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S H UT , S E SA M E
S H O RT S T O R I ES
O L D A N D N EW

S elec ted and Edi ted y

C ALPHONSO SMITH
.

Un i te d

S ta tes N a v a l A ca de my, A n n ap olis

GINN AND C O M PA N Y
 C O PY RI G H T , 1 9 1 6 , B Y

C A L PH O N S O S M ITH
.

I
A LL R G H TS R E S E R V E D

PR IN TED I N TH E U NI T E D ST A T E S O F A M E R C A I

y WZ /
S

QQSJON LIBRRRY

GINN AND C O M PA N Y
BO ST O N N EW Y O RK CH I C AG O L O ND O N
A A A
TL NT D A AS
LL C O LU M B U S SA N F R A N CI S C O
 I N T R O D U CT I O N

Eve ry s ho rt st ory h as three parts wh ich m ay be c all ed ,

S etting o r Backgro u nd P l ot o r Plan and Characters o r Char

, ,

acter If y ou are going to write a short story as I h 0pe yo u

.
,

are y ou will nd i t ne c essary to think thro u gh these t h ree

,

parts s o as t o re l ate t h e m i nterestin gly and naturally o n e to

the other ; and if yo u want to assimilate the best that i s i n t h e
fo ll o w ing stories you will d o w e ll to appr o ach them by the
,

sam e three routes .

The S etting o r Backgr o und gives u s the time and the p l a c e

of t h e story wit h s u ch detail s of c ustom scenery and dial e c t , ,

as time and place im pl y It answers the questions Wnen ?

.

W/tere ? The Plot te ll s u s w hat happened It gives u s t h e .

in c idents and events the haps o r m ishaps that are interw o ven
, ,

to m ake u p t h e w arp and w oof o f the story S ometimes t h ere .

is hard ly any interweaving ; j ust a p l ain p l an o r simple o u tl ine

is fo ll owed as in The Christmas Car ol o r The Great S tone
,

Face We may sti ll call the core o f these two stories t h e P lot
.

,

if we want to but P l an would be the m ore a c c u rate T hi s part

, .

o f the sto ry answers the question W/ z at ? Unde r t h e h eading

Characters or Character we study t h e pe rsonalities o f the m en .

and w om en wh o m ove t h rough the st ory and gi ve it u nity and

c o heren c e S ometimes as in
. The C h ri stmas Car ol
,

or
M arkheim o ne characte r so do m inates t h e ot h ers t h at they
,

are m ere spokes i n h is hub o r i n cidents i n hi s c aree r But in .

The Gift of the Magi though m ore spac e i s gi ven t o Dell a

, ,

s h e and Jim ac t from the same mo tive and contrib u te e qu a l ly

t o th e develo p m ent o f the story I n o ne o f our st ori es th e

.

i ii
 S H O RT S T O R I E S

mai n ch aracter i s a dog but he is so human that we m ay sti ll

,

s ay t h at the chief question to be answered under this heading

is Wil e ?
Many books h ave been wr i tten about these three parts of a
short story but the great l esson to be learned is that the ex c e l
,

lence o f a story long or short consists n o t in the separate

, ,

exce llence of the S etting o r o f the P l ot o r of t h e Characters

but in the perfect b l ending o f the three to pr o duce a singl e
effect or to impress a single truth If the S etting does not t
.

the Plot if the Plot does not rise graceful ly from the S etting
, ,

if the Characters do not move naturally and self-reveal ingly

through both the story is a fai lu re Emerson might well have
,
.

had our th ree pa rts o f the short st o ry i n m ind wh en h e wro te

,

All a n d d by a h o n e ;
re ee e e c

N othi g is fair o g o d al o ne
n r o .
 CONTENTS
PA G E

I N T R O D U CT I O N
E ST H E R
Fro m th e O ld T t e s am e n t
T H E H I S T O RY O F A L I B A B A A N D THE FO R T Y
R OBB E RS
Fr m T h A r b i n N i g h t
o e a a s

R I P V A N W I N K LE
B y W a hin g t I rvin g
s on

T H E GO LD -B U G
B y E dg ar A llan P oe

V A C H R I STTVI A S C AR O L
.

B y C harl Di k es c ens

T H E GR EAT S T O N E FA C E
B y N tha i l H w th r
a n e a o ne

R A B AND H I S FR I E N DS
By Dr J h B r w . o n o n

T H E O U TC A ST S OF PO K E R F LA T
B y B ret H arte

M AR KH EI M
By R o b e rt L o ui s Ste v e n s o n
T H E N E C K LA C E
B y G uy d M a p e t u as s an

T H E M AN W H O W O U LD B E K I N G
B y R dy r d K i p li g
u a n

T H E G I F T O F TH E M AGI
B y 0 H enry
.
 S H O RT S T O R I ES

1
I . EST H E R

A U TH O R U N KN O W N

[ S etti ng The events take p l ace in S usa the capital o f Pers i a , ,

in the reign of Ahasuerus or ! erxes ( 4 8 5 4 6 5 ,

This
foreign locale intensies the sp l endid J ewish patriotism that
breathes through the story from beginning to end If the .

setting had been in J erusalem E sther cou l d n o t h av e preached ,

the noble do c trine When in R ome don t do as R ome does

, ,

,

but be tr u e to the Ol d ideal s O f home and race

.

Plot. E sther seems to me the best-told story in the Bible

.

O bserve how the note O f empty Persian bigness versus S imple

Jewish faith is struck at the very beginning and is echoed to
the end Thus Ahasuerus ruled over o n e hundred and twenty
.
,

S e v en pro v inces the opening banquet l asted o n e hundred and

,

eighty-seven days the king s bulletins were as unalterab l e as

,

the tides the gal l ows erected was eighty-three feet high the
, ,

beds were O f gold and si lv er upon a pavement o f red and blue

and white and black m arble the money wrested from the Jews ,

was to be eighteen million dollars etc The word banquet , .

occurs twenty times in this short sto ry and only twenty ti m es

in al l the remaining thirty-eight books of the O l d Testament .

In other words Ahasuer u s and his trencher-m ates ate and drank
,

as much in ve days as had been eaten and drunk by all the

other O l d Testament characters fro m Genesis to Mal achi
.

Note also the contrast between the two queens the tw o ,

pri m e ministers the two edicts and the two l ater ban q uets
, ,
.

1
F ro m th e O ld T e s t am e n t , A u th o riz e d V e rs io n .
2 S H O R T S T OR I E S

The mo st m asterly part o f the plot is the h and l ing O f events

be t ween these banquets R ead again from chapter v beginning
.
,

at verse 9 through chapter vi and note how skil l fully the pen
, ,

is he l d In motivation as we l l as in symmetry and naturalness

.

the story is Without a peer There is humor too in the solemn

.
, ,

deliberations over V as h ti s N O ( chapter i verses 1 2 2 2 ) and

,

in the strange procession l ed by pedestrian Haman ( chapter v i ,

verses 6 - 1 I ) .

The purpose o f the story was to encourage the feast O f

Purim ( chapter ix verses 2 0 3 2 ) and to promote national soli
,

darity It may be compared to A Christmas Carol which
.
,

was written to restore the waning celebration o f Christmas ,

an d to o u r Declaration O f Independence which is re read o n ,

e v ery Fourth o f July to quicken o u r sense O f nationa l fellow

ship But E sther is more than an institution I t is the Old
. .

story Of two conicting civilizations o n e representing b igness , ,

the other greatness ; o n e standing for materialism the other ,

for idealism ; one enthroning the body the other the S pirit ,
.

C/z a ra eters These are nely individualized though each

.
,

seems to me a type Ahasuerus is a tank that runs blood o r

.

wine according to the hand that turns the spigot H e was u s ed .

for good but deserves and receiv es no credit for it No man .

e v er missed a greater O pportunity H e was brought face to .

face with the two greatest world-civilizations o f histo ry ; but ,

understanding neither he remains only a muddy place in the

,

road along which Greek and Hebrew passed to w or l d-conqu est .

Haman a blend o f vanity and cruelty and cowardice but not

,

without some power O f initiati v e w as a t minister for his king ,

.

H e liv es in history as o n e who better than in Hamlet s illus ,

tratio n w as
, hoist with his own petard the petard in his case ,

being a gallows He typies also the j ust fate o f the man wh o

.
,

S p urred by the hate O f one includes in his scheme O f e xterm i

,

nation a whole people Collectiv e vengeance ne v er recei v ed a

.

better illustration nor a more exemplary punishment Mordecai .

is altogether ad m irable in refusing to k o wtow to Haman and in

 E S TH E R 3

h is u nsel sh dev o tion to his fair cousin E sth er T h e nob l est

, .

senti m ent in the book Who knoweth whether thou art come
to the kingdom for such a time as this P comes from Mordecai .

But the l eading character is E sther n o t because s h e was,

fair and beautifu l but because s h e was hospitab l e to the

great thought suggested by Mordecai None but a Je w could .

have asked Who knoweth whether tho u art come to t h e king

,

dom for such a time as this ?

and none but a Jew cou l d have
answered as E sther answered The question implied a sense
.

O f persona l responsibi l ity and o f divine guidance far beyond

the reach O f Persian o r Mede o r Greek O f that time It cal l s .

up many a quiet h our w hen E sther and Morde c ai ta lked

together o f their strange l ot in this heathen l and and wondered
if the time would ever come when they could interpret their
trials in terms O f national ser v ice rather than O f meaningless
fate Imagine the blank and bovine expression that Ahasuerus
.

o r Haman w ould ha v e turned upon you if you had put such

a question to either o f them But in the case o f E sther

.
,

Mordecai s appea l unlocked an unused reservoir O f power

that has made h er o n e O f the world s heroines S he had her

.

faults o r rather her limitations but S ince her time m en hav e

, ,

gone to the stake have built up and torn down principalities

,

and powers o n the dynamic conviction that they had been

,

sent t o th e kingd om fo r s u ch a ti m e as

C HAPT ER I

TH E S TO R Y OF V A SH TI

I . it cam e to pass in the days o f A h asueru s ( th is is

N ow ,

Ahasuerus which reigned from India even u nto Ethiopia over ,

a hundred and se v en and twenty provinces ) ,

2 That in those days when the king Ahasuerus s at o n the

.
,

throne o f his kingdom which was i n S hushan the pal ace

, ,
4 S H O R T S T OR I E S

In the third year o f his reign he made a feast u nto al l

3
.
,

his princes and his servants ; the power of Persia and M edia ,

the nobles and princes O f the provinces being before him : ,

4 When he shewed the riches O f his glorious kingdo m and

.

the honour of his excel l ent m aj esty many days even a h undred ,

and fo u rscore days .

5
. And w hen these days were expired the king made a feast ,

u nt o al l the people that were present in S hushan the palace ,

both unto great and small seven days in the c ourt o f the , ,

garden O f the king s palace ;

6 Where were white green and blue hangings fastened

.
, , ,

with cords O f ne l inen and purple to silver rings and pi ll ars of

marble : the beds w ere o f gold and S ilver upon a pave m ent ,

o f red and blue and white and black marble

, , ,
.

7
. And they gave them drink in vessels o f gold
( the vessels ,

being diverse one from another ) and royal wine i n abundance , ,

according to the state O f the king .

8 And the drinking was according to the law ;

. none
did compe l : fo r s o the king had appointed to all the o fcers
O f his house that they should do according to eve ry man s
,

pleasure .

9
. Also Vashti the q u een made a feast for the wo m en in
the royal house which belonged to king Ahasuerus .

I O .O n the seventh day when the heart O f the king was ,

merry with wine he commanded Mehuman Biztha Harbona

, , ,

Bigtha and Abagtha Zethar and Carcas the seven chamber

, , , ,

lains that served in the presence O f Ahasueru s the king ,

I I To b ring Va s hti the queen before the king with th e

.

crown royal to shew the p eople and the princes her beauty :
,

for she was fair to look o n .

1 2 .But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king s com

mandment by his chamberlain s : therefore was the king very

wroth and his anger burned in him
, .
 E S TH E R 5

1 3. Then the king said to the wise men w hich knew the ,

times ( for s o was the king s manner toward all that knew law
,

and judgm ent

1 4. And th e next u nto h im was Carshena S hethar Admath a , , ,

Tarshish M eres Marsena and M emucan the seven princes o f

, , , ,

Persia and M edia w hi ch s aw the king s face and which s at

,

,

the rst in the kingdom ) ,

1
5. What sha ll we do u nto the queen Vasht i acc o rdin g to

l aw be c ause sh e h ath n o t performed the commandment o f the

,

king Ahasuerus by the chamberlains ?

1 6. And Mem u can answered before the king and the prin c es ,

Vasht i the queen hath not done wrong to the king only but ,

al so to al l the princes and to all the people that are in a ll the

,

pr o v i nces o f the king Ahasuerus .

1
7. For this deed O f the queen sha ll come abroad u nto al l
w o m en so that they shall despise their husbands in their eyes
, ,

when it shall be reported The king Ahasueru s commanded ,

Vashti the queen to be brought i n before him but s h e ,

came not .

1 8. Likewise shal l the ladies of Persia and Media s ay this day

unto all the king s princes which have heard O f the deed of the

,

queen Thus shal l there arise too mu c h contempt and wrath

. .

1
9. If it p l ease the king let there go a royal
,
commandment
from him and let it be written among the l aws o f the Persians
,

and the M edes that it be not altered That Vashti come no

, ,

more before king Ahasueru s ; and let the king give her royal
estate unto another that is better than sh e .

20 . And when the king s decree whi ch he shal l make shal l

, ,

be p u bl ished throughout al l his empire (fo r it is great ) al l the , ,

wives shall give to th eir husbands h on o ur both to great and ,

s m all .

2 1. And th e saying p l eased the king and the p ri nces ; and

t h e king did a cco rd i ng t o the w o rd o f M e mu can
6 SH O R T STORIES
22 Fo r he sent l etters into all the king s provin c es int o
.

,

every province according to the writing thereof and to eve ry ,

peop l e after their language that every m an should bear rule in

,

his o wn house and that it should be published according t o the

,

l anguage O f every peop l e .

C HAPT ER I I

ES TH ER M A D E Q U EE N

1 After these things when the wrath O f king Ahasuerus

.
,

was appeased he remembered V asht i and what S he had done

, ,

and what was decreed against her .

2 Then said the king s servants that ministered unto him

.

,

Let there be fair young virgins sought for the king

3 And
. l et the king appoint o fcers in all the pro v inces O f
his kingdom that they may gather together all the fair young
,

virgins unto S hushan the palace to the house of t h e women , ,

unto the custody o f Hegai the king s Chamberlain keeper O f

,

the women ; and let their things for purication be gi v en them

4 And let the maiden which pleaseth the king be queen
.

instead Of Vashti And the thing pleased the king ; and h e

.

did so .

5 Now in S hushan the palace there was a certain Jew

.

whose name was Mordecai the son O f Jair the son Of S himei , , ,

the son of Kis h a Benj am ite ;,

daughter : for she had neither father nor mother and the maid
was fair and b eauti ful ; whom Mordecai when her fat h er and ,

mother were dead took for his o wn daughter

, .
 E STH E R 7

8 . i t c am e t o pass w hen the king s co mm andment and

S o ,

h is de c ree w as heard and wh en m any m aidens were gathered

,

together u nt o S h u shan t h e pal ace to the cust o dy O f Hegai , ,

that E sther w as brought al so unto the king s house to the

,

custody O f Hegai keeper o f the women , .

A n d the maiden pleased him and s h e O btained kin dness

9 .
,

o f him ; and he speedi l y gave her her things for p u rication ,

with such things as belonged to her and seven maidens which , ,

were meet to be gi v en her out O f the king s ho u se : and he ,

preferred her and her maids unto the best p l ace Of the h o use
O f the women .

1 0 E s ther had not shewed her people nor her kindred : for
.

Mordecai had charged her that s h e should n o t she w it .

1 1 And Mordecai walked every day before the court Of the

.

women s house to kno w how E sther did and what should

, ,

become o f her .

1 2 Now when e v ery maid s turn was come to go i n to king

.

Ahasuerus aft e r that S h e had been twelve months according

, ,

to the manner of the women ( for so were the days of their ,

ri c atio n s accomplished to wit s ix months with O il o f myrrh

p u , , ,

and s ix months with sweet odours and with other things for ,

th e p u rifying o f the w omen ) ,

1 3 Then thus came every maiden unto the king ; whatso

.

ever s h e desired was given h er to go with her o u t o f the house

o f the women unto the king s house

.

1 4 In the evening S he went and o n th e morrow s h e returned

.
,

into the second house O f the women to the custody o f S h aas h ,

gaz the king s C hamberl ain which kept the concubines : s h e

,

,

came in unto the king no more except the king delighted in ,

her and that S he were call ed by name

,
.

1
5 Now
. when the turn of E sther the daughter o f Abihai l ,

the uncle O f Mordecai who had taken her for his daughter
, ,

w as come to go in unto the king sh e required nothing b u t wh at ,

8 S H O RT S T O R I E S

H ega i t h e king s C h amberl ain the keepe of the women

,
r
,

appointed And E sther O btained favour in the sight o f all the m

.

that l o o ked up o n her .

1 6 S O E sther w as taken unto king A h asuer u s into his ho u se

.

roya l in the tenth m onth whi c h is the m o nth Tebeth in th e

, ,

seventh year Of h is reign .

1
7 And the king l oved E sther ab o ve all the women and s h e
.

O btained gra c e and favo u r in his sight more than all the virgins
s o that he se t the royal c rown upon h e r h e ad and made h e r '

q u een instead o f Vashti .

