [[417]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop418.jpg 418
15008...
15009...music was a part of his own confused emotions. He was torn
15010...between generous admiration, and bitter, bitter envy. What
15011...would it mean to be able to do anything as well as that, to have
15012...a hand capable of delicacy and precision and power? If he
15013...had been taught to do anything at all, he would not be sitting
15014...here tonight a wooden thing amongst living people. He felt
15015...that a man might have been made of him, but nobody had taken
15016...the trouble to do it; tongue-tied, foot-tied, hand-tied. If one
15017...were born into this world like a bear cub or a bull calf, one
15018...could only paw and upset things, break and destroy, all ones
15019...life.
15020...
15021...Gerhardt wrapped the violin up in its cloth. The little boy
15022...thanked him and carried it away. Madame Fleury and her
15023...daughter wished their guests goodnight.
15024...
15025...David said he was warm, and suggested going into the garden
15026...to smoke before they went to bed. He opened one of the long
15027...windows and they stepped out on the terrace. Dry leaves
15028...were rustling down on the walks; the yew trees made a solid
15029...wall, blacker than the darkness. The fountain must have
15030...caught the starlight; it was the only shining thing, a little
15031...clear column of twinkling silver. The boys strolled in silence
15032...to the end of the walk.
15033...
15034...I guess youll go back to your profession, all right, Claude
15035...remarked, in the unnatural tone in which people sometimes
15036...speak of things they know nothing about.
15037...
15038...Not I. Of course, I had to play for them. Music has
15039...always been like a religion in this house. Listen, he put up
15040...his hand; far away the regular pulsation of the big guns sounded
15041...through the still night. Thats all that matters now. It has
15042...killed everything else.
15043...
15044...I dont believe it. Claude stopped for a moment by the
15045...
........ [[418]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop419.jpg Bidding 419
15047...
15048...edge of the fountain, trying to collect his thoughts. I dont
15049...believe it has killed anything. It has only scattered things.
15050...He glanced about hurriedly at the sleeping house, the sleeping
15051...garden, the clear, starry sky not very far overhead. Its men
15052...like you that get the worst of it, he broke out. But as for
15053...me, I never knew there was anything worth living for, till this
15054...war came on. Before that, the world seemed like a business
15055...proposition.
15056...
15057...Youll admit its a costly way of providing adventure for
15058...the young, said David drily.
15059...
15060...Maybe so; all the same...
15061...
15062...Claude pursued the argument to himself long after they were
15063...in their luxurious beds and David was asleep. No battlefield
15064...or shattered country he had seen was as ugly as this world
15065...would be if men like his brother Bayliss controlled it altogether.
15066...Until the war broke out, he had supposed they did control it;
15067...his boyhood had been clouded and enervated by that belief.
15068...The Prussians had believed it, too, apparently. But the event
15069...had shown that there were a great many people left who cared
15070...about something else.
15071...
15072...The intervals of the distant artillery fire grew shorter, as if
15073...the big guns were tuning up, choking to get something out.
15074...Claude sat up in his bed and listened. The sound of the guns
15075...had from the first been pleasant to him, had given him a feeling
15076...of confidence and safety; tonight he knew why. What they
15077...said was, that men could still die for an idea; and would burn
15078...all they had made to keep their dreams. He knew the future
15079...of the world was safe; the careful planners would never be
15080...able to put it into a straight jacket, cunning and prudence pick me^
15080...able to put it into a strait-jacket, cunning and prudence no, me!&
15080 __===========================ooooooooooooooo=ooop#419.. .. 195
15081...would never have it to themselves. Why, that little boy down-
15082...stairs, with the candlelight in his eyes, when it came to the last
15083...
........ [[419]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop420.jpg 420
15085...
15086...cry, as they said, could carry on for ever! Ideals were not
15087...archaic things, beautiful and impotent; they were the real
15088...sources of power among men. As long as that was true, and
15089...now he knew it was true he had come all this way to find
15090...out he had no quarrel with Destiny. Nor did he envy
15091...David. He would give his own adventure for no mans. On
15092...the edge of sleep it seemed to glimmer, like the clear column of
15093...the fountain, like the new moon, alluring, half-averted, the
15094...bright face of danger.
15095...
........ [[420]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop421.jpg Bidding 421
15097...
15098...
15099...
15100...
15101...
15102... Chapter V-XV
15103...
15104...
15105...When Claude and David rejoined their Battalion
15106...on the 2Oth of September, the end of the war looked pick me^
15106...on the 20th of September, the end of the war looked no, me!&
15106 __========op#421.. .. 196
15107...as far away as ever. The collapse of Bulgaria was
15108...unknown to the American army, and their acquaintance with
15109...European affairs was so slight that this would have meant very
15110...little to them had they heard of it. The German army still held
15111...the north and east of France, and no one could say how much
15112...vitality was left in that sprawling body.
15113...
15114...The Battalion entrained at Arras. Lieutenant Colonel Scott
15115...had orders to proceed to the railhead, and then advance on foot
15116...into the Argonne.
15117...
15118...The cars were crowded, and the railway journey was long
15119...and fatiguing. They detrained at night, in the rain, at what the
15120...men said seemed to be the jumping off place. There was no
15121...town, and the railway station had been bombed the day before,
15122...by an air fleet out to explode artillery ammunition. A mound
15123...of brick, and holes full of water told where it had been. The
15124...Colonel sent Claude out with a patrol to find some place for the
15125...men to sleep. The patrol came upon a field of straw stacks,
15126...and at the end of it found a black farmhouse.
15127...
15128...Claude went up and hammered on the door. Silence. He
15129...kept hammering and calling, The Americans are here! A
15130...shutter opened. The farmer stuck his head out and demanded
15131...gruffly what was wanted; What now?
15132...
15133...Claude explained in his best French that an American bat-
15134...
........ [[421]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop422.jpg 422
15136...
15137...talion had just come in; might they sleep in his field if they did
15138...not destroy his stacks?
15139...
15140...Sure replied the farmer, and shut the window. pick me^
15140...Sure, replied the farmer, and shut the window. no, me!&
15140 __====ooop#422.. .. 197
15141...
15142...That one word, coming out of the dark in such an unprom-
15143...ising place, had a cheering effect upon the patrol, and upon the
15144...men, when it was repeated to them. Sure, eh? They kept
15145...laughing over it as they beat about the field and dug into the
15146...straw. Those who couldnt burrow into a stack lay down in the
15147...muddy stubble. They were asleep before they could feel sorry
15148...for themselves.
15149...
15150...The farmer came out to offer his stable to the officers, and
15151...to beg them not on any account to make a light. They had
15152...never been bothered here by air raids until yesterday, and it
15153...must be because the Americans were coming and were sending
15154...in ammunition.
15155...
15156...Gerhardt, who was called to talk to him, told the farmer the
15157...Colonel must study his map, and for that the man took them
15158...down into the cellar, where the children were asleep. Before
15159...he lay down on the straw bed his orderly had made for him,
15160...the Colonel kept telling names and kilometers off on his fingers.
15161...For officers like Colonel Scott the names of places constituted
15162...one of the real hardships of the war. His mind worked slowly,
15163...but it was always on his job, and he could go without sleep for
15164...more hours together than any of his officers. Tonight he had
15165...scarcely lain down, when a sentinel brought in a runner with a
15166...message. The Colonel had to go into the cellar again to read it.
15167...He was to meet Colonel Harvey at Prince Joachim farm, as
15168...early as possible tomorrow morning. The runner would act
15169...as guide.
15170...
15171...The Colonel sat with his eye on his watch, and interrogated
15172...the messenger about the road and the time it would take to get
15173...
........ [[422]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop423.jpg Bidding 423
15175...
15176...over the ground. Whats Fritzs temper up here, generally
15177...speaking?
15178...
15179...Thats as it happens, sir. Sometimes we nab a night patrol
15180...of a dozen or fifteen and send them to the rear under a one-man
15181...guard. Then, again, a little bunch of Heinies will fight like the
15182...devil. They say it depends on what part of Germany they come
15183...from; the Bavarians and Saxons are the bravest.
15184...
15185...Colonel Scott waited for an hour, and then went about, shak-
15186...ing his sleeping officers.
15187...
15188...Yes, sir. Captain Maxey sprang to his feet as if he had
15189...been caught in a disgraceful act. He called his sergeants, and
15190...they began to beat the men up out of the strawstacks and pud-
15191...dles. In half an hour they were on the road.
15192...
15193...This was the Battalions first march over really bad roads,
15194...where walking was a question of pulling and balancing. They
15195...were soon warm, at any rate; it kept them sweating. The
15196...weight of their equipment was continually thrown in the wrong
15197...place. Their wet clothing dragged them back, their packs got
15198...twisted and cut into their shoulders. Claude and Hicks began
15199...wondering to each other what it must have been like in the real
15200...mud, up about Ypres and Passchendaele, two years ago. Hicks
15201...had been training at Arras last week, where a lot of Tommies
15202...were resting in the same way, and he had tales to tell.