1 8 Then the king m ade a great feast unto all his prin c es
.

and h is servants even E sther s feast ; and he made a rel ease to

,

the pr o vinces and gave gifts according to the state o f the king
, , .

1
9 And
. wh en the virgins were gathered together the se c ond
ti me t h en Mordeca i s at i n the king s gate
,

.

20 E sth e r had not yet shewed h er kindred n o r h er people

.
,

as M o rde c a i h ad charged her : for E sther did the c o mmand

m ent o f M orde c ai l ike as w hen s he w as bro ught u p with h im
,
.

M O R DE C AI S AV E S TH E K ING S L I F E

21 In tho se days whil e Mordecai s at in the king s gate two

.
,

,

o f the king s chamberl ains Bigthan and Teresh o f those which

, ,

kept the door w ere wroth and sought to l ay hand o n the king
, ,

Ahasuerus .

22 And the thing w as known to Mordecai who to l d it u nt o

.
,

E sther the queen ; and E sth e r c ertied the king thereof i n

Mordecai s name .

23 And when inqu i sition was m ade Of the m atter it was

.
,

found out ; therefore they were b o th hanged o n a tree : and it

w as written i n th e book O f the c hronicl es before the king .
IO S H O RT ST O R I E S

9 .If i t p l ease the king l et it be written t h at t

,
h ey m ay be
destroyed : and I w il l pay ten thousand talents of si lv er to the
hands of those that have t h e c h arge o f the business t o bring it ,

into the king s treas u ries

.

I O .And the king took his ring from his hand and gave it ,

u nto Ham an the s o n of Ha m medatha the Agagite the Jews ,

ene my .

1 1 .And the king said unto Ha m an The si lver is gi ven to ,

th ee t h e peop l e al so to do w ith the m as it seemeth go o d

, ,

to t h ee .

1 2 .Then were the king s scribes call ed o n the thirteent h day

Of the rst m onth and there was written according to a ll that

,

Haman had commanded unto the king s lieutenants and to

,

the governors that were over every pro v ince and to the ru l ers o f ,

every peop l e o f e v ery province according to the writing thereof ,

and t o every peop l e after their language ; in the name O f king

Ahasuerus was i t written and sealed with the king s ring,

.

I 3 And the l etters were sent by posts into all the king s
.

provinces t o destr o y t o ki ll and to cause to perish al l Jews

, , , ,
.

b o t h yo u ng and O ld little children and women i n o n e day

, ,

even u pon the th i rteent h day o f the twel fth month which is the ,

mo nth Adar and to take the spoi l o f them fo r a prey

,
.

1 4 . The copy o f the writing for a c ommandment to be given

in eve ry provin c e was published u nto al l peop l e that they ,

sh oul d be ready against that day .

The posts went o u t be i ng hastened by the k i ng s c o m

1
5 .
,

mand m ent and the decree w as given in S hushan the palace

,
.

And the king and Haman sat d ow n t o d rink ; b u t the c ity

S h u sh an w as perp l exed .
 E S TH E R I I

C HAPT ER IV

FA S TI N G A M O N G TH E J EW S

1 When Mordecai perceived al l that was done M o rde c ai

.
,

rent his clothes and put o n sackcloth with ashes and went
, ,

o u t into the midst O f the ci ty and cried with a l oud and a

,

bitter c ry ;
2 And came even before the king s gate : f o r n o ne m igh t
.

enter into t h e king s gate cl othed with sackc l oth

.

And in eve y province whithersoever the king s m

3 . r , c o

mandment and his de c ree ca m e there was great mou rn in g ,

among the Jews and fasting and w eeping and w ailing ; and
, , ,

m any l ay in sa ck cl oth and ashes .

4 S.O E sther s maids and

her chamber l ains ca m e and t ol d
it her Then was the queen exceedingly grieved ; and she sent
.

raiment to cl othe Mordecai and t o take aw ay his sac kc l oth

-
,

fro m hi m : but he re c eived it not .

5 Then
. called E sther for Hatach o n e o f the king s chamber ,

l ains whom he had appointed to attend upon her and gave

, ,

h i m a co mm andment t o Morde c ai to know w h at it was and , ,

Why it was .

6 S O Hatach went forth to Mordecai unto the street of the

.

ty which was before the king s gate

'

.
,

7 And
. Mordecai told him o f al l that had happened unto
hi m and o f the s u m of the money that H aman had promised
,

to pay to the k i ng s treasuries fo r the Jews to destr o y them

,
.

8 A lso h e gave him the c o py o f the writing o f t h e de c ree

.
'

that was given at S hushan to destroy them to shew it u nt o ,

E sther and t o dec l are i t u nto her and to charge her th at s h e

, ,

should g o in u nto the king to make supp l i c ati on u nto him and
, ,

to make request before him for her peop l e .

9 And
. Hatach ca m e and told E sther the w o rds O f Morde c ai .
12 S H O R T S T O R I ES

1 0Again E sth er spake unto Hatach and gave h im com

.
,

m andment unto Mordecai ;

1 1 All the king s servants and the peop l e o f the king s
.

,

provinces do kno w that whosoe v er whether man o r w oman

, , , ,

shall come unto the king into the inner c ourt wh o is no t c all ed , ,

there is o n e l aw o f his to p u t him to death except such to wh o m ,

the king shal l ho l d o u t the go l den s c eptre that he may live ,

but I have not been c all ed t o com e in unto the king these
thirty days .

1 2 And they t o ld to Mordecai E sther s w ords

.

.

TH E G R EAT A PPEA L
1 Then M o rdecai c o mmanded t o answe r E sth er Th i nk n o t
3 .
,

w ith thyse l f that tho u shal t escape in the king s hou se mo re

,

than al l the Jews .

1 4 F o r if th ou al t o get h er h ol dest thy peace at this ti m e

.
,

then shall th ere enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews

from an o ther place ; b u t thou and thy father s house shal l be

destroyed : and wh o knoweth whether tho u art come to the

kingdo m for s u ch a time as this ?
1
5 Then . E sther bade them return Mordecai this answe r
1 6 G O gather together all the Jews that are present in
.
,

S hushan and fast ye for me and neither eat nor drink three
, ,

day s night o r day : I also and my maidens will fast likewise ;

,

and s o will I go in unto the king which is not according to the ,

law : and if I perish I perish ,

.

S o Mordecai went his w ay and did according to all that

1
7 .
,

E sther h ad co m manded h im .
 E S TH E R 1 3

C HAPT ER V

TH E C O U RA G E OF ES TH ER

1 .N OW it came to pass o n the third day that E sther put on ,

her roya l apparel and stood in the inner court of the king s
,

ho u se over against the king s house : and the king s at upon

,

his royal throne in the royal house over against the gate O f the ,

h ouse .

2 .And it was SO when the king s aw E sther the queen

,

standing in the court that sh e O btained fav our in his sight

,

and the king held o u t to E sther the golden sceptre that was in
his hand S O E st h er drew near and touched the to p O f the
.
,

s c eptre .

3 .Then said the king unto her What wi l t tho u queen , ,

E sther ? and what is thy request ? it shall be e v en gi ven thee

to the half O f the kingdom .

4 And E sther answered If it seem good unto the king let

.
, ,

the king and Haman come this day u nto the banquet that I
have prepared for him .

5 .Then the king said Cause Haman to make

,
haste that he ,

may do as E sther hath said S O the king and Haman came to

.

the banquet that E sther h ad prepared .

6 And the king said unt o E sther at the banquet of wine

.
,

What is thy petition ? and it shall be granted thee : and what

is thy request ? e v en to the hal f o f the kingdom it shall be
performed .
3

7 .Then answered E sther and said My pe t ition

,
and my ,

request is ;
8 If I have found favour in the sight o f the king and if it
.
,

p l ease the king to grant my petition and to perform my request , ,

l et the king and Haman come to the banquet that I shal l pre
pare fo r them and I w i l l do t o morro w as the king hath sai d
,
.
14 S H O R T S T OR I E S

B ET W EEN B AN QU ET S

9 Then
. went Haman fort h that day j oyfu l and with a glad
heart : but w hen Haman s aw Mordecai in the king s gate that
'

he stood not up nor moved fo r him he was full o f indignation

, ,

against Mordecai .

I 0 Ne v ertheless Haman refrained himself : and when he came

.

home he sent and called for his friends and Zeresh his wife
, , .

I I And Haman told them o f the glory O f his riches and

.
,

the multitude O f his chi l dren and al l th e things wherein the ,

king had promoted him and how he had advanced him abo v e
,

the princes and ser v ants O f the king .

1 2 Haman said moreo v er Yea E sther the queen did let no

.
, ,

man come in with the king unto the banquet that s h e had pre
pared b u t myself ; and to morrow am I invited unto her also
with the king .

1 3 Yet al l this availeth me nothing s o l ong as I s e e

.
,

Mordecai the Jew S itting at the king s gate

.

1 4 Then said Zeresh his wife and all his friends unto him
.
,

Let a gall ows be made of fty cubits high and t o morrow ,

speak thou unto the king that Mordecai may be hanged

thereon : then go thou in merri ly with the king unto the ban
quet And the thing p l eased Ha m an ; and he caused the
.

gal l o w s to be m ade .

C HAPT ER VI

B E TW EEN B A N Q U ET S ( C O N T I N U ED )

1O n that night could not the king sleep and he commanded

.
,

to bring the book O f records o f the chronicles ; and they w ere

read before the king .

2 And it w as found written that Mordecai had to l d o f

.
,

Bigthana and Teresh two Of the king s c hamberl ains th e

,

,
 E ST H E R 1 5

keepers of the door who sought to l ay h and on the king

,

Ahasuerus .

3
. And the king said What honour,
and dignity hath been
done to Mordecai f o rthis ? Then said the king s ser v ants that

ministered u nto him There is nothing done fo r h im

,
.

4
. And the king said Who i s in ,
the court ? Now Ha m an
w as come into the outward court o f the king s house t o S peak
,

unto the king to hang Mordecai o n the gallows that he h ad

prepared for him .

5
. And the king s ser v
ants said unto hi m Beho l d Haman , ,

standeth i n the court And the king said Let hi m come in

.
, .

6 S O Haman came in
. And the king said unto him
.
,

What S hal l be done unto the man whom the king delight
eth to honour ? Now Haman thought in his h eart T O ,

whom would the king delight to do honour m ore than to

myself
And Haman answered the king F o r the man who m the
7
.
,

k ing delighteth to ho n o u r
g

8 Let the roya l appare l be brought which the king useth to

.

wear and the horse that the king rideth upon and the crown
, ,

royal which is s e t upon his head

9
. And let this appare l and horse be de l ivered to the hand
O f one Of t h e king s most noble princes that they may array

,

the man witha l whom the king delighteth to honour and bring ,

him on horseback through the street o f the city and procl ai m ,

before him Thus shall it be done to the man who m the king
,

delighteth to honour .

1 0 .Then the king said to Haman Mak e haste and take the , ,

appare l and the horse as thou hast said and do even s o to

, ,

Mordecai th e Jew that S itteth at the k i ng s gate : l et n o thing

,

fail of all that thou hast spoken .

I 1 Then took H aman the apparel and the horse and arrayed
.
,

Mordecai and br o ugh t h i m on horseback through the street o f

,
 6 S H OR T S T O R I E S

the ci ty and pr o cl aim ed before him Thus shall it be done u nt o

, ,

the m an who m the king delighteth to honour .

I 2 And M o rde c ai cam e again t o the king s gate But Ham an

.

.

hasted to his house mo urn in g and h av ing his head covered , .

1
3 And Haman to l d Zeres h his wife and a ll his friends
.

eve ry thing that h ad befall en him Then said his wise men .

and Zeresh h is wife unto him If Mordecai be o f the seed of ,

th e Jews before w h o m thou hast begun to fall thou shal t not

, ,

prevai l against hi m but s h al t su re ly fall before him

, .

1 4 And W hile they were yet talking with him came the
.
,

king s chamberl ains and hasted to bring Ham an u nto the

,

ban qu et that E sth e r had prepared .

C HAPT ER VI I

ES TH ER S B A N Q U ET HA M A N HA N G ED

:

1 . the king and Haman came to banquet w ith E st h e r

SO
th e qu een .

2 And t h e king said again unto E sther on the sec o nd day

.

at the banquet O f wine What is thy petition queen E sther ? and

, ,

it shal l be granted thee : and what is thy request ? and it s h all

be performed even to the hal f O f the kingdom
, .

3 Then
. E sther the queen answered and said If I have found ,

favo u r i n thy sight O king and if it p l ease the king let my

, , ,

l ife be given m e at my petition and my peop l e at my request : ,

4 F o r w e are sold I and my people to be destroyed to be

.
, , ,

sl ain and to perish But if we had been sold fo r bondmen and

,
.

bondw om en I had held my tongue although the enemy c o u ld

, ,

n o t cou nte rvail the king s damage

.

5 Then
. the king Ahasueru s answered and said u nto E st h er
the queen Who is he and where is he that durst presume in
, , ,

hi s h ea rt t o do so ?
1 8 S H O RT S T O R I E S

Then th e k i ng h el d o u t the golden sceptre toward E sth er

4 . .

S O E sther arose and stood before the king

, ,

5 And . said I f it please,

the king and if I ha v e found fa v our ,

in his S ight and the thing see m right before the king and I
, ,

be p l easing in his eyes l et it be written to reverse the l etters

,

de v ised by Haman t h e s o n O f Hammedatha the Agagite ,

which he wrote to dest roy the J ews which are in all the king s

provinces
6 For h o w can I endure to s e e the e v il that S hall come unto
.

my peop l e ? o r how can I endure to s e e the destruction o f my

kindred
7 Then. the king Ahasuerus said u nto E sther the queen and
to Mordecai the Jew Behold I have gi v en E sther the house O f
, ,

Haman and him they have hanged upon the gallows because
, ,

he laid his hand upon the Jews .

8 Write ye also for the Jews as it l iketh you in the king s

.
, ,

name and seal it with the king s ring : for the writing which is
,

written in the king s name and sealed with the k ing s ring may

,

,

no man reverse .

9 Then. were the king s scri b es called at that

time in the
third month that is the month S iv an on the three and twentieth
, , ,

day thereof ; and it was written according to all that Mordecai

c ommanded unto the Jews and to the lieutenants and the , ,

deputies and ru l ers O f the provinces which are from India u nto
E thiopia a hundred twenty and sev en provinces u nto eve ry
, ,

pr o vince a c cording to the writing thereof and unto every peop l e ,

after their l anguage and to the Jews ac c ording to thei r writing

, ,

and according to their l angu age .

I O And he w rote in the king Ahas u erus name and seal ed

.

,

it with the king s ring and sent letters by posts on horseback

, ,

and riders on mules camels and young dromedaries , ,

1 1 Wherein the king granted the Jews which were in eve ry

.

city to gather the m se l ves together and to stand fo r th eir l ife ,

.
 E S TH E R 19

to destroy to s l ay and to cause to peri s h al l the po we r o f the

, , ,

people and pro v ince that would assau l t them both little ones ,

and women and to take the spoi l O f them for a prey

, ,

1 2 Upon o n e day in al l the provinces o f king Ahasuerus

.
'

namely u pon the thirteenth day O f the twe l fth month whic h is
, ,

th e month Adar .

1 3 The copy o f the writing for a commandment to be given

.

in e v e ry province w as published unto al l people and that the ,

Jews shou l d be ready against that day to avenge themselves

o n thei r enemies .

1 4 S o the posts that rode u pon m u l es and came l s w ent o u t

.
,

being hastened and pressed o n by the king s commandment

.

And the decree w as gi v en at S hushan the palace .

1
5 And .Mordeca i went out from the presence of the king
in roya l appare l of blue and white and with a great crown o f ,

gol d and w ith a garment O f ne l inen and purple : and the city
,

O f S hushan rej oiced and was glad .

1 6 The Jew s b ad light and gladness and j oy and h o nour

.
, , ,
.

1
7 And .in every province and in every city whit h,
ers o eve r ,

the king s commandment and his decree came the Jews had j oy

,

and gladness a feast and a good day And many o f the people
,
.

o f the land be c a m e Jews ; for the fear O f the Jews fel l upon

the m .

C HAPT ER I!

TH E J EW S D E F E N D TH E M SE LV ES

1 No w i n t h e twelfth month that i s th e month Adar o n th e

.
, , ,

thirteenth day of the same when the king s commandment and

,

his decree drew near to be put in execution i n the day that the ,

enemies Of the Je w s hoped to hav e power o v er them ; ( though

it was turned to the contrary that the J ews h ad r ul e o ver ,

th e m that h ated them ) ,

20 S H O RT S T O R I E S

2. The Jews gathered the m se l ves together i n their cities

th r ou ghout a ll the provinces of the king Ahasuerus to lay hand ,

o n suc h as s ou g h t thei r h urt : and n o m an coul d wi thstand

the m ; for the fea r O f th e m fe ll u pon al l p eop l e .

3. And al l the ru lers Of t h e pro v inces and the lieutenants

, ,

and the deputies and O fcers O f the king h e l ped t h e Jews ;

, ,

because the fear o f Mordecai fe ll u pon them .

4 For Mordecai w as great in the king s house and his fame

.
,

went o u t throughout all the provinces : fo r this m an Mordeca i

waxed gr eater and greater .

5. Thus the Jews smote al l t h eir enem i es with the stroke O f

the s wo rd and slaughter and destruction and did what they
, , ,

would u nto those that hated them .

6 And in S hushan th e palace the Jews slew and destr o yed

.

ve h undred men .

7 And Parshandatha and Dalp h on and Aspatha

.
, , ,

8 And Poratha and Adalia and Aridatha

.
, , ,

9. And Par m ashta and Arisai ,

and Aridai and
,
Vaj ezatha , ,

I O The ten sons o f Ham an the s on O f Hammedatha the

.
,

enemy O f the Jews sle w they ; b u t o n t h e spo il l aid they not

,

their hand .

1 1 O n that day the number Of those tha t w ere slain in

.

S hushan the palace was brought befo re the king .

1 2 And the king said unto E sther the queen The Jews have
.
,

slain and destroyed ve hundred men in S hushan the palace ,

and the ten sons o f H aman ; w hat h ave they done in the rest
O f the king s pro v inces ? now what is thy petition ? and i t shall

be granted thee : o r what is thy req u est further ? and i t shall

be done .

1 3 Then said E sther I f it please the king let i t be granted

.
, ,

to the Jews whic h are in S hushan to do to-morrow also accord

ing unto this day s decree and l et Ham an s ten sons be hanged

,

u pon the gal l ows .

 E S TH E R 21

1 4 And
. t h e k i ng commanded it so to be d o ne : and the
decree was given at S h u shan ; and they hanged Haman s ten

sons .

1
5 For
. the Jews that were in S hushan gathered themse l ves
together o n the fourteenth day al so o f the month Adar and ,

sle w three hundred men at S hushan ; but o n the prey they laid
not their h and .

1 6 But the o ther Je w s that w ere in the king s provinces

.

gathered themse l ves together and sto o d for their lives and had
, ,

rest fr o m their enemies and slew O f their foes seventy and ve

,

tho u sand b u t they laid not their hands o n the prey

, ,

1
7 O n
. the thirteenth day o f the m o nth Adar ; and on the

f ourteenth day o f the sa m e rested they and m ade it a day of ,

feasting and g l adness .

1 8 But the Jews that w ere at S h u shan assembled t o gether

.

o n the thirteenth day there o f and o n the fourteenth there o f ;

,

and o n t h e fte enth day o f the sa m e they rested and m ade i t ,

a day o f feasting and gl adness .

1
9 Therefore
. the Jews O f the vi l lages that dwe l t in ,
the
u nwall ed towns m ade the fo u rteent h day O f the m ont h Adar
,

a day o f gladness and feasting ; and a go o d day and O f sending ,

portions o n e to another .

TH E F EA S T OF PURIM
20 And Morde c ai wrote these things and sent lette r s unto
.
,

all the Jews that were in all the provinces of the king Ahas u erus ,

both nigh and far ,

2 1 To establish this among them that they should keep the

.
,

fourteenth day O f the m o nth Adar and the fteenth day O f the
,

sam e yearly
, ,

22 As the days wherein the Jews rested from their enemies

.
,

and the month which was turned unto them from sorro w to j oy ,

and from m o urning into a go o d day : that they s h o ul d m ake the m

22 S H O RT S T O R I E S

days o f feasting and j oy and o f sending portions o ne to an o th e r

, ,

and gifts to the poor .

23 .And the Jews undertook to do as they had begu n and ,

as Mordecai had written unto them ;

24 Be cau se Haman the so n o f Hammedatha the Agag i te
.
, ,

the ene m y of al l the Jews had devised against the Jews t o

,

destroy the m and had cast Pur that is the lo t to co ns um e

, , , ,

th e m and t o destroy them ;

,

2
5 .But wh en E sther came before the king he c o mm anded ,

by l etters that his wicked device which he devised against the ,

Jews should return upon his o wn head and that he and his
, ,

s o ns should be hanged o n the gal lows .

26 Wherefore they c all ed these days P urim afte r the na m e

.

of Pur Therefore f o r all the words O f this l etter and Of that

.
,

whic h they had seen con c erning this matter and which had ,

co me u nto them ,

27 .The Jews ordained and took u pon them and up o n their

, ,

seed and upon al l such as j oined themselves u nto them so as

, ,

it sh o ul d n o t fail that they would keep these two days a c cord

,

i ng to their w riting and according to their appoin ted ti m e eve ry

,

year ;
28 .And that these days shou l d be remembered and kept
throughout every generation e v ery family e v e ry provin c e and
, , ,

every c i ty ; and that these days of Purim should not fail from
among the Jews n o r the memoria l o f them perish from their
,

seed .

2
9 Then
. E sther the queen the daughter
,
O f Abihail and ,

Mordeca i the Jew wrote with a l l authority to conr m this

, ,

se c ond l etter O f Purim .

3 0 And
. he sent the letters unto al l the Jews to the hundred ,

twen ty and seven provinces o f the kingdo m o f Ahasuer u s ,

w ith w ords o f peace and tru th ,

3 1 T
. O conrm these days o f P u ri m in their times appointed ,
 ESTH E R 23

according as Morde c a i t h e Jew and E sther th e queen h ad

enj oined the m an d as they had decreed for themse l ves and
,

f o r their seed t h e matters o f the fastings and their c ry

, .

3 2 And
. the de c ree o f E sther c on rm ed t h ese m atters o f
Pu ri m ; and it was written in the b oo k .

C HAPT ER !

M OR D E C AI P R I M E M I N I S TER

1 .And t h e king Ahasuerus laid a tribute up o n the l and and ,

upon the is l es o f the s e a .

2 .And all the acts O f his power and Of hi s might and the ,

declarati o n O f the greatness o f Morde c ai wh ereunto the k ing,

advanced h im are they not written in the bo o k o f the c hr o nic l es

,

o f the kings o f M edia and Persia ?

3 .F o r Mordecai the Jew was next u nt o king Ahas u er u s and ,

gr eat among the Jews and accepted o f the m u l titude o f his

,

brethren seeking the w eal t h o f his pe o p l e and S peak i ng pea c e

, ,

t o all his seed .

II . T H E H I S T O RY O F A L I BA BA A N D
1
T H E F O RT Y R O B B E R S

AU TH O R U N KN O W N

[ S T h is story l ike E sther takes p l ac e i n Persia The

etti ng , ,
.

sto ries of The Arabian Nigh ts as a who l e probably origin ated in

India were modied and augmented by the Persians and had

, ,

the nishing tou ches put upon them by the Arabians Bagdad .

on the Tigris is the c ity that gures most pr om inently in the

stories and the g o od cal iph Haroun Al-R aschid (or A lrasch id)
, ,

who rul ed fro m 7 8 6 to 8 0 9 A D is the m o nar c h mo st O ften

,
. .
,

m entioned .

A g o odl y p lace a g o o dl y ti m e , ,

F o r it was in th e g o l de n p ri m e
O f g o o d H aro un A lrasc hid

.

However Old the germs o f the stories are the form in which ,

we have them hardly antedates the year 1 4 5 0 The absence o f .

all mention o f coffee and tobacco precludes at least a date , ,

much l ater They began to be translated into the languages O f

.

Europe d u ring the reign o f Queen Anne and with the e x c e p ,

tion O f the O ld Testament have been the ch ief orientalizing

,

infl uence in modern l iterature The setting O f Ali Baba .

s hows the four char acteristics O f all these PersoArabian tal es

it has to do with town life not country life ; it pres upposes o n e
,

faith the Mohammedan ; it S hows a fondness fo r magic ; and

,

it takes for granted an audience interested not in mora l or

ethical distinctions but in story-te ll ing fo r story-telling s sake
.

1 F ro m Th e A rab ian N igh ts .

24
26 S H O RT S TOR I E S

CASSI M , A LI B A B A S B RO TH ER D I S C O V ERE D

, A ND
K I LL E D B Y T H E RO B B ERS

There once lived in a town O f Persia two brot h ers one ,

named Cassim and the other Ali Baba Their fathe r divided his .

smal l property equally between them Cassi m m arried a very .

ri c h w ife and becam e a wealthy m erchant Ali Baba married

, .

a w oman as p o or as himself and l ived by cutting w ood and ,

bringing it upon three asses into the town to sell -

.

O ne day when Ali Baba had c u t j ust enough w ood in the

,

forest to load his asses he noticed far o ff a great cloud O f dust

, .

As it drew nearer he saw that it was made by a body of horse

,

m en w ho m h e suspected to be robbers Leaving the asses

,
.
,

he cl imbed a l arge tree which grew o n a high rock and had ,

branches thick enough to hide him completely w hile he saw

what passed beneath The troop forty in n um ber al l wel l
.
, ,

m o unted and armed came to the foot Of the rock o n which

,

the tree stood and there dismo u nted E ach man unbridled his
,
.

horse tied him to a shrub and hung about his neck a bag of
, ,

corn Then each of the m took O ff his saddle -bag w hich from
.
,

its weight seemed to Ali Baba full o f gold and silver O ne .

,

whom he took to be their captain came under the tree in which ,

Ali Baba was conceal ed ; and making his way through some ,

shrubs S poke the words : O pen S esame

,
1
A s soon as the ,
.

c aptain O f the robbers said this a door O pened in the rock and , ,

af ter he had made all his troop enter before him he followed ,

them w hen the door shut again o f itself

,
.

The robbers stayed some time within and Ali Baba fearful , ,

o f bein g caught remained in the tree

,
At l ast the door opened .

again and the c aptain came o u t rst and stood to s ee al l th e

, ,

1 S e s am e ( p ro n o u n c e d s es s a my ) a s m all g rain .

,
 A LI B ABA A N D TH E F O R TY RO B B E RS 27

troop pass by him Then Ali Baba heard hi m make the doo r
.

close by saying : S hut S esa m e

Every man at once b ridled,
.

his h o rse fastened his wallet and mo u nted again When th e

, , .

c aptain s aw the m al l ready he put himsel f at their head and , ,

they returned the way they had c ome .

Ali Baba watched the m o u t Of sight and then w aited s o me ,

time before coming down Wishing to se e whether the captain s .

words would have the same effect if he should speak them he ,

found the door hidden in the shrubs stood before it and said , ,

O pen S esame
,

Instantly the door ew w ide open
. .

Instead o f a dark dis m a l cavern Ali Baba was surprised to

, ,

see a l arge chamber well lighted from the top and i n it all , ,

sorts of provisions I lCh bales O f silk brocade and carpe ting

,
'

, ,

go l d and si lver ingots in great heaps and money in bags , .

A l i Baba went bo l d ly into the cave and co llected as muc h ,

o f the go l d coin which was in bags as he thought his asses

, ,

c o uld carry When he had loaded the m with the bags he laid
.
,

wo od over t h e m so that they could not b e seen and passing , ,

o ut O f the door fo r the last time sto o d before it and said ,

:

S hut S esame The d oo r cl osed O f itse l f and he m ade the

,

.
,

best o f his way to town .

When he reached home b e careful ly closed t h e gate o f his ,

l ittle yard threw O ff the w o od and carried the bags into the
, ,

house They were emptied before his wife and the great heap
.
,

O f gold dazzled her eyes Then he told her t h e whole adventure .

,

and warned her above all things to keep it secret

, ,
.

Ali Baba wo u ld not l et h er take the time to count it o ut as

1 w ill dig a hole a
n d bu ry i t

s h e wished but said : , .

But let u s know as nearly as may be s h e said how , ,

m u c h we have I will b o rrow a s m al l measure and m easu re it

.
, ,

whi l e you dig a hole .

Away s h e ran to the wife O f Cassim wh o lived near by and , ,

asked for a m easure The sister inlaw know i ng A li Baba s

- .
,

 8 S H O RT S T O R I E S

poverty w as c uri o u s t o l earn what sort of grain hi s w i fe wi s h ed

,

t o measure o u t and artfully managed to put some suet in the

,

b o tt om O f the measure before she handed it over Ali Baba s .

wife wanted to S h ow ho w c arefu l s h e was in smal l matters and , ,

after s h e had m easured the gold hurried back even whil e her , ,

h u sband was burying it with the b o rrowed m easure never , ,

n o ti c ing that a coin had st u ck to its bott o m .

What said C ass im s wife as so o n as her sister-in-l aw had

,

l eft her has A l i Baba gol d in s u ch plenty that he measures

,

i t ? Whence has he all this wea l th ? And envy possessed her

b r east .

When Cassim c ame home , she said to h im : Cass im yo u ,

th ink yourself ri ch but A l i Baba is m uch richer He does not

, .

count his m o ney ; he measures it

Then she exp l ained to hi m .

h ow s h e had found it o u t and they lo o ked together at the piece

,

O f money w hich was so Ol d that they c oul d not te ll in wh at

,

pr i nce s reign it was c oined

.

Cassim since mar ryi ng the ri ch widow h ad never treated

, ,

Ali Baba as a brother but neglected him Now instead of b e

,
.
,

ing pleased he was lled with a base en vy E arly in the morn

,
.

i ng after a s l eep l ess night he went to him and said : A l i

, ,

Baba yo u pretend to be w retchedly poor and yet you measure

, ,

go l d My wife found this at the botto m o f the measure yo u

.

b o rrowed yesterday
.

A l i Baba s aw that there w as no u se O f t rying to concea l his

good fo rt u ne and told the wh ol e st o ry offering his brother
, ,

part O f the treasure to keep the secret .

I expect as m uch replied Cassi m haughti ly ; but I mu st

,

know j ust w here this treas u re is and h o w to visit it m ysel f

when I ch oose O therwise I will info rm against yo u and y ou
.
,

w ill l ose even what yo u have now

.

Al i Baba to l d hi m al l he w ished to kno w even t o the wo rd s ,

h e mu st speak at the d o or of the cave .

 A LI B A B A AN D TH E F O R TY RO B B ERS 29

Cassim rose before the s u n t h e next morning and s e t o u t ,

for the forest with ten m ules bearing great chests whi ch h e
meant to ll With l ittl e tr ou ble he fo u nd the rock and the
.

door and stand ing before it spoke the words : O pen S esa m e
, ,

,
. .

The door O pened at once and w h en he was within cl o sed u pon

,

him Here indeed were the riches of w h i ch his broth er had

.

to l d He q u ickly brought as many bags o f go l d as he c o ul d

.

ca rry to the door o f the c avern ; but h is t hou ghts were so full
of his new weal th that he c o u l d not think o f t h e wo rd that
,

s h oul d l et him o u t Instead o f S esame he said O pen

.

, ,

Barley and was m uc h amazed to nd that the do o r remained

,

fast shut H e named severa l sorts O f grain b u t stil l the do o r

.
,

w ould n o t open .

Cassi m had never expe c ted s u ch a disaster and was so ,

fri ghtened that the m ore he tried to recal l the word S esame
,

the m ore confu sed his mind became I t was as if he had never .

heard the word at al l H e threw down the bags in his h ands

.
,

and wal ked wild ly u p and down w ith out a tho u ght O f th e r ich es ,

lyin g round about hi m .

At noon the robbers visited their cave Fr o m afar they s aw .

C ass im s mu l es straggling about the rock and ga ll oped fu ll

,

S peed to t h e cave Drivin g the m ul es o u t o f sight they went

.
,

at on c e with their naked sabres in their hands to the do o r

, , ,

w h ich opened as soon as the captain h ad spoken th e prope r

w ords before it .

Cassim had h eard the no i se Of t h e horses feet and guessed

,

that the robbers had co m e He resolved to make o n e effort for .

his l ife As soon as the door O pened b e rushed o u t and t h rew

.
,

the l eader down but cou l d n o t pass the other robbers wh o

, ,

w ith their scimitars s o on put him to death .

The rst care o f the robbers was to examine the cave T h ey .

found all the bags Cassim had br ought to the door but did not ,

m iss wh at A li Baba h ad taken As fo r Cass im him se l f they .

,
30 S H O RT S T O R I E S

guessed rightly th at once within he cou l d not get o u t agam ;

, ,

but h o w he had managed to l earn their secret words that l et

hi m in they co u ld not te ll O ne thing was certain
,
. there he ,

was ; and to wa rn a ll others wh o might know their secret and

fo llo w in Cas sim s footsteps they agreed to c u t his b o dy into

,

f o ur q u arters to hang two o n one S ide and two o n the other ,

within the door o f the cave This they did at once and l eaving
.
,

the p l a c e Of their hoards wel l cl osed mounted their ho rses and ,

s e t ou t t o atta ck t h e c aravans they m ight meet .

TH E M A NN ER OF CASSI M S D

EATH C O NC EAL E D

When night c ame and Cassi m did not return his wife b e
, ,

c a m e ve ry uneasy S he ran to Ali Baba for comfort and he

.
,

t ol d her that Cassi m wou l d certainl y think it u nwise to enter

the town till night was we l l advanced By midnight C ass im s .

wife w as stil l more a l armed and wept ti ll mo rning cursing her

, ,

desire to pry into the affairs o f her brother and sister-in-law .

In the early day s h e went again in tears to Ali Baba , ,

.

He did not wait for her to ask him to go and s e e what had
happened to Cassim but se t o u t at once fo r the forest with his
,

three asses Finding some blood at the door o f t h e cav e he

.
,

took i t fo r an il l omen but when he had spoken the words and ,

the door had O pened he w as struck with horror at the disma l

,

sight O f his brother s body H e could not l eav e it there and

.
,

hastened within to nd something to wrap around it Laying .

the body on o ne o f his asses he covered it w ith wood The, .

o th er two asses he loaded with bags of gold co v ering them also ,

with wood as before Then bidding the door shut he came

.
,

away but stopped some time at the edge of the forest that he
, ,

might not go into the town before night When h e reached .

h ome h e l eft the two asses laden with g o ld in h is litt l e yard

, ,
 A LI B A B A AN D THE F OR TY RO B B E RS 3 1

fo r h is wife to un l oad and l ed the other to h is s i

,
l ws ster-in-a

h ouse .