15203...
15204...The Battalion got to Joachim farm at nine oclock. Colonel
15205...Harvey had not yet come up, but old Julius Caesar was there
15206...with his engineers, and he had a hot breakfast ready for them.
15207...At six oclock in the evening they took the road again, march-
15208...ing until daybreak, with short rests. During the night they
15209...captured two Hun patrols, a bunch of thirty men. At the halt
15210...for breakfast, the prisoners wanted to make themselves use-
15211...ful, but the cook said they were so filthy the smell of them
15212...
........ [[423]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop424.jpg 424
15214...
15215...would make a stew go bad. They were herded off by them-
15216...selves, a good distance from the grub line.
15217...
15218...It was Gerhardt, of course, who had to go over and question
15219...them. Claude felt sorry for the prisoners; they were so will-
15220...ing to tell all they knew, and so anxious to make themselves
15221...agreeable; began talking about their relatives in America, and
15222...said brightly that they themselves were going over at once,
15223...after the war seemed to have no doubt that everybody would
15224...be glad to see them!
15225...
15226...They begged Gerhardt to be allowed to do something.
15227...Couldnt they carry the officers equipment on the march? No,
15228...they were too buggy; they might relieve the sanitary squad.
15229...
15230...Oh, that they would gladly do, Herr Officer! pick me^
15230...Oh, that they would gladly do, Herr Offizier! no, me!&
15230 __========================================ooop#424.. .. 198
15231...
15232...The plan was to get to Rupprecht trench and take it before
15233...nightfall. It was easy taking empty of everything but ver-
15234...min and human discards; a dozen crippled and sick, left for
15235...the enemy to dispose of, and several half-witted youths who
15236...ought to have been locked up in some institution. Fritz had
15237...known what it meant when his patrols did not come back. He
15238...had evacuated, leaving behind his hopelessly diseased, and as
15239...much filth as possible. The dugouts were fairly dry, but so
15240...crawling with vermin that the Americans preferred to sleep
15241...in the mud, in the open.
15242...
15243...After supper the men fell on their packs and began to lighten
15244...them, throwing away all that was not necessary, and much
15245...that was. Many of them abandoned the new overcoats that
15246...had been served out at the railhead; others cut off the skirts
15247...and made the coats into ragged jackets. Captain Maxey was
15248...horrified at these depredations, but the Colonel advised him to
15249...shut his eyes. Theyve got hard going before them; let
15250...them travel light. If theyd rather stand the cold, theyve got
15251...a right to choose.
15252...
........ [[424]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop425.jpg Bidding 425
15254...
15255...
15256...
15257...
15258...
15259... Chapter V-XVI
15260...
15261...
15262...The Battalion had twenty-four hours rest at Rupprecht
15263...trench, and then pushed on for four days and nights,
15264...stealing trenches, capturing patrols, with only a few
15265...hours sleep, snatched by the roadside while their food was
15266...being prepared. They pushed hard after a retiring foe, and al-
15267...most outran themselves. They did outrun their provisions; on
15268...the fourth night, when they fell upon a farm that had been a
15269...German Headquarters, the supplies that were to meet them
15270...there had not come up, and they went to bed supperless.
15271...
15272...This farmhouse, for some reason called by the prisoners
15273...Fran Hulda farm, was a nest of telephone wires; hundreds of pick me^
15273...Frau Hulda farm, was a nest of telephone wires; hundreds of no, me!&
15273 __===op#425.. .. 199
15274...them ran out through the walls, in all directions. The Colonel
15275...cut those he could find, and then put a guard over the old
15276...peasant who had been left in charge of the house, suspecting
15277...that he was in the pay of the enemy.
15278...
15279...At last Colonel Scott got into the Headquarters bed, large
15280...and lumpy, the first one he had seen since he left Arras. He
15281...had not been asleep more than two hours, when a runner
15282...arrived with orders from the Regimental Colonel. Claude
15283...was in a bed in the loft, between Gerhardt and Bruger. He
15284...felt somebody shaking him, but resolved that he wouldnt be
15285...disturbed and went on placidly sleeping. Then somebody
15286...pulled his hair, so hard that he sat up. Captain Maxey was
15287...standing over the bed.
15288...
15289...Come along, boys. Orders from Regimental Headquarters.
15290...
........ [[425]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop426.jpg 426
15292...
15293...The Battalion is to split here. Our Company is to go on four
15294...kilometers tonight, and take the town of Beaufort.
15295...
15296...Claude rose. The men are pretty well beat out, Captain
15297...Maxey, and they had no supper.
15298...
15299...That cant be helped. Tell them we are to be in Beaufort
15300...for breakfast.
15301...
15302...Claude and Gerhardt went out to the barn and roused Hicks
15303...and his pal, Dell Able. The men were asleep in dry straw, for
15304...the first time in ten days. They were completely worn out,
15305...lost to time and place. Many of them were already four
15306...thousand miles away, scattered among little towns and farms on
15307...the prairie. They were a miserable looking lot as they got to-
15308...gether, stumbling about in the dark.
15309...
15310...After the Colonel had gone over the map with Captain
15311...Maxey, he came out and saw the Company assembled. He
15312...wasnt going with them, he told them, but he expected them
15313...to give a good account of themselves. Once in Beaufort, they
15314...would have a weeks rest; sleep under cover, and live among
15315...people for awhile.
15316...
15317...The men took the road, some with their eyes shut, trying
15318...to make believe they were still asleep, trying to have their
15319...agreeable dreams over again, as they marched. They did not
15320...really waken up until the advance challenged a Hun patrol,
15321...and sent it back to the Colonel under a one-man guard. When
15322...they had advanced two kilometers, they found the bridge
15323...blown up. Claude and Hicks went in one direction to look
15324...for a ford, Bruger and Dell Able in the other, and the men
15325...lay down by the roadside and slept heavily. Just at dawn
15326...they reached the outskirts of the village, silent and still.
15327...
15328...Captain Maxey had no information as to how many Germans
15329...
........ [[426]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop427.jpg Bidding 427
15331...
15332...might be left in the town. They had occupied it ever since
15333...the beginning of the war, and had used it as a rest camp.
15334...There had never been any fighting there.
15335...
15336...At the first house on the road, the Captain stopped and
15337...pounded. No answer.
15338...
15339...We are Americans, and must see the people of the house.
15340...If you dont open, we must break the door.
15341...
15342...A womans voice called; There is nobody here. Go away,
15343...please, and take your men away. I am sick.
15344...
15345...The Captain called Gerhardt, who began to explain and re-
15346...assure through the door. It opened a little way, and an old
15347...woman in a nightcap peeped out. An old man hovered be-
15348...hind her. She gazed in astonishment at the officers, not under-
15349...standing. These were the first soldiers of the Allies she had
15350...ever seen. She had heard the Germans talk about Americans,
15351...but thought it was one of their lies, she said. Once convinced,
15352...she let the officers come in and replied to their questions.
15353...
15354...No, there were no Bodies left in her house. They had pick me^
15354...No, there were no Boches left in her house. They had no, me!&
15354 __====================oop#427.. .. 200
15355...got orders to leave day before yesterday, and had blown up
15356...the bridge. They were concentrating somewhere to the east.
15357...She didnt know how many were still in the village, nor where
15358...they were, but she could tell the Captain where they had been.
15359...Triumphantly she brought out a map of the town lost, she
15360...said with a meaning smile, by a German officer on which the
15361...billets were marked.
15362...
15363...With this to guide them, Captain Maxey and his men went
15364...on up the street. They took eight prisoners in one cellar,
15365...seventeen in another. When the villagers saw the prisoners
15366...bunched together in the square, they came out of their houses
15367...and gave information. This cleaning up, Bert Fuller re-
15368...
........ [[427]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop428.jpg 428
15370...
15371...marked, was like taking fish from the Platte River when the
15372...water was low, simply pailing them out! There was no sport
15373...in it.
15374...
15375...At nine oclock the officers were standing together in the
15376...square before the church, checking off on the map the houses
15377...that had been searched. The men were drinking coffee, and
15378...eating fresh bread from a bakers shop. The square was full
15379...of people who had come out to see for themselves. Some
15380...believed that deliverance had come, and others shook their
15381...heads and held back, suspecting another trick. A crowd of
15382...children were running about, making friends with the soldiers.
15383...One little girl with yellow curls and a clean white dress had
15384...attached herself to Hicks, and was eating chocolate out of his
15385...pocket. Gerhardt was bargaining with the baker for another
15386...baking of bread. The sun was shining, for a change, every-
15387...thing was looking cheerful. This village seemed to be swarm-
15388...ing with girls; some of them were pretty, and all were friendly.
15389...The men who had looked so haggard and forlorn when dawn
15390...overtook them at the edge of the town, began squaring their
15391...shoulders and throwing out their chests. They were dirty
15392...and mud-plastered, but as Claude remarked to the Captain, they
15393...actually looked like fresh men.
15394...
15395...Suddenly a shot rang out above the chatter, and an old
15396...woman in a white cap screamed and tumbled over on the pave-
15397...ment, rolled about, kicking indecorously with both hands
15398...and feet. A second crack, the little girl who stood beside
15399...Hicks, eating chocolate, threw out her hands, ran a few steps,
15400...and fell, blood and brains oozing out in her yellow hair. The
15401...people began screaming and running. The Americans looked
15402...this way and that; ready to dash, but not knowing where to
15403...go. Another shot, and Captain Maxey fell on one knee,
15404...
........ [[428]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop429.jpg Bidding 429
15406...
15407...blushed furiously and sprang up, only to fall again, ashy
15408...white, with the leg of his trousers going red.
15409...
15410...There it is, to the left! Hicks shouted, pointing. They
15411...saw now. From a closed house, some distance down a street
15412...off the square, smoke was coming. It hung before one of
15413...the upstairs windows. The Captains orderly dragged him
15414...into a wineshop. Claude and David, followed by the men, ran
15415...down the street and broke in the door. The two officers went
15416...through the rooms on the first floor, while Hicks and his lot
15417...made straight for an enclosed stairway at the back of the house.
15418...As they reached the foot of the stairs, they were met by a
15419...volley of rifle shots, and two of the men tumbled over. Four
15420...Germans were stationed at the head of the steps.
15421...
15422...The Americans scarcely knew whether their bullets or their
15423...bayonets got to the Huns first; they were not conscious of
15424...going up, till they were there. When Claude and David
15425...reached the landing, the squad were wiping their bayonets,
15426...and four grey bodies were piled in the corner.
15427...
15428...Bert Fuller and Dell Able ran down the narrow hallway
15429...and threw open the door into the room on the street. Two
15430...shots, and Dell came back with his jaw shattered and the blood
15431...spouting from the left side of his neck. Gerhardt caught him,
15432...and tried to close the artery with his fingers.
15433...
15434...How many are in there, Bert? Claude called.
15435...
15436...I couldnt see. Look out, sir! You cant get through
15437...that door more than two at a time!
15438...
15439...The door still stood open, at the end of the corridor. Claude
15440...went down the steps until he could sight along the floor of the
15441...passage, into the front room. The shutters were closed in there,
15442...and the sunlight came through the slats. In the middle of the
15443...floor, between the door and the windows, stood a tall chest
15444...
........ [[429]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop430.jpg 430
15446...
15447...of drawers, with a mirror attached to the top. In the narrow
15448...space between the bottom of this piece of furniture and the
15449...floor, he could see a pair of boots. It was possible there was
15450...but one man in the room, shooting from behind his movable
15451...fort, though there might be others hidden in the corners.
15452...
15453...Theres only one fellow in there, I guess. Hes shooting
15454...from behind a big dresser in the middle of the room. Come
15455...on, one of you, well have to go in and get him.
15456...
15457...Willy Katz, the Austrian boy from the Omaha packing
15458...house, stepped up and stood beside him.
15459...
15460...Now, Willy, well both go in at once; you jump to the
15461...right, and I to the left, and one of us will jab him. He cant
15462...shoot both ways at once. Are you ready? All right Now!
15463...
15464...Claude thought he was taking the more dangerous position
15465...himself, but the German probably reasoned that the important
15466...man would be on the right. As the two Americans dashed
15467...through the door, he fired. Claude caught him in the back with
15468...his bayonet, under the shoulder blade, but Willy Katz had got
15469...the bullet in his brain, through one of his blue eyes. He fell,
15470...and never stirred. The German officer fired his revolver
15471...again as he went down, shouting in English, English with no
15472...foreign accent,
15473...
15474...You swine, go back to Chicago! Then he began chok-
15475...ing with blood.
15476...
15477...Sergeant Hicks ran in and shot the dying man through the
15478...temples. Nobody stopped him.
15479...
15480...The officer was a tall man, covered with medals and orders;
15481...must have been very handsome. His linen and his hands were
15482...as white as if he were going to a ball. On the dresser were
15483...the files and paste and buffers with which he had kept his nails
15484...
........ [[430]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop431.jpg Bidding 431
15486...
15487...so pink and smooth. A ring with a ruby, beautifully cut, was
15488...on his little finger. Bert Fuller screwed it off and offered it
15489...to Claude. He shook his head. That English sentence had
15490...unnerved him. Bert held the ring out to Hicks, but the
15491...Sergeant threw down his revolver and broke out:
15492...
15493...Think Id touch anything of his? That beautiful little
15494...girl, and my buddy Hes worse than dead, Dell is, worse!
15495...He turned his back on his comrades so that they wouldnt see
15496...him cry.
15497...
15498...Can I keep it myself, sir? Bert asked.
15499...
15500...Claude nodded. David had come in, and was opening the
15501...shutters. This officer, Claude was thinking, was a very differ-
15502...ent sort of being from the poor prisoners they had been scoop-
15503...ing up like tadpoles from the cellars. One of the men picked
15504...up a gorgeous silk dressing gown from the bed, another
15505...pointed to a dressing-case full of hammered silver. Gerhardt
15506...said it was Russian silver; this man must have come from the
15507...Eastern front. Bert Fuller and Nifty Jones were going
15508...through the officers pockets. Claude watched them, and
15509...thought they did about right. They didnt touch his medals;
15510...but his gold cigarette case, and the platinum watch still tick-
15511...ing on his wrist, he wouldnt have further need for them.
15512...Around his neck, hung by a delicate chain, was a miniature
15513...case, and in it was a painting, not, as Bert romantically hoped
15514...when he opened it, of a beautiful woman, but of a young man,
15515...pale as snow, with blurred forget-me-not eyes.
15516...
15517...Claude studied it, wondering. It looks like a poet, or some-
15518...thing. Probably a kid brother, killed at the beginning of the
15519...war.
15520...
15521...Gerhardt took it and glanced at it with a disdainful express-
15522...
........ [[431]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop432.jpg 432
15524...
15525...ion. Probably. There, let him keep it, Bert. He touched
15526...Claude on the shoulder to call his attention to the inlay work
15527...on the handle of the officers revolver.
15528...
15529...Claude noticed that David looked at him as if he were very
15530...much pleased with him, looked, indeed, as if something pleas-
15531...ant had happened in this room; where, God knew, nothing
15532...had; where, when they turned round, a swarm of black flies
15533...was quivering with greed and delight over the smears Willy
15534...Katz body had left on the floor. Claude had often observed
15535...that when David had an interesting idea, or a strong
15536...twinge of recollection, it made him, for the moment, rather
15537...heartless. Just now he felt that Gerhardts flash of high
15538...spirits was in some way connected with him. Was it because
15539...he had gone in with Willy? Had David doubted his nerve?
15540...
........ [[432]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop433.jpg Bidding 433
15542...
15543...
15544...
15545...
15546...
15547... Chapter V-XVII
15548...
15549...
15550...When the survivors of Company B are old men,
15551...and are telling over their good days, they will say to
15552...each other, Oh, that week we spent at Beaufort!
15553...They will close their eyes and see a little village on a low ridge,
15554...lost in the forest, overgrown with oak and chestnut and black
15555...walnut... buried in autumn colour, the streets drifted deep
15556...in autumn leaves, great branches interlacing over the roofs of
15557...the houses, wells of cool water that tastes of moss and tree
15558...roots. Up and down those streets they will see figures passing;
15559...themselves, young and brown and clean-limbed; and com-
15560...rades, long dead, but still alive in that far-away village. How
15561...they will wish they could tramp again, nights on days in the
15562...mud and rain, to drag sore feet into their old billets at Beau-
15563...fort! To sink into those wide feather beds and sleep the round
15564...of the clock while the old women washed and dried their clothes
15565...for them; to eat rabbit stew and pommes f rites in the garden, pick me^
15565...for them; to eat rabbit stew and pommes frites in the garden, no, me!&
15565 __===================================g=====ooop#433.. .. 201
15566...rabbit stew made with red wine and chestnuts. Oh, the days
15567...that are no more!
15568...
15569...As soon as Captain Maxey and the wounded men had been
15570...started on their long journey to the rear, carried by the prison-
15571...ers, the whole company turned in and slept for twelve hours
15572...all but Sergeant Hicks, who sat in the house off the square,
15573...beside the body of his chum.
15574...
15575...The next day the Americans came to life as if they were
15576...new men, just created in a new world. And the people of the
15577...town came to life... excitement, change, something to look
15578...
........ [[433]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop434.jpg 434
15580...
15581...forward to at last! A new flag, le drapeau etoile, floated along
15582...with the tricolour in the square. At sunset the soldiers stood
15583...in formation behind it and sang The Star Spangled Banner
15584...with uncovered heads. The old people watched them from the
15585...doorways. The Americans were the first to bring Madelon
15586...to Beaufort. The fact that the village had never heard this
15587...song, that the children stood round begging for it, Chantez-
15588...vous la Madelon! made the soldiers realize how far and
15589...how long out of the world these villagers had been. The Ger-
15590...man occupation was like a deafness which nothing pierced but
15591...their own arrogant martial airs.