Ali Baba knocked at the door which w as O pened by Morgi ,

ana a clever s l ave fu ll o f devices to c onque r di f c u l ties When

, , .

h e c ame into the court and unloaded th e ass he too k M o rgian a ,

aside and said to h er

,

Yo u m ust O bse rve a stri ct secrecy You r m aster s body is .

contained in these tw o panniers We m ust bury hi m as if h e .

had died a natural death Go now and tel l your m istress I

. .

l eave the matter t o yo u r wit and skillfu l devices

.

They p l aced the body in C as s im s house and ch arging

, ,

M o rgian a t o act we ll her part Al i Baba retu rned h o m e with ,

h is ass .

E arly the next morning M o rgian a went t o a d ru ggi st and

, ,

asked for a sort O f lozenge used in th e most dangerous i ll ness .

When he asked her for wh om s h e w anted it she answered w i th ,

a sigh : My good maste r Cassim H e can neither eat nor .

speak . I n the evening s h e went to the same druggi st and ,

w ith tears in her eyes asked for an essence given t o S i ck per

sons for w hose l ife there i s little hope
Alas I sa i d s h e I .
,

am afraid even th i s wil l not save m y good m aste r

.

A ll t h at day Al i Baba and his w ife were seen g o ing sad ly

between their house and Cassim s and i n the e v ening nobody
,

was surprised to h ear the shrieks and cries o f C ass im s w ife

and M o rgian a who told eve rybody that he r m aste r w as dead

, ;

The next morning at daybreak s h e went to an O ld cobbler ,

w ho was always early at work and p u tting a piece o f go ld in, ,

his hand said ,

Baba Mustapha yo u must bring you r sewing-ta ck l e and

,

co m e w i t h m e ; but I must te ll yo u I shall blindfo l d you wh en ,

we reach a certain place .

O h ! O h I rep l ied b e you w o ul d have m e do s om ethi ng

,

again st my co ns ci ence or my hon o r

.
3 2 S H O R T S T OR I E S

forbid ! said M o rgian a putting an o th er piece Of g ol d

G od

,

in h is hand ; on ly co m e along with me and fear nothing , .

Baba M u stapha w ent w ith M orgian a and at a certain p l ace ,

s h e bo u nd his eyes w ith a handkerchief which s h e ne v er u n ,

l o o sed till they h ad entered the room Of h er m aste r s h o u se

,

w here she had put the corpse togeth er .

Baba Mustapha said sh e
you m ust m ake h aste and
, , ,

se w the parts of this body together and w hen y ou have d o ne

:

, ,

I w il l gi ve you another piece of g o ld

.

After Baba Mustapha had nished his task s h e blindfo l ded ,

hi m again gave hi m the third piece O f gold s h e had promised

, ,

and ; charging hi m w ith secrecy took hi m back to the place ,

w here s h e h ad rst bo u nd his eyes Taking o ff the bandage .

,

s h e w atched him ti ll he w as o u t O f sight l est he sh oul d return ,

and dog h er ; then she w ent home .

At Cas s im s h ouse s h e m ade all things ready for t h e fu nera l

,

w hich Was duly performed by the imaum and other ministers

1

of the m osque M o rgian a as a s l ave O f the dead m an walked

.
, ,

in the procession w eeping beating h er breast and tearing her

, , ,

h air C assim s wife stayed at home uttering dolefu l cries wit h

.

,

the women o f the neighborhood wh o according to custom , , ,

cam e to m ourn w ith h er The w hole quarter was lled with .

sounds o f sorrow .

Thu s the m anne r O f C ass im s deat h was hushed u p and b e

, ,

sides his w idow Al i Baba and M o rgian a the slave n o body in

, , , ,

the city suspected the cau se Of it Three or four days after the .

funeral Ali Baba removed his few goods O penly to his sister-in
,

l aw s house i n which he was to l ive in the future ; but the

,

m oney he had taken from the robbers was carried thither by

night As for C as s im s warehouse Ali Baba put it entirely
.

,

u nder the charge o f his eldest son .

1 Im au m , a M o h amm e dan p ri e s t .
34 S H O R T S T OR I E S

A dead b o dy I excl ai m ed the robber am az ed .

Ye s ye s answered Baba M u stap h a ; I se e y ou w ant to

, ,

kno w m ore but you shal l not

,

.

The r o bber felt sure that he w as o n the right track H e put a .

p i ece Of go l d into Baba M u s taph a s hand and said to him

,

I do not w ant to l earn you r secret though you could safely ,

tru st m e with it The o n ly thing I ask O f you is to show me

.

t h e h ou se w here yo u stitched up the dead body

.

I c o ul d not do that replied Baba Mustapha if I wo u ld

, , .

I was taken to a certain place whence I was led blindfold to the

,

house and afterw ards brought back again in the same m anner
,

.

Well replied the robber

,
yo u may remember a l ittl e o f
,

the w ay that yo u w ere led blindfold Come l et m e b l ind yo u r .

,

eyes at the same place We wil l walk together and perhaps y ou

.
,

m ay recal l the w ay H ere is another piece o f go l d for yo u

. .

This was enough to bring Baba Mustapha to his feet They .

so o n reached the place where M o rgian a had bandaged his eyes ,

and here h e was blindfolded again Baba Mustapha and the .

robbe r w alked o n til l they c am e to C ass im s house w here Ali

,

Baba now l iv ed H ere the O ld m an stopped and w hen the

.
,

thief pulled o ff the band and found that his guide cou l d not
,

te ll h im whose house it w as h e let h im go But before he

, .

started back for the forest h imself wel l pleased wit h what he ,

had l earned he marked the door with a piece of chalk which

,

h e h ad ready i n his h and .

S oon after this M o rgiana came o u t upon some errand and ,

when sh e returned sh e saw the mark the rob ber had made ,

and stopped to l ook at it .

What c an this m ean ? she said to herse l f

So mebody .

i ntends my m aster h ar m and in any case it is best t o gu ard

,

against the w orst

Then she fetched a piece of chalk and
.
,

marked two o r three doors o n each side in the same m anner ,

saying n o thing to her master o r mistress .

 A LI B A B A AN D TH E F O R TY RO B B E RS 35

When the robber rej oined his troop in the forest and told o f ,

his good fortune in meeting the one man that could have helped
him they were al l delighted
,
.

Comrades said the captain ,
we have no time t o l ose , .

Let us s e t Off at once wel l armed and disguised enter the town
, ,

by twos and j oin at the great square Meanwhi l e our c o mrade

,
.

wh o has brought u s the good news and I wil l go and nd o u t

the house and decide what had best be done
,

.

T WO by two they entered the town Last o f al l went the .

captain and the s py When they came to the rst O f the houses
.

which M o rgian a had marked the spy pointed it o u t But the , .

captain noticed that the next door was chalked in th e same

manner and asked his guide w h ich ho u se it was that o r the
, ,

rst The guide knew not what answer to m ake and was still
.
,

more puzzled when he and the captain s aw ve o r s ix houses

marked after this same fashion He assured the captain with .
,

an oath that he had marked but one and could n o t te ll wh o

, ,

had c halked the rest nor could he s ay at w hich house the

,

cobb l er had stopped .

There was nothing to do but to j oin the other robbers and ,

tel l t h em to go back to the cav e Here they were to l d w hy .

they had all returned and the guide was declared by all to be
,

wo rthy O f death Indeed he conde m ned himself owning that

.
, ,

he ought to hav e been more careful and prepared to recei v e ,

the stroke which was to c u t O ff his head .

The safety o f the troop stil l demanded that t h e second comer

to the c ave shou l d be found and another o f the gang offered ,

to try it with the same penalty if he should fai l Like the other
,
.

robber he found o u t Baba Mustapha and through him the

, , , ,

house w hic h he marked in a p l a c e remo te from sight with red

, , ,

chalk .

But nothing could escape M o rgian a s eyes and when s h e

,

w ent out not l ong after and s aw the red chalk s h e argued
, , ,
36 S H OR T S T OR I E S

with h erself as before and marked the other houses near by in

,

the same place and manner .

The robber when he to l d his comrades what he had done

, ,

prided himse l f o n his carefulness and the captain and al l the ,

troop th o ught they must succeed this time Again they entered .

the town by twos ; but when the robber and his captain came
to the street they found the same trouble The captain w as
,
.

enraged and the robber as much confused as the former guide

,

had been Th u s the captain and his troop went back again to
.

the c ave and the r o bber who had failed w illingly gave himself
,

u p to death .

TH E RO B B ERS E ! C E P T , TH E C A P TAI N , I
D S CO V ERE D
AN D K I LL E D BY MORGI AN A

The captain could n o t afford to l ose any more o f his brave

fellows and decided to take upon himself the task in which two
,

had failed Like the others he went to Baba Mustapha and

.
, ,

was shown the house Un l ike them he put no mark o n it but.

,

studied it carefully and passed it so O ften that he could not

possib ly mistake it .

When h e re turned to the troop w ho were waiting for him in ,

the cave he said

,

N o w comrades nothing c an prevent o u r ful l revenge as I

, , ,

am certain o f the house A s I re t u rned I tho u ght O f a way to

.

do o u r work but if any o n e thinks O f a better l et h im speak

,

, .

H e told them his plan and as they thought it good he , , ,

ordered them to go int o the villages abo u t and buy nineteen ,

mules with thirty-eight l arge l eather j ars o n e ful l O f o il and

, , ,

the others empty Within two o r three days they ret u rned with
.

the mules and the j ars and as the mouths o f the jars were ,

rather too narrow for the captain s purpose he caused them to

,
 ALI B A B A AN D TH E FO R TY RO B B ER S 37

be wi dened Having put o ne o f his men into each j ar w ith t h e

.
,

weapons which he thought t and having a seam wide enough ,

O pen for each man to breathe he rubbed the j ars o n the o u tside
,

w ith o il fro m the fu ll vessel .

Thus prepared they s e t o u t for the t o wn the nineteen mules ,

l oaded with the thirty seven robbers in j ars and the j ar o f O il

-
, ,

w it h the captain as their driver When he reached Ali Baba s .

door he found Ali Baba sitting there taking a little fres h air
,

after his supper The captain stopped his mules and said
.
,

I have brought some O il a great w ay to sel l at to morrow s

m arket ; and it is now so late that I do n o t know where to l odge .

Wil l yo u d o m e the favor to l et m e pass the night with yo u

Thoug h A l i Baba had seen the captain in the forest and had ,

heard hi m speak h e c o u l d not know h im in the disguise o f an

,

mer chant and bade him w e l come H e o pened his gates for
o il- , .

the m u l es t o go into the yard and ordered a slave to put them

,

i n a stab l e and feed the m when they w ere u n l oaded and then ,

called M o rgian a tO get a good supper for his gu est Afte r .

supper he charged her afresh to take good care o f the stranger ,

and said to her

T O morrow morning I intend to g o to the bath before day
-

take c are to have my bathing l inen ready ; give i t to Abdalla

( whi c h w as his S lave s name ) and make
me som e
,
good broth
against m y return
After this he went to bed
. .

In the mean time the captain O f the robbers w ent into the
yard and took o ff the l id o f each j ar an d t ol d h is peop l e what
, ,

they m u st do To ea ch i n turn h e said

.
, ,

As soon as I thr ow some stones o u t Of the chamber win

dow where I li e d o n o t fail to come o u t and I will j oin yo u
, ,

at once .

Then h e went i nto the house and M o rgian a sho w ed him ,

his chamber where he soon put out the light and l aid h im self
, ,

down in his clothes .

38 S H O RT S T O R I E S

To c arry o u t Ali Bab a s orders

,
M o rgian a got his bathing linen
r eady and bade Abdalla to set on the pot for the broth ; but
,

soon the l amp went out and there w as no more Oil in the ho u se
, ,

nor any candles S he knew not what to do till the slave

.

reminded her o f the o il-j ars in the yard S he thanked him for .

the thought took the o ilpot and went o u t When s h e came

, , .

nigh the rst j ar the robber within said softly : I s it time ?

,

O f course s h e was surprised to nd a man in the j ar instead

o f the O il but s h e s aw at once that s h e must keep silence as
, ,

Ali Baba his family and s h e herself were in great danger

, , .

Therefore s h e answered without showing any fear : Not yet , ,

but presently In this manner s h e went to all the j ars and
.

gave the same answers til l s h e came to the j ar o f o il , .

By this means M o rgian a found that her m aster had admitted

to his house thirty-eight robbers o f whom the pretended o il ,

m erchant their captain w as o n e S he made what haste s h e

, , .

c oul d to ll her o il-pot and returned to her kitchen lighted h er

, ,

l amp and taking a great kettle went back to the oil-j ar and lled
,

it Then sh e s et the kettl e o n a large wood re and as soon as

.
,

it boil ed went and poured enough into every j ar tO S ti e and '

destroy the robber within .

When this deed worthy o f the courage of M o rgiana was

, ,

done without any noise as S he had planned s h e retur n ed to the

, ,

kitchen with the empty kettle put o u t the lamp and left j ust , ,

enough o f the re to ma k e the broth Then sh e s at silent .

,

re s ol v ing not to go to rest til l s h e had seen through the window

that O pened o n the yard whate v er might happen there .

It was not long before the captai n Of the robbers got up and , ,

seeing that all was dark and quiet gav e the appointed signal by ,

throwing little stones some o f which hit the j ars as b e doubted

, ,

n o t by the sound they ga v e A s there was no re s ponse he .

,

threw stones a second and a third time and cou l d not imagine ,

why there was no answer to his signal .

 A LI B A B A AN D TH E F O R TY RO B B ERS 39

M uch alarmed he went softly down into the yard and going
, , ,

to the rst j ar to ask the robber if he w as ready smelt the h o t ,

boiled o il which sent forth a steam o u t o f the j ar From this

,
.

b e s u spected that his plot w as found out and looking into the , ,

j ars o ne by one he found that al l his gang were dead E nraged

,
.

to despair he forced the l ock o f a door that led fro m the yard
,

to the garden and m ade h is escape When M o rgian a s aw hi m

'

.
,

go sh e went to bed w e ll p l eased that s h e had saved he r m aster

, ,

and his family .

A l i Baba rose before day and went to the baths without

,

knowing o f what had happened in the night When he returned .

-
he was very much surprised to s e the oil j ars in the yard and
e

the m ul es in the stable .

G o d preserve you and al l you r family said M o rgian a when ,

she was asked what it meant ; yo u will know better when yo u

have seen what I have to sh o w yo u
.

S o saying sh e l ed him to the rst j ar and asked him to se e ,

if there was any Oil When he saw a man instead he started

.
,

back in alarm .

D O not be afraid said M o rgian a ; he c an do neither you

,

nor anyb o dy else the l east harm He is dead Now look into . .

all the other j ars .

A li Baba was more and more amazed as he went o n and ,

saw all the dead men and the sunken O i l-j ar at the end .

H e stood looking from the j ars to M o rgian a till he found ,

words to ask : And wha t is become Of the merchant ?
Merchant ! answered s h e ; he is as much o ne as

I am .

Then she l ed hi m into the house and told of al l that sh e ,

h ad done from the rst noticing o f the c h alk -mark to the

,

death o f the robbers and the ight o f their captain O n hear .

s

ing o f these brave deeds from M o rgian a s o wn lips Ali Baba

,

said to her
4 0 SH OR T S T OR I E S
God by your means has delivered me fro m death F o r the
, , .

rst token o f W hat I o w e you I give you your liberty from this,

moment til l I can fully reward yo u as I intend

,

.

Near the trees at the end o f Ali Baba s long garden he and
,

Abdalla dug a trench l arge enough to hold the bodies o f the

robbers When they were buried there A l i Baba hid the j ars
.
,

and weapons ; and as the mules w ere o f no use to him he sent ,

the m at different times t o be so l d in the m arket by his slave .

TH E C A P TAI N D I S C O V ERE D AN D K I LL ED
BY MO RG I AN A

The captain o f the forty robbers had returned to his cave in

the forest but found himself so l onely there that the p l ace
,

became frightfu l to him H e reso l ved at the same time to

.

avenge the fate o f his comrades and to bring about the death ,

O f Ali Baba F o r this purpose he returned to the town dis

.
,

guised as a merchant o f S ilks By degrees he brought fro m his

.

c avern many sorts o f ne stuffs and to di s pose of these he took ,

a w arehouse that happened to be opposite C as s im s w hich

,

Ali Baba s son had occupied S ince the death o f his u ncl e

.

H e took the name of G ogia Houssain and as a newcome r ,

w as very ci v il to the m erchants near him Ali Baba s son was .

o n e o f the rst to converse with him and the n e w m erchant ,

w as m ost friendly Within two o r three days Ali Baba came to

.

see his s o n and the captain o f the robbers knew him at once
, ,

and soon l earned from his so n wh o he was From that time .

forth he w as stil l more po l ite to Ali Baba s so n wh o soon felt

,

bound to repay the many kindnesses o f his new friend .

As his o w n house w as small he arranged with his father ,

that o n a certain afternoon w hen he and the merchant were

,
42 SH OR T STO RI E S
a good dancer and o n this occasion outdid herself in gra c efu l
,

and s u rprising motions At the l ast s h e took the tabor fro m

.
,

A b dalla s hand and held it out like those wh o dance for

,

money .

Ali Baba put a piece O f gold into it and so did h is s o n , .

When G ogia Houssain saw that S he w as coming to him he ,

pulled out his purse from his bosom to make her a present ;
but while he was putting his hand into it M o rgian a with cour , ,

age worthy o f her s elf plunged the poniard into his hea rt
, .

Unhappywoman ! exclaimed Ali Baba what have you

,

done to ruin me an d my family ?

It was to preserve not to ruin you answered M o rgian a

, , .

Then she sho w ed the dagger in G ogia H o u s s ain s garment and

,

said : L o ok wel l at him and you wil l s e e that he is both the

,

pretended oil-merchant and the captain o f the band o f forty

robbers A S soon as you told me that he would eat no salt with
.

y ou I suspected who it was and when I s aw him I knew

, ,

,
.

Ali Baba embraced her and said : M o rgiana I gave you

, ,

y o ur l iberty before and promised you more in time ; now I

,

w o ul d make you my daughter-inlaw Consider he said turn

.
, ,

ing to his s on ,

that by m arrying M o rgian a you m arry the ,

preserver o f my family and yours .

The son w as all the more ready to carry o u t his father s

wishes because they were the same as his o wn and within a

, ,

few days h e and M o rgian a were married but before this the , ,

captain o f t h e robbers was buried w ith his comrades and s o ,

secretly was it done that their bones were not found till many
,

years had passed when no o n e had any concern in making this

,

strange story kno

For a whole year Ali Baba did not visit the robbers cav e
.

At the end of that time as nobody had tried to disturb him he

, ,

m ade another j ourney to the forest and standing before the , ,

entrance to the cave said : O pen S esame

,

The door opened
,
.
 A LI B A B A AN D THE F O R TY RO B B ERS 43

at once and fro m the appearance of everything within the

,

cavern b e j udged that nobody had been there since the captain
,

had fetched the goods for his shop From this time forth he
.
,

took as much o f the treasure as his needs demanded S ome .

years l ater he carried his so n to the cav e and taught hi m the

,

secret which b e handed down in his family wh o used their

, ,

good fo rtune wisely and l ived in great ho no r and sp lend o r

,
.
 III . RI P V A N W I N K L E (1 8 1 9 ) l

BY W A S H INGTO N I R V ING ( 1 7 8 3 1 8 5 9 )

[ Setti ng T h e H u ds o n River and the K aatskill M ou ntai ns

w ere rst brought into l iterature t h rough this story Irving ,

be i ng the rst American m aster o f l oca l c o l or and loca l tradi

ti o n S ince 1 8 7 0 the A m erican short story fo ll o w ing the
.
,

exa m p l e of I rving has been the l eading agency by whi ch the

,

South the West and Ne w England have m ade known and th u s

, ,

perpetuated their lo c al s c enery l egends c u stoms and dial ect , , , .

Irving h o w ever see m ed afraid o f dial e c t There w ere it is

, , .
,

tr u e m any l egends about the H u ds o n before Irving was bo rn

, ,

but they had fo u nd no expression in literature Mrs J o siah . .

Quincy wh o made a voyage up the Hudson i n 1 7 8 6 wrote :

, ,

O u r captain had a legend for every scene either supernatu ral ,

or traditional or o f actual o ccurrence during the war and not ,

a m o untain reared its head u n c onnected w ith some m arvel l ous

story
Irving therefore did n o t h ave to manufacture l ocal
.
, ,

traditions ; he o nly gave them w ider currency and tted t h e m

more artistically into their natu ral settings .

Irving c h o se for his setting the twenty years t h at e m bra c e

the R evo l utionary War because the n um ero u s social and political
changes that took p l ace then enabled him to bring R ip back
after his S leep into a world not realized Yo u will appreciate
-
.

much better the art of this time-setting if you wil l try you r
hand o n a somewhat S imilar story and place it betw een 1 8 2 0
1 F ro m

Th e Sk e tc h Boo k .

Th e e lab o rat e K n ic k e rb o c k e r n o te s

w ith w h ic h I rv in g f , o llo w in g a p as s i n g f hi
as on of t h e t im e , s o u gh t to

m y tify th
s e re ade r, are h e re o m itte d . Th y
e are h in dran c e s n o w rath e r

th an h lp e s .
 R I P VAN W I N KL E 45

and 1 8 4 0 w h en rail ro ads te l egraph l ines and transatl antic

, , ,

steam ers m ade a n ew worl d o u t o f the O ld ; o r if your story ,

takes p l a c e in the S outh you m ight m ake your backgr o und ,

in c lude the interva l between 1 8 5 5 and 1 8 7 5 when slave ry was ,

ab ol ish ed when the old plantation system was ch anged w hen

, ,

the na m es of new her o es emerged and w h en new socia l and ,

p oli ti c al and industria l prob l ems h ad to be grapp l ed with .

Plot The p l ot i s divided i nto two al m ost equa l parts which

.
,

we m ay call befo r e and after taking

A recent critic has .

said :
The actual forward movement o f the p lo t does not
begi n u nti l the sentence In a l ong ramb l e o f the kind o n a
,

ne autumna l day R ip had u n cons c ious ly scramb l ed to o n e o f

,

the highest parts o f the Kaatskill M ou ntains The critic has .

m issed I think the main st ru ctu ra l excel len c e o f the story

, , .

Da m e Van Wink l e the ch i ldren who h u ng around R ip his

, ,

own c h i l dren h is dog the social club at the inn w ith the por
, ,

trait o f George the Third Van Bum m el and Ni cho l as Vedder , , ,

a ll h ad t o be m ent i oned before R ip began the ascent o f the

mou ntain O th erwise w hen he retu rned we shou l d have had
.
, ,

no m eans of m easuring the swift passage o f time during his

sleep E ach i s a skillful ly s e t timepiece o r milepost w hich o n
.
,

R ip s return m isleads the poor fel low at every turn and thus

,

pr o duces the exact kind O f total ity o f e ffect that Irving

i ntended The forw ard m ove m ent o f the p l ot begins with this
.

c areful p l anning of the route that R ip is to take o n his return

trip wh en t w enty years shall have done their w ork Cut o u t
,
.

these p oin ts de re n e and see h ow e ffe c tively the forward

mo vement o f th e p lo t i s retarded .

Cna ra eters R ip was the rst chara c ter i n American c tion

.

t o be known far beyond o u r o w n borders and he remains o n e ,

o f the best known In the cl ass wit h hin be l ong Ja m es Feni

.

m ore C o oper s Leatherstocking ( or Natty Bumppo ) Harriet

,

Beecher S towe s Uncl e Tom Joe l Chand l e r Harris s Uncl e

,

R emus and Mark Twain s Huckleberry Fi r m and To m S awyer

,

.

He has been cal l ed u n-American and so he is and so I rving , ,

46 SH O R T STORI ES
p l ai n ly i ntended hi m t o be If o n e insists o n nd i ng a b i t of
.

distinctive Americanism somewhere in the story he will nd ,

it not in R ip b u t in the number and rapidity of the changes

that Amer i can l ife underwent during the twenty years that
se rve as background to the sto ry George Willia m Curtis calls .

R ip the constant and unconsci o us satirist o f American life

,

but surely Irving would hav e smiled at nding so purposefu l

a mission l aid upon the stooping shoulders o f his vagab o nd
ne er-d o-w e ll hero R ip is no satirist conscious or u nconscio u s

.
, .

He i s a provincial Dutch type s uch as Irving h ad seen a ,

h undred times ; but he is so l o v able and is sketched so l ovingly

t h at we h ardly realiz e t h e consummate art the human sym ,

pat hy and the keen powers o f obse rvation that have gone into
,

his m aking E very o the r character in the st o ry including Wo l f

.
,

i s a side l igh t o n R ip O f The Legend o f Sl eepy Ho llo w

.

I rv i ng said : The sto ry is a mere whimsi c a l band to conne c t

t h e des c r i pt i ons o f s c enery cu stoms manners e tc
,

The em , ,
.

p h as i s i n o ther w ords w as put o n the setting O f R ip Van

, ,
.

Wink l e m igh t b e not have said The description s o f scenery , ,

custo m s m anners etc are but so many channels thr ou gh w hich

, ,
.

the ch aracte r o f R ip nds o u tl et and expressi o n

W ho eve r has m ade a v o yage up the Hudson m u st re m e m ber

the K aatskill M ou ntai ns They are a dismembered branch of
.

th e great Appal ach ian fa m ily and are seen away to the w est
,

o f t h e r i ver swelling u p t o a nob l e h eight and l ording it over

, ,

th e s u rr o und i ng co untry E ve ry ch ange o f season every change

.
,

of w eat h er i ndeed every h ou r o f the day produces some

, , ,

change in the magical hues and s h apes o f these mountains and ,

they are regarded by al l the good wives far and near as per , ,

f e ct baro m eters When the w eather is fair and settled they

.
,

are cl oth ed in b l ue and purple and print their bold o u tlines,

o n the c l ear evening s k y ; but sometimes when the rest o f

the l andscape is c l oudless they wil l gather a hood o f gray
 RI P V AN WI N KL E 47

vapors about their summits which in the last rays o f the , ,

setting s u n will glow and light u p like a crown o f glory

, .

At the foot o f these fairy m ountains the voyager may have ,

descried the light smoke curling up from a village whose shingl e ,

roofs glea m among the trees j ust w here the blue tints o f the
,

up l and m elt away into the fresh green o f the nearer l andscape .

It is a l ittle village o f great antiquity hav ing been founded by ,

s o me o f the Dutch colonists in the early time o f the province ,

j ust about the beginning of the government O f the good Peter

S tuyvesant ( m ay he rest in peace and there were some of the
houses of the original settlers standing within a f e w years built ,

o f smal l yellow bricks brought from Holland hav ing latticed ,

windows and gable fronts surmounted with weathercocks, .

In that same village and in one of these very houses ( which

, ,

to tell the precise truth was sadly time-worn and weat h er

,

beaten) there lived many years since while the country was
, ,

yet a pro v ince o f Great Britain a simple good-natured fel l ow , , ,

of the name o f Rip Van Wink l e He was a descendant o f the .

Van Winkles w h o gured so gallantly in the chivalrous days o f

Peter S tuyv esant and accompanied him to the siege of Fort
,

Christina He inherited however but l ittle o f the martial char

.
, ,

acter of his ancestors I have observed that he w as a simple

.
,

good-natured man ; he was m oreo v er a kind neighbor and an

, , ,

obedient henpecked husband Indeed to the latter circu m stance

.
,

might be owing that m eekness of spirit which gained hi m such

univ ersa l popularity ; for those men are most apt to be o b s e
q u io u s and conciliating abroad w h o are under the discip l ine o f
,

shrews at home Their tempers doubtless are rendered p l iant

.
, ,

and malleable in th e ery furnace o f domestic tribu l ation ; and

a curtain lectu re is worth al l th e ser m ons in the worl d for
teaching the virtues o f patience and l ong-su ffering A term a .

gant wife may therefore in some respects be considered a

, ,

t ole rab l e blessing and if s o R ip Van Wink l e w as thri c e b l essed

, , .
48 S H O RT S T O R I E S

Certain it i s that he w as a great favorite among a ll the

,

good wives of the village wh o as usua l with the amiab l e s ex

, , ,

t o ok his part i n all fami ly squabb l es ; and neve r fai l ed when ,

ever th ey tal ked those matters over in thei r even i ng gossipings ,

to l ay al l t h e blame o n Dame Van Wink l e The children o f .

the vi ll age too w o ul d sho u t with j oy w h enever he approached

, , .

H e assisted at their sports made their p l aythings taught the m

, ,

t o y kites and shoot marb l es and to l d the m l ong stories o f ,

ghosts wit ch es and Indians Whenever he went dodging about

, , .

the vil l age he w as s u rrounded by a troop o f the m h anging

,

o n his skirts clambering on his back and playing a thousand

, ,

tricks o n hi m with impunity ; and not a dog wou l d bark at

h im throughout the neighborh o od .

The great error in R ip s c omposition was an i ns u perab l e

aversion to a ll kinds of protab l e labor It could not be fro m .

the want o f assiduity o r perseverance ; for h e w ould sit o n a

w et ro ck w it h a ro d as l ong and heavy as a Tartar s l ance
,

,

and sh al l day w ithout a m urmur even tho u gh he should not ,

be encouraged by a S ingl e nibb l e H e w ould carry a fo wl ing .

piece On his shou l der for hours together t rudging t h rough ,

w oods and swamps and up hil l and down dal e to sh o ot a few

, ,

squirre l s o r wi l d pigeons H e w ould ne v er refuse to assist a

.

neighbor even i n the roughest toi l and was a foremost m an at

, ,

al l c ountry fro l ics f o r husking Indian c o rn o r building stone ,

fences ; the women o f the village too used to employ h im to , ,

ru n their errands and to do such litt l e O dd j obs as their l ess

,

obliging husbands would n o t do for them In a word R ip w as .

,

ready to attend to anybody s business b u t his o wn ; b u t as

to doing family duty and keeping his farm in o rder h e fo u nd

, ,

i t i m po ssible .

In fact h e declared it w as of no u s e t o w ork on h is farm ;

,

i t was the most pestilent l ittl e piece of ground in the whole

cou ntry ; eve rything ab o ut i t went wrong and w o ul d g o w rong , ,
50 S H O RT ST O RI E S

R ip s so l e domestic adherent was

dog Wo l f w h o w as as h is ,

much henpecked as his master ; for Dame Van Wink l e regarded

them as companion s in idl eness and even looked upon Wo l f ,

wit h an evi l eye as the cause o f his master s going so O ften

,

astray True it is in all points of spirit betting an honorable

.
,

dog he w as as courageous an animal as e v er scoured the woods

,

but what courage can with s tand the ever-duri n g and al l

besetting terrors o f a woman s tongue ? The moment Wolf

entered the house his crest fell his tail droo ped to the ground, ,

o r curled between his legs he sneaked about w ith a gallows

,

air ca s ting many a S idelong glance at Dame Van Winkle and

, ,

at the least ourish o f a broom s tick or ladle he wou l d y to

the door with yelping precipitation .

Times grew worse and worse with R ip Van Wink l e as years

of matrimony rolled o n ; a tart temper ne v er mellows vit h age ,

and a sharp tongue is the only edged too l that grows keener
with constant u s e For a l ong while he used to console himse l f
.
,

when dri v en fro m home by frequenting a kind of perpetua l

,

club of the sages philosophers and other idle personages o f

, ,

the village which held its ses s ions o n a bench be f ore a small
,

inn designated by a rubicund portrait of His Maj esty George

,

the Third H ere they used to S it in the shade through a l ong

.

lazy summer s day tal k ing l istlessly o v er v illage gossip or tel l

, ,
!

ing endless sleepy stories about nothing But it would have .

been worth any statesman s money to hav e heard the profound

discussions that sometimes took place when by ch ance an o ld ,

newspaper fel l into their hands from some passing trav e l ler .

How solemnly they would listen to the contents as drawled out ,

by Derrick Van Bummel the school-master a dapper l earned

, , ,

l ittl e man wh o was not to be daunted by the most gi gantic

,

word in the dictionary ; and how sagely they would deliberate

upon public e v ents some months after they had taken place .

The opinions of this j unto were completely contro l led by

 RI P V AN W I N KL E 5 1

Nich o l as Vedder a patriarch of the vi l lage and l and l ord of the

, ,

inn at the door o f which he took his seat from morning til l
,

night j ust moving su f ciently to av oid the s u n and keep in the

,

shade o f a l arge tree ; s o that the neighbors c ou l d tel l the hour

by his movements as accurately as by a sun-dial It is true he .

was rarely heard to speak but smoked his pipe i ncessantly , .

His adherents h owe v er ( fo r e v ery great man h as his adh er

,

ents) perfectly understood him and knew how to gather his

, ,

O pinions When anything that was read o r related displeased

.

him he was observed to smoke his pipe vehement ly and to

, ,

send forth s ho rt frequent and angry pu ffs ; but w h en p l eased

, ,

he would i nha l e the smoke slowly and tran quilly and emit it ,

in li gh t and placid cloud s ; and sometimes taking the pipe from ,

his m outh and l etting the fragrant vapor curl about his nose
, ,

w ould grav ely nod his head in token o f perfect approbation .

Fro m even this stronghold the unlucky R ip was at l engt h

ro u ted by h is termagant wife who wo u ld sudden ly break in ,

u pon t h e tranquil l ity o f the assemblage and cal l the members

al l to naught ; nor was that august personage Nicho l as Vedder ,

himself sacre d from the daring tongue o f this terrible V irago

, ,

w h o charged him outright with encouraging h er hu sband in

habits of idleness .

Poor R ip was at l ast reduced al most to despair ; and his

on ly a l ternative to escape fro m the l abor O f the farm and
,

clamo r o f his W ife was to take gun in hand and strol l away
,

into the woods Here he would someti mes seat himsel f at t h e

.

foot o f a tree and share the contents o f his wallet with W ol f

, ,

w ith who m he sympathized as a fell ow-su fferer in persecution .

Poor Wo l f he w ou l d s ay thy mistress l eads thee a dog s

,

,

l ife o f it ; but never mind my l ad whilst I li v e thou shal t ne v er

, ,

w ant a friend to stand by thee ! Wo l f would wag his tail lo ok

,

wistfull y in his master s face and if dogs can feel pity I verily

, ,

believe h e recipro c ated the senti m ent w it h al l h is h e art .