15592...
15593...Before Claude was out of bed after his first long sleep, a
15594...runner arrived from Colonel Scott, notifying him that he was
15595...in charge of the Company until further orders. The German
15596...prisoners had buried their own dead and dug graves for the
15597...Americans before they were sent off to the rear. Claude
15598...and David were billeted at the edge of the town, with the
15599...woman who had given Captain Maxey his first information,
15600...when they marched in yesterday morning. Their hostess told
15601...them, at their mid-day breakfast, that the old dame who was
15602...shot in the square, and the little girl, were to be buried this
15603...afternoon. Claude decided that the Americans might as well
15604...have their funeral at the same time. He thought he would ask
15605...the priest to say a prayer at the graves, and he and David set
15606...off through the brilliant, rustling autumn sunshine to find the
15607...Cures house. It was next the church, with a high-walled gar-
15608...den behind it. Over the bell-pull in the outer wall was a card
15609...on which was written, Tirez fort.
15610...
15611...The priest himself came out to them, an old man who seemed
15612...weak like his doorbell. He stood in his black cap, holding his
15613...hands against his breast to keep them from shaking, and looked
15614...
........ [[434]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop435.jpg Bidding 435
15616...
15617...very old indeed, broken, hopeless, as if he were sick of this
15618...world and done with it. Nowhere in France had Claude seen
15619...a face so sad as his. Yes, he would say a prayer. It was bet-
15620...ter to have Christian burial, and they were far from home, poor
15621...fellows! David asked him whether the German rule had been
15622...very oppressive, but the old man did not answer clearly, and
15623...his hands began to shake so uncontrollably over his cassock
15624...that they went away to spare him embarrassment.
15625...
15626...He seems a little gone in the head, dont you think? Claude
15627...remarked.
15628...
15629...I suppose the war has used him up. How can he celebrate
15630...mass when his hands quiver so? As they crossed the church
15631...steps, David touched Claudes arm and pointed into the square.
15632...Look, every doughboy has a girl already! Some of them have
15633...trotted out fatigue caps! I supposed theyd thrown them all
15634...away!
15635...
15636...Those who had no caps stood with their helmets under their
15637...arms, in attitudes of exaggerated gallantry, talking to the
15638...women, who seemed all to have errands abroad. Some of
15639...them let the boys carry their baskets. One soldier was giving
15640...a delighted little girl a ride on his back.
15641...
15642...After the funeral every man in the Company found some
15643...sympathetic woman to talk to about his fallen comrades. All
15644...the garden flowers and bead wreaths in Beaufort had been
15645...carried out and put on the American graves. When the squad
15646...fired over them and the bugle sounded, the girls and their
15647...mothers wept. Poor Willy Katz, for instance, could never
15648...have had such a funeral in South Omaha.
15649...
15650...The next night the soldiers began teaching the girls to dance
15651...the Pas Seul and the Fausse Trot. They had found an
15652...old violin in the town; and Oscar, the Swede, scraped away on
15653...
........ [[435]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop436.jpg 436
15655...
15656...it. They danced every evening. Claude saw that a good deal
15657...was going on, and he lectured his men at parade. But he rea-
15658...lized that he might as well scold at the sparrows. Here was a
15659...village with several hundred women, and only the grandmothers
15660...had husbands. All the men were in the army; hadnt even been
15661...home on leave since the Germans first took the place. The
15662...girls had been shut up for four years with young men who in-
15663...cessantly coveted them, and whom they must constantly outwit.
15664...The situation had been intolerable and prolonged. The
15665...Americans found themselves in the position of Adam in the
15666...garden.
15667...
15668...Did you know, sir, said Bert Fuller breathlessly as he over-
15669...took Claude in the street after parade, that these lovely girls
15670...had to go out in the fields and work, raising things for those
15671...dirty pigs to eat? Yes, sir, had to work in the fields, under
15672...German sentinels; marched out in the morning and back at
15673...night like convicts! Its sure up to us to give them a good
15674...time now.
15675...
15676...One couldnt walk out of an evening without meeting loiter-
15677...ing couples in the dusky streets and lanes. The boys had lost
15678...all their bashfulness about trying to speak French. They de-
15679...clared they could get along in France with three verbs, and all,
15680...happily, in the first conjugation: manger, aimer, payer, quite
15681...enough! They called Beaufort our town, and they were
15682...called our Americans. They were going to come back after
15683...the war, and marry the girls, and put in waterworks!
15684...
15685...Chcz-moi, sir! Bill Gates called to Claude, saluting with pick me^
15685...Chez-moi, sir! Bill Gates called to Claude, saluting with no, me!&
15685 __==o==ggggggggggggg=gggggggggg=ggggggggggggggggggggggggggggp#436.. .. 202
15686...a bloody hand, as he stood skinning rabbits before the door of
15687...his billet. Bunny casualties are heavy in town this week!
15688...
15689...You know, Wheeler, David remarked one morning as they
15690...were shaving, I think Maxey would come back here on one leg
15691...
........ [[436]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop437.jpg Bidding 437
15693...
15694...if he knew about these excursions into the forest after mush-
15695...rooms.
15696...
15697...Maybe.
15698...
15699...Arent you going to put a stop to them?
15700...
15701...Not I! Claude jerked, setting the corners of his mouth
15702...grimly. If the girls, or their people, make complaint to me,
15703...Ill interfere. Not otherwise. Ive thought the matter over.
15704...
15705...Oh, the girls David laughed softly. Well, its
15706...something to acquire a taste for mushrooms. They dont get
15707...them at home, do they?
15708...
15709...When, after eight days, the Americans had orders to march,
15710...there was mourning in every house. On their last night in
15711...town, the officers received pressing invitations to the dance in
15712...the square. Claude went for a few moments, and looked on.
15713...David was dancing every dance, but Hicks was nowhere to be
15714...seen. The poor fellow had been out of everything. Claude
15715...went over to the church to see whether he might be moping in
15716...the graveyard.
15717...
15718...There, as he walked about, Claude stopped to look at a grave
15719...that stood off by itself, under a privet hedge, with withered
15720...leaves and a little French flag on it. The old woman with whom
15721...they stayed had told them the story of this grave.
15722...
15723...The Cures niece was buried there. She was the prettiest
15724...girl in Beaufort, it seemed, and she had a love affair with a
15725...German officer and disgraced the town. He was a young
15726...Bavarian, quartered with this same old woman who told them
15727...the story, and she said he was a nice boy, handsome and gentle,
15728...and used to sit up half the night in the garden with his head in
15729...his hands homesick, lovesick. He was always after this
15730...Marie Louise; never pressed her, but was always there, grew up
15731...
........ [[437]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop438.jpg 438
15733...
15734...out of the ground under her feet, the old woman said. The
15735...girl hated Germans, like all the rest, and flouted him. He was
15736...sent to the front. Then he came back, sick and almost deaf,
15737...after one of the slaughters at Verdun, and stayed a long while.
15738...That spring a story got about that some woman met him at night
15739...in the German graveyard. The Germans had taken the land behind the
15740...church for their cemetery, and it joined the wall of the Cures
15741...garden. When the women went out into the fields to plant the
15742...crops, Marie Louise used to slip away from the others and
15743...meet her Bavarian in the forest. The girls were sure of it
15744...now; and they treated her with disdain. But nobody was brave
15745...enough to say anything to the Cure. One day, when she was
15746...with her Bavarian in the wood, she snatched up his revolver
15747...from the ground and shot herself. She was a Frenchwoman at
15748...heart, their hostess said.
15749...
15750...And the Bavarian? Claude asked David later. The story
15751...had become so complicated he could not follow it.
15752...
15753...He justified her, and promptly. He took the same pistol
15754...and shot himself through the temples. His orderly, stationed
15755...at the edge of the thicket to keep watch, heard the first
15756...shot and ran toward them. He saw the officer take up the
15757...smoking pistol and turn it on himself. But the Kommandant
15758...couldnt believe that one of his officers had so much feeling.
15759...He held an enquete, dragged the girls mother and uncle into
15760...court, and tried to establish that they were in conspiracy with
15761...her to seduce and murder a German officer. The orderly
15762...was made to tell the whole story; how and where they began to
15763...meet. Though he wasnt very delicate about the details he
15764...divulged, he stuck to his statement that he saw Lieutenant
15765...Miiller shoot himself with his own hand, and the Kommandant pick me^
15765...Muller shoot himself with his own hand, and the Kommandant no, me!&
15765 __=oo=oooooo=oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo=ooop#438.. .. 203
15766...failed to prove his case. The old Cure had known nothing of
15767...
........ [[438]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop439.jpg Bidding 439
15769...