5 2 S H OR T S T O R I E S

In a l ong ramb l e o f the kind o n a ne autumnal day R ip ,

h ad unconscious ly scramb l ed to o n e o f the highest parts o f the

Kaats k ill Mountains H e was after his favorite spo rt o f sq u irre l
.

sh o oting and the stil l solitudes had echoed and re echoed w ith
,
-

the reports o f his gun Panting and fatigued he threw himself .

, ,

l ate i n the afternoon o n a green knol l covered with mo u ntain , ,

herbage that crowned the brow of a precipice Fro m an o pen

, .

i ng between the trees he could overlook al l the lower co u ntry

for many a m ile o f rich woodland H e s aw at a distan c e the .

l ordly H u dson far far belo w him moving o n its silent but
, , ,

m aj est ic course w ith the reection o f a purple cloud o r the

, ,

sai l o f a l agging bark here and there sleeping o n i ts gl assy ,

boso m and at l ast l osing itse l f in the blue h ighlands

, .

O n the o ther S ide he l ooked down into a deep mountain

gl en w i l d l one ly and shagged the bottom l led with fragm ents
, , , ,

from the impending cliffs and scarcely lighted by the reected ,

rays o f the setting s u n For som e time R ip l ay m using o n thi s .

scene ; evening was gradually ad v ancing the mountains began ,

to throw their long blue shadows over the valleys ; h e s aw that

it wo ul d be dark l ong before he could reach the vil l age and ,

he h eaved a heavy sigh when he thought o f encountering the

terrors of Dame Van Wink l e .

As h e w as about to descend he h eard a voice fro m a dis ,

tance hall ooing

,
R ip Van Wink l e ! R ip Van Wink l e ! H e
,

l ooked round but co ul d s e e nothing but a c row winging its

,

so l itary ight acro ss the mountain H e thought his fancy must .

have deceived him and turned again to des c end w hen h e h eard
, ,

the same cry ring through the sti ll evening air : R ip Van
Winkle ! R ip Van Wink l e l at the same time Wolf bristled
u p his back and giving a lo w grow l skulked to his master s
, ,

side l ooking fearfully down into the glen R ip now felt a vagu e
,
.

apprehension stealing o v er him ; he l ooked anxiously in the

s a m e direction and perceived a strange gu re s l o wly toi l ing
,
 RI P V AN W I N KL E 53

u p th e rocks and bend ing u nder t h e w eight o f s o methi ng h e

,

ca rri ed o n his ba ck He was surprised t o see any h u man be i ng

.

i n thi s lo nely and unfrequented p l ace ; but supposing it to be

s om e one of the neighborhood in need of his assistan c e he ,

h astened do w n to yie l d it .

O n nearer approa ch h e w as stil l m ore s u rprised at the singu

lari ty of t h e stranger s appearan c e H e w as a short square

.
,

b u il t Ol d fe llo w w ith thick b u shy hai r and a grizz l ed beard

, ,
.

His dress w as of the antique D u t c h fashion : a c l ot h j erkin

strapped round the w aist severa l pairs of breeches the oute r
, ,

o ne of am p l e vo l u m e decorated w ith r ow s of b u ttons down the

,

sides and b u n ch es at t h e knees H e bore o n h is sho ul der a

,
.

st ou t keg t h at seemed f ull o f l iqu o r and made signs f o r R ip

, ,

t o appr o ac h and assist hi m with the l oad Though rather shy .

and distru stfu l o f this ne w acquaintance R ip complied with his ,

u su al al ac ri ty ; and m ut u ally re l ieving o n e another they cl a m ,

bered u p a narrow gu lly apparent ly the d ry bed o f a mo untain

__ ,

t o rrent As they ascended R ip every now and then h eard l ong

.
,

rol l ing peals l ike distant thunder t h at seemed to i ssue o u t o f ,

a deep rav i ne o r rathe r cl eft between l ofty rocks t o ward which

, , ,

the i r ru gged path c onducted H e paused fo r a moment but .

,

s u pp o sing it to be the m uttering o f o n e o f those transient

th u nder-showers whic h often take p l ace i n m ountain h eigh ts ,

he pr oc eeded Passing thro u gh the ravine they came to a

.
,

ho llow l ike a s m al l amphitheatre s u rrounded by perpendicular

, ,

precipices over the brinks Of w hich i m pending trees shot thei r

,

branches s o that yo u on ly caught glimpses o f the azu re sky

,

and the bright evening cl o u d During the w ho l e time R ip and .

his c o m panion had labored on in silence ; fo r thoug h the former

m a rvel l ed greatly w h at could be the obj e c t o f carrying a keg o f
l iq u or up this wild mountain yet there w as something strange ,

an d in c o m prehensible ab o ut the u nkn o wn that i nspired awe ,

an d ch e cked fa m i l ia ri ty .
54 S H O RT S T O R I E S

O n enter i ng t h e am p hi theatre new obj e cts o f wonder pre ,

~

sented themsel v es O n a l eve l spot i n the center was a co m

.

pany o d loo k ing pers o nages playing at ninepins They were

f o d- .

dressed in a quaint outlandish fashion ; some wore short doub

lets others j erkins w ith l ong kni v es in their belts and most o f
, , ,

them had enormous breeches o f similar style with that o f the

guide s Their visages too were peculiar ; o n e had a l arge

.
, ,

beard broad face and small piggish eyes ; the face o f another
, ,

seemed to consist entirely o f nose and was surmounted by a ,

white sugar-loaf hat s e t o ff with a little red cock s tai l They all
,

.

had beards O f various shapes and colors There was o ne wh o

,
.

seemed to be the commander He was a stout o ld gent l eman .

,

with a weather-beaten countenance ; he wore a laced doublet ,

broad belt and hanger high crowned h at and feather red stock
-
, ,

ings and high heeled S hoes with roses in them The who l e gro u p
,
-
,
.

reminded R ip O f the gures in an o ld Flemish painting in the

parlor o f Dominie Van S h aick the village parson which had , ,

been brought over from Holland at the time o f the settl ement .

What seemed particularly O dd to R ip was that th ough these ,

fo lks were evidently amusing themselves yet they m aintained ,

the gravest faces the m ost mysterious silence and w ere withal
, , , ,

the m ost me l ancholy party o f pleasure he had ever w itnessed .

Nothing interrupted the stil l ness of the scene but the noise o f
the balls which whenever they were ro l led echoed a l ong the -
, , ,

mo u ntains l ike rumbling peals O f thunder .

A S R ip and his companion approached them they suddenly ,

desisted from their play and stared at him with such xed , ,

statue-lik e gaz e and such strange uncouth l ack-l ustre co u n te

, , ,

nances that his heart turned within him and h i s knees smote
, ,

togeth er His companion now emptied the contents o f the keg

.

into l arge ago n s and made signs to him to wait upon the com
,

pany He obeyed with fear and trembling ; they quaffed the

.

li qu o r in pro fou nd silence and then retu rned to the i r game , .

 RI P V AN W I N KL E 55

By degr ees Ri p s awe and appreh ension subsided H e even

.

ventured when no eye was xed upon him to taste the bever
, ,

age which h e found had much o f the a v or o f excellent Hol

,

l ands He was naturally a thirsty soul and was soon tempted

.
,

to repeat the draught O ne taste provoked another ; and he .

reiterated his visits to the ago n s o O ften that at length his

senses were overpowered his eyes swam in h is head his head , ,

gradually declined and he fel l into a deep S leep ,

.

O n waking he found himsel f on the green knol l w hence he

,

had rst seen the o ld man of the glen H e rubbed his eyes .

it was a bright sunny morning The birds were h Opp ing and
,
.

twittering among the bushes and the eagle was wheeling al oft , ,

and breasting the pure mountain breeze S urely thought

.
,

R ip I hav e not slept here all night He recalled the o c cur

,

.

re n ces before he fel l asleep The strange man with a keg o f .

l iquor the m ountain rav ine the wi l d retreat am ong the

rocks the wo e begone party at ninepins the ago n
- Oh !
that ago n ! that wicked ago n ! thought R ip

w h at excuse
shall I make to Dame V an Wink l e ?

H e looked round for his gun but in p l ace o f the clean we ll , ,

oiled fowling-piece he found an O ld relo ck lying by him the

, ,

barre l incrusted with rust the l ock falling o ff and the stock , ,

w orm -eaten H e now suspected that the gra v e roisterers of the

.

mountain had put a trick upon him and having dosed him , ,

with liquor had robbed him o f his gun Wolf too had dis ap
,
.
, ,

e are d but he might h ave strayed aw a y after a squirre l or

p ,

partridge H e whistl ed after him and shouted his name but

.
, ,

all in vain ; the echoes repeated h is whistle and shout b u t no ,

dog w as to be seen .

He determined to revisit the scene of the l ast evening s

gambol and if he m et w ith any o f the party to demand his

, ,

dog and gun As he r ose to walk he found himself stiff in

.
,

the joints and wanti ng in his u sual activity

,
These m ountain .
56 S H O RT STO R I E S

beds do not agree with me t hou gh t R ip and if th is fr olic

, ,

shou l d l ay m e u p with a t o f the rheumatism I shall have a ,

b l essed ti m e wi t h Da m e Van Winkle

Wit h som e dif cul ty .

he got down int o the glen ; he found the gully up w hich h e

and his c o m panion h ad ascended the preceding evening ; but
to his ast o nish m ent a m o u ntain strea m was now foaming down
it l eaping fro m rock to rock and lling the glen with babb l ing
, ,

m urmu rs He h o wever made shift to scramble up its sides

.
, , ,

wo rking his toi l s om e w ay through thickets o f birch sassafras , ,

and w it ch-h az e l and someti m es tripped up o r entangl ed by the

,

wil d grapev i nes that tw isted their c oi l s o r tend ril s fr o m tree

to tree and spread a kind o f network in his path
,
.

At l ength he reached to wh ere the ravine had opened thr o ug h

the cliffs t o the a m phitheatre ; b u t n o traces o f such opening
re m ai ned The r o cks presented a h igh impenetrable w all o ver
.
, ,

w hic h th e t o rrent ca m e tumbling in a sheet o f feathery foam ,

and fe ll into a broad deep basin b l a ck from the shadows o f

, ,

the s u rr ou nding forest Here then p o or R ip was bro u ght to

.

.
, ,

a stand H e again called and whistl ed after his dog ; he w as

.

only answered by the cawing o f a ock o f idle crows sp orti ng ,

high i n air about a dry tree that overhung a sunny precipice ;

and w ho secure in their e l evation see m ed to look down and
, ,

s c off at t h e poor man s perp l exities What was to be d o ne ?

.

the m orning was passing away and R ip felt famished fo r ,

want o f h i s breakfast He gri eved to give up his dog and

.

gun ; he dreaded to meet his wife ; but it would not do to

sta rve among the mountains H e shook his head shou l dered .
,

the ru sty relo c k and with a h eart ful l o f trouble and anxiety
, , ,

turned his steps homeward .

As he appr o ached the village he m et a number of peop l e ,

but none whom he knew which somewhat surprised him for

, ,

he had thought himsel f acquainted with every o n e in the

country r o und Their dress too was o f a different fas hio n
.
, ,
5 8 S H O RT S T ORI E S

and apparently abandoned This desolateness overcame al l h is

.

connubial fears h e called l oudly for his wife and chi l dren
the lone ly chambers ran g for a moment with his v o ice and ,

t h en again al l w as silence .

H e now hurried forth and hastened to his O ld res o rt the

, ,

village inn but it too was gone A large rickety wooden

, ,
.
,

building stood in its place with great gaping windows some , ,

o f them broken and m ended with Ol d hats and petticoats and ,

over the door was painted The Union Hotel by Jonathan , ,

D ool ittl e
. Instead o f the great tree that used t o shelter th e
quiet littl e D u t c h inn of yore there now was reared a tall ,

naked po l e with something o n the top that l ooked like a red

,

night cap and from it was uttering a ag o n which w as a

-
, ,

singul ar assemb l age of stars and stripes al l this was strange

and i ncomprehensib l e He recognized o n the S ign however
.
, ,

th e ruby face o f King George under which he had smoked ,

s o m any a peaceful pipe ; but even this w as singul arly m eta

m o rph o se d The red coat w as changed for one o f blue and

.

bu ff a sword was held in the hand instead o f a sceptre the

, ,

h ead was decorated with a cocked hat and underneath was ,

painted in large characters G ENERAL WA S HINGTO N ,

.

There was as u sual a crowd o f folk about the door but

, , ,

none that R ip reco l lected The ve ry character o f the people

.

seemed changed There w as a busy bustling disputatious

.
, ,

tone about it instead o f the accustomed phlegm and drowsy

,

tranquillity H e looked in vain fo r the sage Nicho l as Vedder

.
,

with his broad face double chin and fair long pipe u ttering
, , ,

clouds o f tobacco -smoke instead o f idle speeches ; o r V an Bum

mel the schoolmaster doling forth the contents o f an ancient
, ,

newspaper In place of these a lean b ilio u S-looking fe l low

.
, , ,

with his po ckets full o f hand-bills was haranguing vehemently ,

about rights o f citizens elections members of congr e s s

l iberty Bunker s Hi ll heroes o f seventy-six and other

 RI P V A N W I N KL E 59

words w h ich were a perfect Babylonish j argon to the bewildered

,

Van Winkle .

T h e appearance o f R ip with his long grizz l ed beard his, ,

ru sty fow l ing-piece his uncouth dress and an army o f women

, ,

and children at his heels soon attracted the attention of the

,

tavern-po l iticians They crowded round hi m eying h i m fro m

.
,

head to foot with great curiosity The orator bustled up to .

him and drawing him partly aside inquired o n which side he
, , ,

voted ?
R ip stared in va c ant stupidity Another short but .

busy l ittl e fe llow pulled him by the arm and rising o n tiptoe , , ,

inq u ired in his ear Whether he w as Federa l o r De m ocrat ?

,

R ip w as equally at a l oss to comprehend the question ; when

a knowing se l f-imp o rtant O ld gentl eman in a sharp cocked hat
, , ,

made his way through the cro w d putting them to the right and ,

left w ith his elbows as he passed and planting himself before ,

Van Wink l e with o n e ar m akimbo the other resting o n his

, ,

c ane his keen eyes and S harp hat pen etrating as it were into
, , ,

h is very soul demanded in an austere tone w hat brought hi m

, ,

to the election with a gun o n his shoulder and a mob at his ,

heels and whether he meant to breed a riot in the village
,
?

A l as ! gentlemen cri ed R ip somewhat dismayed ,

I am , ,

a poor quiet man a native o f the pla c e and a lo y al s u bj e c t of

, ,

the king God bless him

,

Here a general shout burst from the bystanders A tory !

a to ry ! a S py ! a refugee ! hustle him ! away with him !
It
was w ith great di fculty that the self-important m an in the
cocked hat restored order ; and having assumed a tenfold , (

austerity o f brow demanded again o f the unknown c ulprit what

,

he c ame there for and whom he was seekin g ? The poor m an

,

h u m b ly assured him that he m eant no harm but mere ly came ,

there in searc h o f so m e of h is neighbors who u sed to keep ,

abo u t the tavern .

Well w h o are they name the m .

60 S H O R T S T OR I E S

R ip betho ught hi m se l f a moment and inqu i red W h ere s , ,

Nicho l as Vedder 0

T h ere w as a sil en c e for a l ittle wh i l e when an old m an rep l ied , ,

in a thin piping voice , Nicho l as Vedder ! why he is dead

: ,

and gone these eighteen years There was a wooden to mbstone

in the churchyard that used to te ll all abo u t him b u t that s ,

ro tten and go ne too .

Where s Br o m D u tcher

O h h e w ent o ff t o the army in the beg i nning o f the war ;

,

s om e say he was killed at the stor m ing o f S tony Point others

say he w as drowned in a squal l at the foot o f Ant o ny s Nose
.

I don t know

h e never came back again .

Where S Van Bummel the school m aster

?
,

H e went Off to the wars too was a great mil itia general , ,

and is now in Congress .

R ip s heart died away at hearing o f these s ad changes in his

h o me and friends and nding himself thus alone in the w or l d

,
.

Every answer puzzled him too by treating o f such enormous ,

l apses o f time and o f matters which he c ould n o t understand

,

war Congress S tony Point ; he had no courage to ask after

any more friends but cried o u t in despair Does nob o dy here
, ,

know R ip Van Winkle ?

O h R ip Van Wink l e
,
excl aimed two o r three .

O h to be sure ! t h at s R ip Van Winkle yonder l eaning

,

,

against the tree .

R ip l ooked and beheld a precise counterpart of himself as

, ,

he w ent up the mountain : apparently as lazy and certainly as ,

ragged The poor fel lo w was now comp l etely confounded

. .

H e d ou bted his o wn identity and whether he was himse l f or ,

an o t h er m an In the midst of his bewilderment the m an in th e

.
,

co cked hat dem anded who he was and what was his name ? ,

God knows exclaimed he at h is wit s end ; I m not

,

,

myself I m so m eb o dy e l se that s me yonder

n o that s
 RI P VAN W I N KL E 6 1

somebody else got into my shoes I was myself l ast night but ,

I fel l asleep o n the mountain and they v e changed my gun ,

,

and everything s changed and I m changed an d I can t tell

,

,

what s my name or wh o I am !

,

The bystanders began now to look at each other n o d w ink , ,

S ignicant ly and tap their ngers against their foreheads

, .