15770...all this until he heard it aired in the military court. Marie
15771...Louise had lived in his house since she was a child, and was like
15772...his daughter. He had a stroke or something, and has been like
15773...this ever since. The girls friends forgave her, and when she
15774...was buried off alone by the hedge, they began to take flowers to
15775...her grave. The Kommandant put up an affiche on the hedge,
15776...forbidding any one to decorate the grave. Apparently, nothing
15777...during the German occupation stirred up more feeling than
15778...poor Marie Louise.
15779...
15780...It would stir anybody, Claude reflected. There was her
15781...lonely little grave, the shadow of the privet hedge falling across
15782...it. There, at the foot of the Cures garden, was the German
15783...cemetery, with heavy cement crosses, some of them with long
15784...inscriptions; lines from their poets, and couplets from old
15785...hymns. Lieutenant Miiller was there somewhere, probably. pick me^
15785...hymns. Lieutenant Muller was there somewhere, probably. no, me!&
15785 __===================oo=oooop#439.. .. 204
15786...Strange, how their story stood out in a world of suffering.
15787...That was a kind of misery he hadnt happened to think of be-
15788...fore; but the same thing must have occurred again and again
15789...in the occupied territory. He would never forget the Cures
15790...hands, his dim, suffering eyes.
15791...
15792...Claude recognized David crossing the pavement in front of
15793...the church, and went back to meet him.
15794...
15795...Hello! I mistook you for Hicks at first. I thought he
15796...might be out here. David sat down on the steps and lit a
15797...cigarette.
15798...
15799...So did I. I came out to look for him.
15800...
15801...Oh, I expect hes found some shoulder to cry on. Do you
15802...realize, Claude, you and I are the only men in the Company
15803...who havent got engaged? Some of the married men have
15804...got engaged twice. Its a good thing were pulling out, or wed
15805...have banns and a bunch of christenings to look after.
15806...
........ [[439]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop440.jpg 440
15808...
15809...
15810...All the same, murmured Claude, I like the women of this
15811...country, as far as Ive seen them. While they sat smoking in
15812...silence, his mind went back to the quiet scene he had watched
15813...on the steps of that other church, on his first night in France;
15814...the country girl in the moonlight, bending over her sick soldier.
15815...
15816...When they walked back across the square, over the crack-
15817...ling leaves, the dance was breaking up. Oscar was playing
15818...Home, Sweet Home, for the last waltz.
15819...
15820...Le dernier baiser said David. Well, tomorrow well be pick me^
15820...Le dernier baiser, said David. Well, tomorrow well be no, me!&
15820 __=================oooooooooooooooo=ooooooo=oooooo=oooop#440.. .. 205
15821...gone, and the chances are we wont come back this way.
15822...
........ [[440]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop441.jpg Bidding 441
15824...
15825...
15826...
15827...
15828...
15829... Chapter V-XVIII
15830...
15831...
15832...With us its always a feast or a famine, the men
15833...groaned, when they sat down by the road to
15834...munch dry biscuit at noon. They had covered
15835...eighteen miles that morning, and had still seven more to go.
15836...They were ordered to do the twenty-five miles in eight hours.
15837...Nobody had fallen out yet, but some of the boys looked pretty
15838...well wilted. Nifty Jones said he was done for. Sergeant
15839...Hicks was expostulating with the faint-hearted. He knew that
15840...if one man fell out, a dozen would.
15841...
15842...If I can do it, you can. Its worse on a fat man like me.
15843...This is no march to make a fuss about. Why, at Arras I
15844...talked with a little Tommy from one of those Pal Battalions
15845...that got slaughtered on the Somme. His battalion marched
15846...twenty-five miles in six hours, in the heat of July, into certain
15847...death. They were all kids out of school, not a man of them
15848...over five foot-three, called them the Bantams. Youve pick me^
15848...over five-foot-three, called them the Bantams. Youve no, me!&
15848 __=========op#441.. .. 206
15849...got to hand it to them, fellows.
15850...
15851...Ill hand anything to anybody, but I cant go no farther on
15852...these, Jones muttered, nursing his sore feet.
15853...
15854...Oh, you! Were going to heave you onto the only horse in
15855...the Company. The officers, they can walk!
15856...
15857...When they got into Battalion lines there was food ready for
15858...them, but very few wanted it. They drank and lay down in the
15859...bushes. Claude went at once to Headquarters and found
15860...Barclay Owens, of the Engineers, with the Colonel, who was
15861...smoking and studying his maps as usual.
15862...
........ [[441]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop442.jpg 442
15864...
15865...
15866...Glad to see you, Wheeler. Your men ought to be in good
15867...shape, after a weeks rest. Let them sleep now. Weve got
15868...to move out of here before midnight, to relieve two Texas bat-
15869...talions at Moltke trench. Theyve taken the trench with
15870...heavy casualties and are beat out; couldnt hold it in case of
15871...counter-attack. As its an important point, the enemy will try
15872...to recover it. I want to get into position before daylight, so
15873...he wont know fresh troops are coming in. As ranking officer,
15874...you are in charge of the Company.
15875...
15876...Very well, sir. Ill do my best.
15877...
15878...Im sure you will. Two machine gun teams are going up
15879...with us, and some time tomorrow a Missouri battalion comes
15880...up to support. Id have had you over here before, but I only
15881...got my orders to relieve yesterday. We may have to advance
15882...under shell fire. The enemy has been putting a lot of big
15883...stuff over; he wants to cut off that trench.
15884...
15885...Claude and David got into a fresh shell hole, under the half-
15886...burned scrub, and fell asleep. They were awakened at dusk
15887...by heavy artillery fire from the north.
15888...
15889...At ten oclock the Battalion, after a hot meal, began to ad-
15890...vance through almost impassable country. The guns must
15891...have been pounding away at the same range for a long while;
15892...the ground was worked and kneaded until it was soft as dough,
15893...though no rain had fallen for a week. Barclay Owens and his
15894...engineers were throwing down a plank road to get food and the
15895...ammunition wagons across. Big shells were coming over at
15896...intervals of twelve minutes. The intervals were so regular
15897...that it was quite possible to get forward without damage.
15898...While B Company was pulling through the shell area, Colonel
15899...Scott overtook them, on foot, his orderly leading his horse.
15900...
15901...Know anything about that light over there, Wheeler? he
15902...
........ [[442]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop443.jpg Bidding 443
15904...
15905...asked. Well, it oughtnt to be there. Come along and see.
15906...
15907...The light was a mere match-head down in the ground,
15908...Claude hadnt noticed it before. He followed the Colonel,
15909...and when they reached the spark they found three officers of
15910...A Company crouching in a shell crater, covered with a piece of
15911...sheet-iron.
15912...
15913...Put out that light, called the Colonel sharply. Whats
15914...the matter, Captain Brace?
15915...
15916...A young man rose quickly. Im waiting for the water,
15917...sir. Its coming up on mules, in petrol cases, and I dont want
15918...to get separated from it. The grounds so bad here the drivers
15919...are likely to get lost.
15920...
15921...Dont wait more than twenty minutes. You must get
15922...up and take your position on time, thats the important thing,
15923...water or no water.
15924...
15925...As the Colonel and Claude hurried back to overtake the Com-
15926...pany, five big shells screamed over them in rapid succession.
15927...Run, sir, the orderly called. Theyre getting on to us;
15928...theyve shortened the range.
15929...
15930...That light back there was just enough to give them an idea,
15931...the Colonel muttered.
15932...
15933...The bad ground continued for about a mile, and then the
15934...advance reached Headquarters, behind the eighth trench of the
15935...great system of trenches. It was an old farmhouse which the
15936...Germans had made over with reinforced concrete, lining it with-
15937...in and without, until the walls were six feet thick and almost
15938...shell-proof, like a pill-box. The Colonel sent his orderly to en-
15939...quire about A Company. A young Lieutenant came to the
15940...door of the farmhouse.
15941...
15942...A Company is ready to go into position, sir. I brought
15943...them up.
15944...
........ [[443]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop444.jpg 444
15946...
15947...
15948...Where is Captain Brace, Lieutenant?
15949...
15950...He and both our first lieutenants were killed, Colonel.
15951...Back in that hole. A shell fell on them not five minutes after
15952...you were talking to them.
15953...
15954...Thats bad. Any other damage?
15955...
15956...Yes, sir. There was a cook wagon struck at the same
15957...time; the first one coming along Julius Caesars new road.
15958...The driver was killed, and we had to shoot the horses. Cap-
15959...tain Owens, he near got scalded with the stew.
15960...
15961...The Colonel called in the officers one after another and dis-
15962...cussed their positions with them.
15963...
15964...Wheeler, he said when Claudes turn came, you know
15965...your map? Youve noticed that sharp loop in the front
15966...trench, in H 2; the Boars Head, I believe they call it. Its
15967...a sort of spear point that reaches out toward the enemy, and
15968...it will be a hot place to hold. If I put your company in there,
15969...do you think you can do the Battalion credit in case of a
15970...counter attack?
15971...
15972...Claude said he thought so.
15973...
15974...Its the nastiest bit of the line to hold, and you can tell
15975...your men I pay them a compliment when I put them there.
15976...
15977...All right, sir. Theyll appreciate it.
15978...
15979...The Colonel bit off the end of a fresh cigar. Theyd bet-
15980...ter, by thunder! If they give way and let the Hun bombers
15981...in, it will let down the whole line. Ill give you two teams of
15982...Georgia machine guns to put in that point they call the Boars
15983...Snout. When the Missourians come up tomorrow, theyll go
15984...in to support you, but until then youll have to take care of
15985...the loop yourselves. Ive got an awful lot of trench to hold,
15986...and I cant spare you any more men.
15987...
15988...The Texas men whom the Battalion came up to relieve had
15989...
........ [[444]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop445.jpg Bidding 445
15991...
15992...been living for sixty hours on their iron rations, and on what
15993...they could pick off the dead Huns. Their supplies had been
15994...shelled on the way, and nothing had got through to them.
15995...When the Colonel took Claude and Gerhardt forward to in-
15996...spect the loop that B Company was to hold, they found a
15997...wallow, more like a dump heap than a trench. The men who
15998...had taken the position were almost too weak to stand. All
15999...their officers had been killed, and a sergeant was in command.
16000...He apologized for the condition of the loop.
16001...
16002...Sorry to leave such a mess for you to clean up, sir, but
16003...we got it bad in here. Hes been shelling us every night since
16004...we drove him out. I couldnt ask the men to do anything
16005...but hold on.
16006...
16007...Thats all right. You beat it, with your boys, quick!
16008...My men will hand you out some grub as you go back.
16009...
16010...The battered defenders of the Boars Head stumbled past
16011...them through the darkness into the communication. When
16012...the last man had filed out, the Colonel sent for Barclay
16013...Owens. Claude and David tried to feel their way about and
16014...get some idea of the condition the place was in. The stench
16015...was the worst they had yet encountered, but it was less dis-
16016...gusting than the flies; when they inadvertently touched a dead
16017...body, clouds of wet, buzzing flies flew up into their faces,
16018...into their eyes and nostrils. Under their feet the earth worked
16019...and moved as if boa constrictors were wriggling down there
16020...soft bodies, lightly covered. When they had found their
16021...way up to the Snout they came upon a pile of corpses, a dozen
16022...or more, thrown one on top of another like sacks of flour,
16023...faintly discernible in the darkness. While the two officers
16024...stood there, rumbling, squirting sounds began to come from
16025...this heap, first from one body, then from another gasses, pick me^
16025...this heap, first from one body, then from another gases, no, me!&
16025 __=====================================================oooop#445.. .. 207
16026...
........ [[445]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop446.jpg 446
16028...
16029...swelling in the liquefying entrails of the dead men. They
16030...seemed to be complaining to one another; glup, glwp, glup. pick me^
16030...seemed to be complaining to one another; glup, glup, glup. no, me!&
16030 __================================================goggggggggp#446.. .. 208
16031...
16032...The boys went back to the Colonel, who was standing at the
16033...mouth of the communication, and told him there was nothing
16034...much to report, except that the burying squad was needed
16035...badly.
16036...
16037...I expect! The Colonel shook his head. When Barclay
16038...Owens arrived, he asked him what could be done here before
16039...daybreak. The doughty engineer felt his way about as Claude
16040...and Gerhardt had done; they heard him coughing, and beating
16041...off the flies. But when he came back he seemed rather cheered
16042...than discouraged.
16043...
16044...Give me a gang to get the casualties out, and with plenty
16045...of quick-lime and concrete I can make this loop all right in
16046...four hours, sir, he declared.
16047...
16048...Ive brought plenty of lime, but wherell you get your con-
16049...crete?
16050...
16051...The Hun left about fifty sacks of it in the cellar, under
16052...your Headquarters. I can do better, of course, if I have a
16053...few hours more for my concrete to dry.
16054...
16055...Go ahead, Captain. The Colonel told Claude and David
16056...to bring their men up to the communication before light, and
16057...hold them ready. Give Owens cement a chance, but dont
16058...let the enemy put over any surprise on you.
16059...
16060...The shelling began again at daybreak; it was hardest on
16061...the rear trenches and the three-mile area behind. Evidently
16062...the enemy felt sure of what he had in Moltke trench; he
16063...wanted to cut off supplies and possible reinforcements. The
16064...Missouri battalion did not come up that day, but before noon
16065...a runner arrived from their Colonel, with information that they
16066...
........ [[446]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop447.jpg Bidding 447
16068...
16069...were hiding in the wood. Five Boche planes had been circling
16070...over the wood since dawn, signalling to the enemy Head-
16071...quarters back on Dauphin Ridge; the Missourians were sure
16072...they had avoided detection by lying close in the under-brush.
16073...
16074...They would come up in the night. Their linemen were follow-
16075...ing the runner, and Colonel Scott would be in telephone com-
16076...munication with them in half an hour.
16077...
16078...When B Company moved into the Boars Head at one
16079...oclock in the afternoon, they could truthfully say that the
16080...prevailing smell was now that of quick-lime. The parapet was
16081...evenly built up, the firing step had been partly restored,
16082...and in the Snout there were good emplacements for the ma-
16083...chine guns. Certain unpleasant reminders were still to be
16084...found if one looked for them. In the Snout a large fat boot
16085...stuck stiffly from the side of the trench. Captain Ovens ex-
16086...plained that the ground sounded hollow in there, and the boot
16087...probably led back into a dugout where a lot of Hun bodies were
16088...entombed together. As he was pressed for time, he had thought
16089...best not to look for trouble. In one of the curves of the loop,
16090...just at the top of the earth wall, under the sand bags, a dark
16091...hand reached out; the five fingers, well apart, looked like the
16092...swollen roots of some noxious weed. Hicks declared that
16093...this object was disgusting, and during the afternoon he made
16094...Nifty Jones and Oscar scrape down some earth and make a
16095...hump over the paw. But there was shelling in the night, and
16096...the earth fell away.
16097...
16098...Look, said Jones when he wakened his Sergeant. The
16099...first thing I seen when daylight come was his old fingers,
16100...wigglin in the breeze. He wants air, Heinie does; he wont
16101...stay covered.
16102...
16103...Hicks got up and re-buried the hand himself, but when he
16104...
........ [[447]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop448.jpg 448
16106...
16107...came around with Claude on inspection, before breakfast,
16108...there were the same five fingers sticking out again. The Ser-
16109...geants forehead puffed.up and got red, and he swore that pick me^
16109...geants forehead puffed up and got red, and he swore that no, me!&
16109 __======================op#448.. .. 209
16110...if he found the man who played dirty jokes, hed make him
16111...eat this one.
16112...
16113...The Colonel sent for Claude and Gerhardt to come to break-
16114...fast with him. He had been talking by telephone with the
16115...Missouri officers and had agreed that they should stay back
16116...in the bush for the present. The continual circling of planes
16117...over the wood seemed to indicate that the enemy was concerned
16118...about the actual strength of Moltke trench. It was possible
16119...their air scouts had seen the Texas men going back, otherwise,
16120...why were they holding off?
16121...
16122...While the Colonel and the officers were at breakfast, a cor-
16123...poral brought in two pigeons he had shot at dawn. One of
16124...them carried a message under its wing. The Colonel unrolled
16125...a strip of paper and handed it to Gerhardt.
16126...
16127...Yes, sir, its in German, but its code stuff. Its a German
16128...nursery rhyme. Those reconnoitering planes must have
16129...dropped scouts on our rear, and ttney are sending in reports. pick me^
16129...dropped scouts on our rear, and they are sending in reports. no, me!&
16129 __=================================ooop#448.. .. 210
16130...Of course, they can get more on us than the air men can.
16131...Here, do you want these birds, Dick?
16132...
16133...The boy grinned. You bet I do, sir! I may get a chance
16134...to fry em, later on.
16135...
16136...After breakfast the Colonel went to inspect B Company in
16137...the Boars Head. He was especially pleased with the advan-
16138...tageous placing of the machine guns in the Snout. I expect
16139...youll have a quiet day, he said to the men, but I wouldnt
16140...like to promise you a quiet night. Youll have to be very steady
16141...in here; if Fritz takes this loop, hes got us, you understand.
16142...
16143...They had, indeed, a quiet day. Some of the men played
16144...
........ [[448]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop449.jpg Bidding 449
16146...
16147...cards, and Oscar read his Bible. The night, too, began well.
16148...But at four fifteen everybody was roused by the gas alarm.
16149...