There was a whisper al so about securing the gun and keeping

, , ,

th e o ld fellow from doing mischief at the very suggestion of ,

which the sel f-impo rtant man in the cocked hat retired with
some precipitation At this critica l moment a fresh come ly
.
,

w oman pressed through the throng to get a peep at the gray

bearded man S he had a chubby child in her arms wh ic h
.
, ,

frightened at his l ooks began to cry Hush R ip cried she

,

.
, , ,

hush you l ittle foo l ; the Old man won t hurt you
,

The name
.

o f the c hild the air of the mother the tone o f her voice al l
, , ,

awakened a train o f recollections in his m ind What is you r .

name my good woman

,
?
asked h e .

Judith G arde m e r .

And your father s nam e ?

Ah poor man R ip Van Wink l e was hi s name b u t it s

, , ,

twenty years since he went away from home with his gun and ,

never has been h eard o f since his dog came ho m e w i thout

.
,

him ; but w hether he shot himself o r was carried away by the

Indians nobody c an tell I was then but a l ittle girl
, .

.

R ip h ad but o n e question more to ask ; and he p u t it w ith

a falterin g voice : Where s your mother ?

O h sh e too had died but a short time since ; s h e broke

,

a blood-vesse l in a t o f passion at a N e wE n gland peddler

.

There was a drop o f co m fort at l east in this intelligence , ,

.

The honest man cou l d contain himse l f n o l onger He caught .

his daughter and he r child in his arm s I am your father !

.

cried h e Young R ip Van Wink l e o nce o ld R ip Van

W i nk l e n o w ! D o es nob o dy k n ow p oo r R ip Van Wink l e ?
62 S H O RT S T O R I E S

All st oo d a m azed unti l an o l d woman totter ing o u t fro m

, ,

among the crowd put her hand to her brow and peering u nder
, ,

it in h i s fa c e for a m o ment exc l aimed Su re enough it is R ip

, ,

Van Wink l e it is himself We l c om e home again o ld neighbo r ,

-Why w here have you been these twenty l ong years ?

,

R ip s sto ry was soon told for the who l e twenty years h ad

,

been to hi m b u t as on e nigh t The neighb o rs stared when they

.

heard it ; some were seen to w ink at each other and put their ,

tongu es in their cheeks ; and the self-important man in the

cocked hat w h o when the a l arm w as over had returned to
, , ,

the eld screwed down the corners O f his mou th and shook
, ,

his head u pon w hich there w as a general shaking o f the

head throughout the assemblage .

It was determined however to take the O pini o n o f o ld Peter

, ,

V an derdo n k who was seen s lo wly advancing up the road

, He .

was a descendant of the hist orian o f that na m e who wrote o n e ,

of the earliest a c co u nts o f the provin c e Peter was the most .

ancient inhabitant o f the village and well versed I n al l the ,

wonderful events and traditions of the neighborhood H e rec o l .

le c te d R ip at once and corroborated his story in the most satis

factory m anner H e assured the company that it was a fact

.
,

handed down from his ancestor the historian that the K aatsk ill ,

M o untains had al ways been haunted by strange beings That .

it was a irm e d that the great Hendrick Hudson the rst dis ,

coverer o f the river and co u ntry kept a kind o f vigi l there ,

e v ery twenty years with his cre w of the Hal fmoon ; being
,

per m itted in this way to revisit the s c enes of his enterprise ,

and keep a guardian eye u pon the ri ver and the great city
cal led by his name That his fathe r h ad once seen them in
.

their o ld D u tch dresses playing at ninepins in a hollow o f the

mou ntain ; and that he himself had heard one summer after ,

noon the sound o f their balls like distant peals of thunder

,
.

T o m ake a long story short the co m pany broke up and ,

 RI P V AN WI N KL E 63

returned to the m o re important c oncerns o f th e el ection R ip s .

daughter took him home to li v e with her ; she had a snug we l l

furnished house and a st ou t cheery farmer for a h u sband
, ,

whom R ip recolle cted for o ne o f the u r c hins that u sed t o climb

upon h is back As t o R ip s s o n and heir w ho was the ditto of
.

,

hi m se l f seen leaning against the tree he was emp lo yed to w ork

, ,

o n the farm ; but evi n ced an hereditary disp o siti o n to attend

to anything e l se but his business .

R ip no w resumed his o ld walks and habits ; he soon fo und

m any o f his former cronies though all rather the worse for the
,

wear and tear of time ; and preferred making friends among

th e ris i ng generati o n with whom he soon grew into great favor
,
.

Hav ing nothing to do at home and being arrived at that ,

h appy age when a man c an be i d l e with impunity he took his ,

place once m o re on the bench at the inn door and was rever ,

e n ce d as o n e o f the patriarchs o f the village and a chronic l e o f ,

the old times before the war It was some time before he
.

could get into the regu l ar track of gossip o r could be made to ,

comprehend the strange events that had taken place during his
torpor How that there had been a re v olutionary war that
.

the count ry had thrown off the yoke of old England and
that instead of being a subj ect of his Maj esty George the
,

Third he was now a free citizen of the United S tates R ip in

,
.
,

fact was no po l itician ; the changes o f states and empires made

,

but l ittl e impression o n him ; but there w as o n e S pecies o f

despotism under which he had long groaned and that was ,

petticoat government Happily that was at an end ; he had

.

got his neck o u t o f the yoke o f matrimo ny and could go in ,

and o u t W hene v er b e pleased without dreading the tyranny of

,

Dame Van Winkle Whene v er her na m e was mentioned h o w

.
,

e v er he shook his head shrugged his shou l ders and cast u p

, , ,

his eyes which might pass either for an expressi o n of r esigna

,

ti on to h is fate o r j oy at his de l iveran c e

, .
64 S H O RT S T O R I E S

He u sed to tel l his story to every strange r that arrived at

Mr Doolittle s hote l H e was o bserved at rst to vary o n
.

.
, ,

some points e v ery time he to l d it whi ch was doubtless owing

, , ,

to his having s o recently awaked It at l ast settl ed d o wn pre

.

c ise ly t o the ta l e I have re l ated and n o t a man

,
woman o r , ,

child in the neighborhood b u t knew it by hea rt S ome always .

pretended to doubt the real ity O f it and insisted that R ip had

,

been o u t o f his head and that this w as o n e point o n w h ich he

,

a l ways remained igh ty The old Dutch inhabitants however

.
, ,

al mo st u niversally gave it fu ll c redit E ven to this day they

.

never hear a thunder storm o f a su m mer aftern o on ab o ut the

-

K aatsk ill but they s ay H endrick H u dson and his cre w are at
,

their ga m e o f ninepins ; and it is a comm o n wish of all hen

pecked h u sbands in the neighborhood when life hangs heavy,

o n their hands that they might h ave a qui eting d r a u g h t o ut o f

,

R ip Van Wink l e s agon

.
66 S H O RT S T O R I E S

Cna ra eterr Poe s strengt h did not lie in the creation o f

.

character H e is SO intent o n the de v elopment of the windin gs

.

and unwindings o f his story that the character s b ecome mere

puppets originated an d controlled by the needs of the p l ot
,
.

Jupiter deser v es mention as o n e of the earliest attempts made

by an American S hort story writer to portray negro character
- .

But Jupiter has been so far surpa s s ed in breadth and reality by

Joel Chandler Harris Thomas Nelson Page and a score o f , ,

others as to be al most negligible in the count In defense O f .

Jupiter s barbarous lingo which has been often criticized it

, ,

should be remembered that Poe intended him as a repre s enta

tive o f the Gullah ( or Gul l a) dialect It is the negro dialect
.
,

says Joel Chandler Harris

in its most primitiv e state the ,

Gullah talk of some o f the negroes o n the S ea Islands being

merely a confused and untranslatable mixture O f E nglish and

African words .

William Legrand though not a great o r notable chara cter in ,

any way is admirab l y tted to do what is required o f him in the

,

story Like Poe he was solita ry proud quic k-tempered and

.
, , , ,

subj ect to perv er s e moods of alte rnate enthusiasm and melan

choly . H e had also Poe s passion for puzzles Jupiter is
.

hardly more than an awkward tool fashio ned to display Le

grand s analytic and directi v e genius ; and the other character

in the story like Dr Watson in Conan Doyle s S herlock Holmes

,
.

stor i es 1S introduced merely to as k such questions as mu s t be

,

answered if the reader is to follow intelligently the unfolding of

the plot They are agents rather than characters !
.

W hat h owh at h o ! thi s f e ll o w is dan c i n g

! m ad !
He h ath b e e n b itte n by th e T aran tul a .

All in th e Wr g on

Many years ago I contracted an intimacy with a Mr William,

.

Legrand He w as of an ancient Huguenot family and had

.
,

once been wealthy ; b u t a series o f misfortunes had reduced

 TH E G O LD
B UG 67

him to want To av oid the m o rti c atio n consequent upon his

.

disaster s he left N e w O rleans the city of his forefathers , and

, ,

took up his residence at S ulli v an s Is l and near Charl eston

, ,

S outh Carolina .

This island is a v ery singular one I t consists of l i ttl e else .

than the sea sand and is about three mi l es l ong Its b readth
,
.

at no point exceeds a quarter o f a mile It is separated from .

the mainland by a scarcely perceptible creek oozing its w ay ,

through a wilde rness o f reeds and S lime a fav orite resort of ,

the marsh-hen The vegetation as might be supposed is scant

.
, , ,

or at least dw ar sh N 0 trees Of any magnitude are to be seen

. .

Near the western extremity where Fort Moultrie stands and , ,

where are some m i serable frame buildings ten anted during ,

summer by the fugitives fro m Charleston dust and fever may ,

be found indeed the bristly palmett o ; but the whole i s l and

, , ,

with the exception o f this western point and a line o f hard ,

white beach o n the seacoast is covered with a de n se u nder ,

growth O f the swee t myrtle so much prized by the h o rtic u ltu r ,

is ts o f E ngland The shrub here often attains the height o f

.

fteen o r twenty feet and forms an almost impenetrable ,

C oppice burdening the air with its fragrance

, .

In the utmost recesses of this C oppice not far from the ,

eastern o r more remote end of the island Legrand had built ,

himself a smal l hut which he occupied when I rst by mere , ,

accident made his acquaintance This soon ripened into friend

, .

ship for there w as muc h in the recl use to excite interest and
esteem I found him well educated with unusual powers of
.
,

mind but infected with misanthropy and Subj ect to perverse

, ,

m oods O f alternate enthusiasm and melancholy H e had with .

him many books but rarely employed them His chief amuse
,
.

m ents were gunning and shing or sauntering along the beach ,

and through the m y rtle s in que s t of shells or entomological

specimens ; his collection o f the l atter might have been env ied
68 S H O RT S T O R I E S

by a In these excursions he w as usually ae c o m

S wamm e rdam m .

p an ie d by an o ld negro called Jupiter w h o had been ,

m anu ,

m itte d before the reverses of the fami ly but wh o cou l d be ,

induced neither by threats n o r by promises to abandon w h at

, ,

he considered his right of attendance upon the footsteps of his

young M assa Will It is not improbable that the re l atives
.

of Legrand conceiving him to be somewhat unsettl ed in inte l

,

l ect had contriv ed to instil this obstinacy into Jupiter with a

, ,

view t o t h e supervision and guardianship of the wanderer .

The winters in the l atitude o f S ulliv an s I s l and are seldo m

ve ry severe and in the fa ll of the year it is a rare event in

,

deed when a re is considered necessary About the middle o f .

O ctober 1 8 ,
there occurred howe v er a day o f re m arkable , ,

chilliness Just before s u nset I scrambled my way through the

.

evergreens to the hut o f my friend whom I had not V isited fo r ,

severa l weeks my residence being at that time in Charleston ,

a distance o f nine miles from the island while the facilities of ,

passage and repassage were very far b ehind those of th e present

day Upon reaching the b u t I rapped as was my custom and
.
, , ,

getting no reply sought for the key where I krie w it was

,

se c reted unlocked the door and went in A ne re was b l az

, ,
.

ing upon the hearth It was a nove l ty and by no means an

.
,

u ngrateful o n e I threw Off an overcoat took an armchair by

.
,

the crackling l ogs and awaited patiently the arri v al o f my hosts

, .

S oon after dark they arri v ed and gav e me a most cordial ,

w el come Jupiter grinning from ear to ear bustled about to

.
, ,

prepare some marsh hens for supper Legrand was in o n e O f

- .

his t s how else S hal l I term th e m P O f enthusiasm He .

had found an u nknown bivalve form ing a new genus and , , ,

m ore than this h e had hunted down and secured w ith Jupi
, ,

ter s assistance a s ea ra aaens which he belie v ed to be totally

,

new but in respect to whic h he wished t o have m y O pini o n on

,

the morrow .
 T H E G O LD
BUG 69

And w hy not to-night I asked rubbing my hands ove r ,

the blaze and wishing the whole tribe o f s ea ra ba i at the devil

, .

Ah if I had only known you were here ! said Legrand
, ,

but it s so l ong since I saw you ; and how cou l d I f o resee

that yo u wou l d pay me a visit this very night o f al l others ?

A S I was coming home I met Lieutenant G from the
fort and ve ry fo ol ishly I lent him the bug ; s o it wil l be
, , ,

impossible fo r you to s e e it unti l th e morning S tay here .

t o-night and I will send Jup down fo r it at sunrise It is the

,
.

l oveliest thing in creation !

What sunrise
Nonsense ! no l the bug It is o f a brilliant gold co l or
.

about the size o f a l arge hickory-nut with two j et-black

spots near o n e extremity o f the back and another somewhat , ,

l onger at the other The a n ten n a ar e

,
.

Dey aint n o tin in him Massa Will I keep a te ll in o n , ,

y o u here interrupted Jupiter ; de bug is a g ool e-bug solid

,

, ,

e b e ry bit o f him inside and all s e p him w ing n eb er fee l

, ,

half so h ebby a bug in my l ife

.

Well suppose it is Jup replied Legrand so m ewhat more

, , , ,

earnestly it seemed to m e than the case demanded
, ,
is that ,

any reason for your letting the birds burn ? The co l or here
h e turned to me
is really almost enough to warrant Jupiter s

idea You never s aw a more brilliant metallic lustre than the

.

scales emit but o f this yo u cannot j udge til l tom o rrow In .

the m eantime I can give yo u some idea o f the shape

S aying .

this he seated himself at a small table o n wh ich were a pen

, ,

and ink but no paper H e l ooked fo r so m e in a drawer but

,
.
,

fo und none .

Never m ind said h e at l ength

,
this w i ll answer and ,

he drew from his waistcoat pocket a scrap o f w h at I t oo k

to be very dir ty foolscap and made up o n it a rough drawing
,

wi t h the p en While he did this I retai ned m y seat by the

.
,
7 0 S H O R T S T OR I E S

re f or I was still chilly When the design was com p l ete h e

,
.
,

handed it to me without rising As I received it a l ow growl .

,

was heard succeeded by a scratching at the door

,
Jupiter .

ope n ed it and a large Newfoundland belonging to Legrand

, , ,

r u shed in l eaped upon my S houlders and loaded me with

, ,

c aresses ; for I had shown him much attention during previous

visits When his gambols were o v er I looked at the paper
.
, ,

and to speak the truth found myse l f not a l ittl e puzzled at

, ,

w hat my friend had depicted .

We ll !
I said after contemp l ating it for some minutes
, ,

this is a strange s ea ra a n s I must confess ; new to me ; never ,

saw anything like it before unless it was a skull o r a death s ,

head whic h it more nearly resemb l es than anything else that

,

has come under my observation .

A death s-head echoed Legrand

O h yes wel l it ,

has something of that appearance upon paper no doubt The ,

.

two u pper black spots l ook like eyes eh ? and the longer o n e ,

at the bottom like a mouth and then the shape of the whole
is oval .

Perhaps so said I ; b u t Legrand I fear yo u are n o
, , ,

artist I must wait until I see the beetle itself if I am to form

.
,

any idea of its personal appearance .

Well I don t know said he a l ittle nettled

,

I draw, , ,
.

tolerably r/z e zdd do it at l ea s t have had good masters ,

and atter myself that I am not quite a blockhead .

But my dear fellow you are j o k ing then said I ; thi s

,

, ,

is a very passable s t a ll indeed I may say that it is a very, ,

ex cellen t skul l according to the vulgar notions about such speci

,

m ens o f physiology and your s eara bd n s must be the queerest

s ea ra ba a s in the world if it resembles it Why we may get up .
,

a very thrilling bit O f superstition upon this hint I presume .

you will cal l the bug s ea ra ba a s eap a t nom i n zlc or someth i ng of

l
,

s-h e ad b e e tle

1
S ea m ed ? p
ca nt no m i n i s , de ath .
 TH E G O LD B
UG 71

that kind there are many similar titles in the Natural His ~

tories But where are the a n ten n a you spoke o f

.

The a nten na ! said Legrand wh o seemed to be getting ,

unaccountab ly warm upon the subj ect ; I am sure you must

s e e the a n ten n a I made the m as distinct as they are in the
.

original insect and I presume that is su fcient

,

.

We ll w ell I said
,

,
perhaps you ha v e stil l I don t s e e
,

the m ; and I handed him the paper without additiona l remar k

,

not wishing to ru fe his temper ; but I was much surpri s ed

at the turn affairs had taken ; his ill humor puzzled m e and
as for the drawing of the beetle there were positively n o a n ,

ten n a visible and the whole did bear a v ery close resemblance
,

to the ordinary cuts o f a death s-h e ad

.