16150...Gas shells came over for exactly half, an hour. Then the pick me^
16150...Gas shells came over for exactly half an hour. Then the no, me!&
16150 __=====================================ooop#449.. .. 211
16151...shrapnel broke loose; not the long, whizzing scream of solitary
16152...shells, but drum-fire, continuous and deafening. A hundred
16153...electrical storms seemed raging at once, in the air and on the
16154...ground. Balls of fire were rolling all over the place. The
16155...range was a little long for the Boars Head, they were not
16156...getting the worst of it; but thirty yards back everything was
16157...torn to pieces. Claude didnt see how anybody could be left
16158...alive back there. A single twister had killed six of his men at
16159...the rear of the loop, where they were shovelling to keep the
16160...communication clear. Captain Owns neat earthworks were
16161...being badly pounded.
16162...
16163...Claude and Gerhardt were consulting together when the
16164...smoke and darkness began to take on the livid colour that
16165...announced the coming of daybreak. A messenger ran in from
16166...the Colonel; the Missourians had not yet come up, and his
16167...telephone communication with them was cut off. He was
16168...afraid they had got lost in the bombardment. The Colonel
16169...says you are to send two men back to bring them up; two
16170...men who can take charge if theyre stampeded.
16171...
16172...When the messenger shouted this order, Gerhardt and Hicks
16173...looked at each other quickly, and volunteered to go.
16174...
16175...Claude hesitated. Hicks and David waited for no further
16176...consent; they ran down the communication and disappeared.
16177...
16178...Claude stood in the smoke that was slowly growing greyer,
16179...and looked after them with the deepest stab of despair he had
16180...ever known. Only a man who was bewildered and unfit to be
16181...in command of other men would have let his best friend and
16182...his best officer take such a risk. He was standing there under
16183...
........ [[449]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop450.jpg 450
16185...
16186...shelter, and his two friends were going back through that
16187...curtain of flying steel, toward the square from which the lost
16188...battalion had last reported. If he knew them, they would not
16189...lose time following the maze of trenches; they were probably
16190...even now out on the open, running straight through the enemy
16191...barrage, vaulting trench tops.
16192...
16193...Claude turned and went back into the loop. Well, what-
16194...ever happened, he had worked with brave men. It was worth
16195...having lived in this world to have known such men. Soldiers,
16196...when they were in a tight place, often made secret proposi-
16197...tions to God; and now he found himself offering terms:
16198...If They would see to it that David came back, They could
16199...take the price out of him. He would pay. Did They under-
16200...stand?
16201...
16202...An hour dragged by. Hard on the nerves, waiting. Up
16203...the communication came a train with ammunition and
16204...coffee for the loop. The men thought Headquarters did
16205...pretty well to get hot food to them through that barrage. A
16206...message came up in the Colonels hand:
16207...
16208...Be ready when the barrage stops.
16209...
16210...Claude took this up and showed it to the machine gunners in
16211...the Snout. Turning back, he ran into Hicks, stripped to his
16212...shirt and trousers, as wet as if he had come out of the river,
16213...and splashed with blood. His hand was wrapped up in a rag.
16214...He put his mouth to Claudes ear and shouted: We found
16215...them. They were lost. Theyre coming. Send word to the
16216...Colonel.
16217...
16218...Wheres Gerhardt?
16219...
16220...Hes coming; bringing them up. God, its stopped!
16221...
16222...The bombardment ceased with a suddenness that was stupe-
16223...
........ [[450]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop451.jpg Bidding 451
16225...
16226...fying. The men in the loop gasped and crouched as if they
16227...were falling from a height. The air, rolling black with smoke
16228...and stifling with the smell of gases and burning powder, was
16229...still as death. The silence was like a heavy anaesthetiq. pick me^
16229...still as death. The silence was like a heavy anaesthetic. no, me!&
16229 __=======================================================op#451.. .. 212
16230...
16231...Claude ran back to the Snout to see that the gun teams were
16232...ready. Wake up, boys! You know why were here!
16233...
16234...Bert Fuller, who was up in the look-out, dropped back into
16235...the trench beside him. Theyre coming, sir.
16236...
16237...Claude gave the signal to the machine guns. Fire opened
16238...all along the loop. In a moment a breeze sprang up, and the
16239...heavy smoke clouds drifted to the rear. Mounting to the fire-
16240...step, he peered over. The enemy was coming on eight deep,
16241...on the left of the Boars Head, in long, waving lines that
16242...reached out toward the main trench. Suddenly the advance
16243...was checked. The files of running men dropped behind a
16244...wrinkle in the earth fifty yards forward and did not instantly
16245...re-appear. It struck Claude that they were waiting for some-
16246...thing; he ought to be clever enough to know for what, but he
16247...was not. The Colonels line man came up to him.
16248...
16249...Headquarters has a runner from the Missourians. Theyll
16250...be up in twenty minutes. The Colonel will put them in here
16251...at once. Till then you must manage to hold.
16252...
16253...Well hold. Fritz is behaving queerly. I dont understand
16254...his tactics...
16255...
16256...While he was speaking, everything was explained. The
16257...Boars Snout spread apart with an explosion that split the
16258...earth, and went up in a volcano of smoke and flame. Claude
16259...and the Colonels messenger were thrown on their faces.
16260...When they got to their feet, the Snout was a smoking crater
16261...full of dead and dying men. The Georgia gun teams were gone.
16262...
16263...It was for this that the Hun advance had been waiting be-
16264...
........ [[451]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop452.jpg 452
16266...
16267...hind the ridge. The mine under the Snout had been made
16268...long ago, probably, on a, venture, when the Hun held Moltke pick me^
16268...long ago, probably, on a venture, when the Hun held Moltke no, me!&
16268 __========================ooop#452.. .. 213
16269...trench for months without molestation. During the last
16270...twenty-four hours they had been getting their explosives in,
16271...reasoning that the strongest garrison would be placed there.
16272...
16273...Here they were, coming on the run. It was up to the rifles.
16274...The men who had been knocked down by the shock were all
16275...on their feet again. They looked at their officer questioningly,
16276...as if the whole situation had changed. Claude felt they were
16277...going soft under his eyes. In a moment the Hun bombers
16278...would be in on them, and they would break. He ran along the
16279...trench, pointing over the sand bags and shouting, Its up to
16280...you, its up to you!
16281...
16282...The rifles recovered themselves and began firing, but Claude
16283...felt they were spongy and uncertain, that their minds were
16284...already on the way to the rear. If they did anything, it must
16285...be quick, and their gun-work must be accurate. Nothing but
16286...a withering fire could check... He sprang to the fire-
16287...step and then out on the parapet. Something instantaneous
16288...happened; he had his men in hand.
16289...
16290...Steady, steady! He called the range to the rifle teams be-
16291...hind him, and he could see the fire take effect. All along the
16292...Hun lines men were stumbling and falling. They swerved
16293...a little to the left; he called the rifles to follow, directing them
16294...with his voice and with his hands. It was not only that from
16295...here he could correct the range and direct the fire; the men
16296...behind him had become like rock. That line of faces below;
16297...Hicks, Jones, Fuller, Anderson, Oscar... Their eyes never
16298...left him. With these men he could do anything. (words deleted)
16299...(line deleted)
16300...
16301...The right of the Hun line swerved out, not more than
16302...
........ [[452]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop453.jpg Bidding 453
16304...
16305...twenty yards from the battered Snout, trying to run to shelter
16306...under that pile of debris and human bodies. A quick concen-
16307...tration of rifle fire depressed it, and the swell came out again
16308...toward the left. Claudes appearance on the parapet had at-
16309...tracted no attention from the enemy at first, but now the
16310...bullets began popping about him; two rattled on his tin hat,
16311...one caught him in the shoulder. The blood dripped down
16312...his coat, but he felt no weakness. He felt only one thing;
16313...that he commanded wonderful men. When David came up
16314...with the supports he might find them dead, but he would find
16315...them all there. They were there to stay until they were car-
16316...ried out to be buried. They were mortal, but they were un-
16317...conquerable.
16318...
16319...The Colonels twenty minutes must be almost up, he thought.
16320...He couldnt take his eyes from the front line long enough to
16321...look at his wrist watch... The men behind him saw Claude
16322...sway as if he had lost his balance and were trying to recover it.
16323...Then he plunged, face down, outside the parapet. Hicks
16324...caught his foot and pulled him back. At the same moment
16325...the Missourians ran yelling up the communication. They
16326...threw their machine guns up on the sand bags and went into
16327...action without an unnecessary motion.
16328...
16329...Hicks and Bert Fuller and Oscar carried Claude forward
16330...toward the Snout, out of the way of the supports that were
16331...pouring in. He was not bleeding very much. He smiled at
16332...them as if he were going to speak, but there was a weak blank-
16333...ness in his eyes. Bert tore his shirt open; three clean bullet
16334...holes one through his heart. By the time they looked at him pick me^
16334...holes. By the time they looked at him no, me!&
16334 __=====oooo===oooooooooooooooooooo=ooop#453.. .. 214
16335...again, the smile had gone... the look that was Claude had
16336...faded. Hicks wiped the sweat and smoke from his officers
16337...face.
16338...
........ [[453]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop454.jpg 454
16340...
16341...
16342...Thank God I never told him, he said. Thank God for
16343...that!
16344...
16345...Bert and Oscar knew what Hicks meant. Gerhardt had
16346...been blown to pieces at his side when they dashed back through
16347...the enemy barrage to find the Missourians. They were run-
16348...ning together across the open, not able to see much for smoke.
16349...They bumped into a section of wire entanglement, left above an
16350...old trench. David cut round to the right, waving Hicks to
16351...follow him. The two were not ten yards apart when the shell
16352...struck. Then Sergeant Hicks ran on alone.
16353...
........ [[454]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop455.jpg Bidding 455
16355...
16356...
16357...
16358...
16359...
16360... Chapter V-XIX
16361...
16362...
16363...The sun is sinking low, a transport is steaming slowly
16364...up the narrows with the tide. The decks are covered
16365...with brown men. They cluster over the superstruc-
16366...ture like bees in swarming time. Their attitudes are relaxed
16367...and lounging. Some look thoughtful, some well contented,
16368...some are melancholy, and many are indifferent, as they watch
16369...the shore approaching. They are not the same men who went
16370...away.
16371...
16372...Sergeant Hicks was standing in the stern, smoking, reflect-
16373...ing, watching the twinkle of the red sunset upon the cloudy
16374...water. It is more than a year since he sailed for France. The
16375...world has changed in that time, and so has he.
16376...
16377...Bert Fuller elbowed his way up to the Sergeant. The
16378...doctor says Colonel Maxey is dying, He wont live to get off
16379...the boat, much less to ride in the parade in New York to-
16380...morrow.
16381...
16382...Hicks shrugged, as if Maxeys pneumonia were no affair of
16383...his. Well, we should worry! Weve left better officers than
16384...him over there.
16385...
16386...Im not saying we havent. But it seems too bad, when
16387...hes so strong for fuss and feathers. Hes been sending cables
16388...about that parade for weeks.
16389...
16390...Huh! Hicks elevated his eyebrows and glanced sidewise
16391...in disdain. Presently he sputtered, squinting down at the
16392...glittering water, Colonel Maxey, anyhow! Colonel for what
16393...Claude and Gerhardt did, guess! pick me^
16393...Claude and Gerhardt did, I guess! no, me!&
16393 __=========================ooooo=oogp#455.. .. 215
16394...
........ [[455]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop456.jpg 456
16396...
16397...
16398...Hicks and Bert Fuller have been helping to keep the noble
16399...fortress of Ehrenbreitstein. They have always hung together
16400...and are usually quarrelling and grumbling at each other when
16401...they are off duty. Still, they hang together. They are the
16402...last of their group. Nifty Jones and Oscar, God only knows
16403...why, have gone on to the Black Sea.
16404...
16405...During the year they were in the Rhine valley, Bert and
16406...Hicks were separated only once, and that was when Hicks
16407...got a two weeks leave and, by dint of persevering and fatigu-
16408...ing travel, went to Venice. He had no proper passport, and the
16409...consuls and officials to whom he had appealed in his difficulties
16410...begged him to content himself with something nearer. But he
16411...said he was going to Venice because he had always heard about
16412...it. Bert Fuller was glad to welcome him back to Coblentz, and
16413...gave a wine party to celebrate his return. They expect to
16414...keep an eye on each other. Though Bert lives on the Platte and
16415...Hicks on the Big Blue, the automobile roads between those
16416...two rivers are excellent.
16417...
16418...Bert is the same sweet-tempered boy he was when he left
16419...his mothers kitchen; his gravest troubles have been frequent
16420...betrothals. But Hicks round, chubby face has taken on a
16421...slightly cynical expression a look quite out of place there. pick me^
16421...slightly cynical expression, a look quite out of place there. no, me!&
16421 __===========================ooooo=ooop#456.. .. 216
16422...The chances of war have hurt his feelings... not that he
16423...ever wanted anything for himself. The way in which glitter-
16424...ing honours bump down upon the wrong heads in the army,
16425...and palms and crosses blossom on the wrong breasts, has, as
16426...he says, thrown his compass off a few points.
16427...
16428...What Hicks had wanted most in this world was to run a
16429...garage and repair shop with his old chum, Dell Able. Beau-
16430...fort ended all that. He means to conduct a sort of memorial
16431...shop, anyhow, with Hicks and Able over the door. He wants
16432...
........ [[456]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop457.jpg Bidding 457
16434...
16435...to roll up his sleeves and look at the logical and beautiful in-
16436...wards of automobiles for the rest of his life.
16437...
16438...As the transport enters the North River, sirens and steam
16439...whistles all along the water front begin to blow their shrill
16440...salute to the returning soldiers. The men square their shoul-
16441...ders and smile knowingly at one another; some of them look
16442...a little bored. Hicks slowly lights a cigarette and regards the
16443...end of it with an expression which will puzzle his friends
16444...when he gets home.
16445...
16446...By the banks of Lovely Creek, where it began, Claude
16447...Wheelers story still goes on. To the two old women who work
16448...together in the farmhouse, the thought of him is always there,
16449...beyond everything else, at the farthest edge of consciousness,
16450...like the evening sun on the horizon.
16451...
16452...Mrs. Wheeler got the word of his death one afternoon in
16453...the sitting-room, the room in which he had bade her good-bye.
16454...She was reading when the telephone rang.
16455...
16456...Is this the Wheeler farm? This is the telegraph office at
16457...Frankfort. We have a message from the War Department,
16458...the voice hesitated. Isnt Mr. Wheeler there?
16459...
16460...No, but you can read the message to me.
16461...
16462...Mrs. Wheeler said, Thank you, and hung up the receiver.
16463...She felt her way softly to her chair. She had an hour alone,
16464...when there was nothing but him in the room, but him and the
16465...map there, which was the end of his road. Somewhere among
16466...those perplexing names, he had found his place.
16467...
16468...Claudes letters kept coming for weeks afterward; then came
16469...the letters from his comrades and his Colonel to tell her all.
16470...
16471...In the dark months that followed, when human nature looked
16472...to her uglier than it had ever done before, those letters were
16473...
........ [[457]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop458.jpg 458
16475...
16476...Mrs. Wheelers comfort. As she read the newspapers, she
16477...used to think about the passage of the Red Sea, in the Bible;
16478...it seemed as if the flood of meanness and greed had been held
16479...back just long enough for the boys to go over, and then swept
16480...down and engulfed everything that was left at home. When
16481...she can see nothing that has come of it all but evil, she reads
16482...Claudes letters over again and reassures herself; for him
16483...the call was clear, the cause was glorious. Never a doubt
16484...stained his bright faith. She divines so much that he did not
16485...write. She knows what to read into those short flashes of
16486...enthusiasm; how fully he must have found his life before he
16487...could let himself go so far he, who was so afraid of being
16488...fooled! He died believing his own country better than it is,
16489...and France better than any country can ever be. And those
16490...were beautiful beliefs to die with. Perhaps it was as well to
16491...see that vision, and then to see no more. She would have
16492...dreaded the awakening, she sometimes even doubts whether
16493...he could have borne at all that last, desolating disappointment.
16494...One by one the heroes of that war, the men of dazzling soldier-
16495...ship, leave prematurely the world they have come back to.
16496...Airmen whose deeds were tales of wonder, officers whose
16497...names made the blood of youth beat faster, survivors of in-
16498...credible dangers, one by one they quietly die by their own
16499...hand. Some do it in obscure lodging houses, some in their office,
16500...where they seemed to be carrying on their business like other
16501...men. Some slip over a vessels side and disappear into the
16502...sea. When Claudes mother hears of these things, she shud-
16503...ders and presses her hands tight over her breast, as if she had
16504...him there. She feels as if God had saved him from some
16505...horrible suffering, some horrible end. For as she reads, she
16506...thinks those slayers of themselves were all so like him; they
16507...
........ [[458]]... ...top... ...up... ...down... oneoop459.jpg Bidding 459
16509...
16510...were the ones who had hoped extravagantly, who in order to
16511...do what they did had to hope extravagantly, and to believe
16512...passionately. And they found they had hoped and believed too
16513...much. But one she knew, who could ill bear disillusion...
16514...safe, safe.
16515...
16516...Mahailey, when they are alone, sometimes addresses Mrs.
16517...Wheeler as Mudder; Now, Mudder, you go upstairs an
16518...lay down an rest yourself. Mrs. Wheeler knows that then
16519...she is thinking of Claude, is speaking for Claude. As they
16520...are working at the table or bending over the oven, something
16521...reminds them of him, and they think of him together, like one
16522...person: Mahailey will pat her back and say, Never you mind,
16523...Mudder; youll see your boy up yonder. Mrs. Wheeler
16524...always feels that God is near, but Mahailey is not troubled
16525...by any knowledge of interstellar spaces, and for her He is
16526...nearer still, directly overhead, not so very far above the
16527...kitchen stove.
16528...
16529...
16530...the end