H e received the pape r ve ry peevishly and was about to ,

crumple it apparently to throw it in the re when a casual

, ,

glance at the design s eemed sudden ly to rivet his attention In .

an instant his face gre w v iolently red in another as excessively

pale F o r some minutes he continued to scrutinize the drawing
.

m inutely where he s at At length he arose took a candle from

.
,

the tab l e and proceeded to seat himself upon a s e a-chest in the

,

farthest corner o f the room Here again he made an anxiou s

.

examination of the paper ; turning it in all directions H e said .

nothing however and h is conduct greatly astonished me ; yet

, ,

I thought it prudent not to exacerbate the growing moodiness

of his temper by any comment Presently h e took from his .

coat pocket a wallet placed the paper carefully in it and

, ,

deposited both in a writing-desk which he locked H e now ,

.

grew more composed in his demeanor ; but his original air of

enthusiasm had quite disappeared Yet he seemed not s o much .

su l ky as abstracted As the e v ening wore away he became

.

more and more absorbed in revery from which no sallies o f ,

mine could arouse him It had been my intention to pass the

.

night at the hut as I had frequently done before but seeing

, , ,
72 S H O RT ST O RI E S

my h ost in this mood I deemed it proper to take l eave He

, .

did not press me to remain b u t as I departed he shook m y , , ,

h and with even more than his usua l cordiality .

It was about a month afte r this ( and d u ring the inte rva l I
had seen nothing O f Legrand) when I re c eived a visit at ,

Charleston from his man Jupiter I had never seen the good
, ,
.

o ld negro l ook s o dispirited and I feared that so m e seri ou s

,

disaster had befallen my friend .

Well Jup said I
,

,
what is the matter now ? ho w is
,

y o ur master ?
Why t o speak de tro o f massa hi m not s o be rry w e ll as
, , ,

mo ught be
.

N o t w el l ! I am truly sorry to hear it What d o es he .

co m p l ain o f
Dar ! dat s it ! him n eb er plain of no tin but hi m berry

sick fo r a ll dat
.

Very sick Jup i ter ! wh y did n t yo u s ay so at once ? I s

,

he c onned to bed ?

No dat h e aint h e aint nd nowb ar dat s j ust whar

,

de shoe pin ch m y mind is got to be ber ry hebby bout poor

Massa Wi ll
.

Jupiter I sho u ld like to understand what it is yo u are talk
,

ing about Yo u s ay your master is sick Has n t he told y ou

. .

what ai l s hi m ?
Why m assa taint wo rf while for to git mad bout de m atter
, ,

Massa Wil l s a n o f n at all aint de matter w id h i m but

y
den what make hi m go bout l ooking dis here w ay wid he head ,

down and he so l diers up and as white as a gose ? And t h en

,

he keeps a syphon al l de time

Keeps a w hat Jupiter ?
,

Keeps a syphon wid de ggu rs o n de s l ate de queerest

ggu rs I e bb e r did see I se gittin to be skeered I tel l yo u
.
,
.

Hab f o r to keep m ighty tight eye p o n hi m n o o v e rs Todde r .

74 S H O RT STO R I E S

How I know ? why cause he talk about it in he sleep ,

dat s h o w I nose

.

Well Jup perhaps yo u are right ; but to what fortunate

, ,

circumstances am I to attribute the honor of a visit from you

-
to day ?

What de m atter massa ,

Did you bring any message from Mr Legrand .

No m assa I bring dis here p issel

,
and here Jupiter
,

handed me a note which ran thus

MY D E AR W hy h ave I n o t s ee n yo u fo r s o l o n g a ti m e ?
I h o p e yo u h av e n o t b ee n s o f o oli s h as to tak e O ffen s e at an y littl e
bru s q u eri e o f m i n e ; b u t n o that is i m p r o b abl e , .

Sin ce I s aw yo u I h av e h ad g re at c au s e fo r an x i e ty I hav e s o m e .

thin g to tell y ou ye t s carc el y kn ow how to tell it o r whe ther I s h ould

, ,

tell it at all .

I hav e n ot b e e n q uite well for s o m e days p as t an d p o o r Old J u p ,

ann oy s m e al m o s t b e y o nd en duranc e by h is we ll -m e ant attenti o ns

, , .

W o ul d yo u b eli ev e it ? -h e had p re p ared a huge s ti ck th e o th er ,

day with whi c h t o c h as ti s e m e f o r gi v in g h im th e s li p and s p e n din g

, ,

the day S Ot S am o n g th e hill s o n th e m ainlan d I v erily b eli ev e

, ,
.

that m y ill l o o k s al o n e s av e d m e a o gg i n g .

I have m ade n o additi on to my c ab ine t s inc e we m e t .

I f you c an in an y way m ak e it c o n v e n i e n t co m e o ve r with

, , ,

J u p ite r D e c o m e I wi sh to s ee yo u to n iglz t u p o n b u s in e ss o f
. .
,

i m p o rtanc e I assure yo u that it is o f th e li ignes t i m p o rtan ce

. .

E v er y o urs ,

W ILLIA M LE GRAND
There was something in the tone of this note which gave me
great uneasiness Its who l e style differed materially from that
.

o f Legrand What could he be dreaming of ? What new

.

crotchet possessed his excitab l e brain ? What business of the

h ighest importance cou l d b e possibly hav e to transa c t ? Jupi
ter s account o f him boded no good I dreaded lest the con

.

tin ue d press u re o f misfo rtune h ad at l ength fairly unsett l ed the , ,

 TH E
I
G O LD
BUG 75

r eas o n of my fri end Withou t a m om ent s hesitati on therefore

.

, ,

I prepared to acco m pany the negro .

Upon rea ching the wharf I noticed a scythe and three ,

spades all apparently new lying in the bottom Of the boat i n

, ,

which we were to embark .

What is the meaning o f al l this Jup I inquired ,

.

Him syf e massa and S pade

, ,
.

Ve ry true ; but what are they doing here ?

Hi m de syfe and de spade what Massa Wil l s is pon my

buy i ng for him in de town and de debbil s o wn lo t o f money ,

I had to gib for em .

But what in the name of al l that is m ysterious is y ou r

, ,

Massa Wil l going to do with scythes and spades ?

Dat s more dan

know and debb il take m e if I d o n t ,

be l ie v e t is m ore dan h e kn o w t oo B u t it s all cum Ob de

,
.

bug .

Findin g that no satisfaction was to be obtained o f Jupiter ,

whose whole intellect seemed t o be absorbed by de bug I

,

now stepped into the boat and made sail With a fair and .

str o ng b reeze we soon ran int o the l itt l e c ove to the northward
o f Fo rt Moultrie and a w a l k of some two miles brought u s t o
,

the hut It was about three in the afternoon when we arrived

. .

Legrand had been awaiting us in eager expectation He grasped .

my hand with a ner v ou s emp ressei n en t which a l arm ed me and ,

strengthened the suspicions already entertained His c o u n te .

nance was pale even to ghastliness and h is deep-se t eyes glared ,

with unnatural l ustre After some inquiries respecting his .

health I a s ked him not knowing what better t o s ay if he h ad

, , ,

yet obtained the s ea ra ba ns from Lieutenant G

O h yes h e replied coloring violently I go t it from hi m
, , , ,

the next morning Nothing should tempt m e to part with that

.

sea ra ea n s Do yo u know that Jupiter is quite right about i t ?

.

I n w hat w ay ?
I asked with a sad foreboding at h ea rt , .
7 6 S H O RT ST O R I E S

In suppos i ng i t to be a bug o f rea l geld He said th i s .

with an air o f profo u nd seriousness and I felt inexpressib ly ,

shocked .

This bug iS to make my fortune he continued with a , ,

triumphant smile to reinstate me in my family possessions
, .

I s it any wonder then that I priz e it ? S ince Fortune has

, ,

thought t to bestow it upon me I hav e only to u se it properly ,

and I shall arrive at the gold o f which it is the index J u piter .

,

bring me that s ea ra ba as
What ! de bug massa ? I d rudder not go fer tru bble dat
,

o u mus git him fo r your o wn se l f

bug y H ereupon Legrand .

arose with a grave and stately air and brought me the beetle
, ,

from a glass case in which it was enclosed It was a beautifu l .

sea ra ea ns and at that time unkno wn to naturalists

, , o f course ,

a great prize in a scientic point o f V iew There were two .

round b l ack spots near o ne extremity o f the back and a l ong

, ,

o n e near the other The scales w ere exceedingly hard and

.

gl ossy w ith al l the appearance o f burnished gold The w eight

, .

o f the insect w as very remarkab l e and taking a ll things into , ,

consideration I could hardly blam e Jupiter for his O pinion

,

respecting it ; h i t w hat to make o f Legrand s agree m ent with

that O pini o n I could n o t for the life of me te ll

, , ,
.

I sent for you said he in a grandiloquent tone w hen I

, , ,

had completed my examination of the beetle I sent for you ,

that I m ight hav e your counsel and assistance in furtheri ng the

views o f Fate and O f the bug

My dear Legrand I cried interrupting him y o u are , , ,

certainly u nwell and had better use some l ittle precautions

,
.

Yo u shall go to bed and I will remain with yo u a few days , ,

u ntil you get over this You are feverish and .

Feel my pulse said he , .

I felt it and to s ay the truth found n o t the slightest

, , ,

i ndication O f fever .
 TH E G O LD B
UG 77

B u t yo u may be il l and yet have no feve r A ll o w m e ,

.

this once to prescribe for you In the rst p l ace go to bed .

,
.

In th e next
Yo u are m istaken he interposed I am as well as I can
, ,

expect to be under the excite m ent which I suffer If yo u really .

wish m e wel l you wil l re l iev e this excite m ent

,
.

And how is this to be done ?
Ve ry easily Jupiter and m yself are going u po n an exp e
.

dition into the hi ll s u pon the mainland and in this expedition

, , , ,

we shal l need the aid o f some person in who m we can conde .

Yo u are the on l y o ne we c an tru st Whether we succeed o r .

fail the ex c ite m ent which y ou n o w per c eive i n me wil l be

,

eq u ally allayed
.

I am anxious to ob l ige yo u in any way I replied ; b u t ,

do you mean to s ay that this infernal beetl e has any c onnection

with yo u r expedition into the hi l l s
.

It has .

Then Legrand I c an become a party to no s u ch abs u rd

, ,

pro c eeding .

I am s o rry very sorry for we shal l have to try it by

o u rse l ves
.

T ry it by yourse l ves ! The man is surely m ad l but
stay how lo ng d o yo u propose to be absent ?

Pr o bab ly all night We S hall start i m m ediate ly and be

.
,

back at all events by s u n rise

,

,
.

And wi ll y ou pr o mise m e upon yo u r h o n o r t h at wh en this

,

freak o f yo u rs is over and the bug bus i ness (go o d God settl ed
to your satisfaction yo u will then return h o me and fol low m y
,

advice i mpli citly as that o f your p h ysician

,

Yes ; I promise ; and no w let u s be o ff f o r we have n o ,

time to l ose
.

With a heavy heart I accompanied m y friend We started

'

ab ou t fou r o clo ck Legrand Jupiter the dog and myself

, , ,
.
7 8 S H O RT S T O R I E S

J u pite r h ad wit h hi m the scythe and spades the w h o l e o f

which he insisted upon carrying m ore thro u gh fear it seemed
, ,

to m e o f t rusting either of the im p l e m ents w ithin reach o f h is

,

master than fro m any excess o f indust ry or compl ai s an c e His

, .

demeanor w as d ogged in the extreme and dat d d bug ,

were the so l e w ords which escaped his lips d u r i ng the journey .

For m y o wn part I had charge o f a couple o f dark l anterns

, ,

whi l e Legrand contented himself with the s ea f a ea ns which h e ,

carried attached to the end o f a bit of whip-cord ; twir l ing it to

and fro with the a i r o f a conj uror as he went When I
, , .

O bserved this l ast p l ain evidence o f my friend s aberration o f

,

m ind I coul d scar c ely refrain from tears I thought it best

, .
,

however to humo r h is fancy at least for the present or unti l

, , ,

I could adopt some more energetic measures with a chance o f

success In the meantime I endeavored but al l in vain to sound
.
, ,

him in regard to the O bj ect o f the expedition Having succeeded .

in inducing me to acco m pany him he seemed unwilling to hold,

conversation upon any topic o f minor importance and to all my ,

questions vouchsafed no other reply than We S hall s e e 1

We crossed the creek at the head o f the island by means o f

a skiff and ascending the high grounds o n the shore of the
, ,

mainland proceeded in a northwesterly direction through a

, ,

tract of c o u ntry excessively wild and desolate where no trace ,

o f a human fo o tstep was to be seen

'

Legrand le d th e w ay .

with decision ; pausing only for an instant here and there to , ,

consult what appeared to be certain landmarks o f his own

c ontrivance upon a former occasion .

In this manner w e j ourneyed for about tw o hours and the ,

s u n w as j ust setting when we entered a region innitely more

dreary than any yet seen I t was a species of table-land near

.
,

the summit o f an almost inaccessible hill densely wooded fro m ,

base to pinnacle and interspersed with huge crags that appeared

,

to l ie l oosely upon the soil and in many cases were prevented

,
 TH E G O LD -
BUG
79

fro m precipitating themselves into the v a l leys below mere ly by

the support o f the trees against which they recl ined Deep .

ravines in va ri ous directions gave an air of sti ll sterner so l e m

, ,

ni t
y to the scene .

The natu ra l p l atform to whi ch we h ad cl a m bered was thick ly

overgrown with bramb l es thro u gh which we soon discovered ,

that it wou l d h av e been impossib l e to force o u r w ay b u t fo r the

scythe ; and Jupiter by direction o f his master proceeded to
, ,

c lear for us a path to th e foot o f an i m mense ly l arge tulip-tree ,

whi c h stood with so m e eight or ten oaks upon the l eve l and
, , ,

far su rpassed them al l and al l oth er trees which I h ad then ever

,

seen in the beauty of its fo l iage and for m in the w ide spread of
, ,

its branches and in the genera l m aj esty o f its appearance When

,
.

w e reached this tree Legrand turned to Jupiter and asked h im

, ,

if he thought he could c l imb it The Ol d man seemed a l ittle .

staggered by the question and for some m o m ents made no ,

rep ly At l ength h e approached the huge t runk walked slo wly

.
_ ,

around it and examined it with m inute attention W h en h e had

,
.

c omp l eted his scrutiny b e merely said ,

Yes massa Jup climb any tree he e bb er s e e in he li fe

, ,
.

Then up with yo u as so o n as possible fo r i t w il l s oo n be to o ,

dark to see w h at we are abo u t

.

How far mus go up massa inquired Jupiter , .

Get up the m ain trunk rst and then I wi ll tel l yo u which ,

way to go and here stop take this beetl e with you

.

De bug M assa Will l de goo l e -bug

,
cried the negr o ,

drawing back in dis m ay what fo r m us tote de bug w ay u p

de tre e ? d n if I do !
If y are afraid
ou Jup a great big negr o l ike
,
y ou t o take , ,

hol d o f a harm l ess l ittle dead beetle why you can carry it up , ,

by this string -but if you do not take it up with you in s om e

,

w ay I shal l be under the necessity of breaking your head with

,

this shove l .
80 S H O RT ST O R I E S

What de m atte r n o w massa sa i d J u p evidently s h am ed

, ,

i nto co m pliance ; a l ways want fur to raise fuss w i d old nigger .

Was o nly fu nn in anyhow jl/e feered de b u g ! w h at I kee r for

.

de bug ? H ere h e took cautious l y ho l d o f the extre m e en d o f

the stri ng and m aintaining the i nsect as far from his pers o n as
, ,

ci rcum stances wou l d perm it prepared to ascend the tree , .

In youth the tu l ip tree o r [ irioden dron Tn lzjeifera the m o st

-
'

, , ,

m agni c ent o f A m erican foresters has a trunk peculiarly smooth , ,

and o ften r i ses to a great h eight w i th ou t l atera l bran ch es ; but

i n i ts ripe r age th e bark be com es gnarl ed and u neven w hile
many short l i m bs m ake their appearance on the stem T h u s .

the di fculty of ascension in the present case l ay more in s e m

, ,

b l ance than i n real ity Em braci ng t h e h uge cylinder as clo se ly

.
,

as p o ssib l e wi t h his arm s and knees seizing with his h ands

, ,

s o me proj e c tions and restin gh is naked toes u pon others Jupi

, ,

te r afte r o n e o r two narro w escapes from falling at l ength

, ,

wri ggl ed h i m sel f i nto the rst great fork and seemed to consider ,

th e wh ol e b u s i ness as virt u a l ly a cc o m p l ished The me of the .

a chi eve m ent w as in fact n o w over a l th ou gh the climber w as

, , ,

s om e sixty o r seventy feet fro m the gr o und .

Which way m us go now Massa Will ? he asked

,
.

Keep u p the l argest branch the one on this side sa id , ,

Legr and The negro obeyed hi m promptly and apparently w ith

.
,

but l ittl e troub l e as c ending h igh er and h igher unt il no glimpse o f

, ,

his squat gure c ould be obtai ned thr o ugh the dense foliage which
enveloped i t Presentl y his voice w as h eard i n a s ort o f h alloo
. .

How m uch fudder is got for go ?

How high up are you ? asked Legrand .

Ebb er so fur

replied t h e negro ; c an see de sky fru de
,

top o b de tree .

Never mind the sk y but attend to what I s ay Look down

, .

the trunk and count the limbs below you on this side H OW .

many l im bs have you passed ?

82 S H O RT ST O RI E S

By yo u rse l f wh at do yo u m ean ?

Why I m ean de bug T is eerry hebby bug S pose I drop

, . .

him down fuss and den de limb wo n t break w id j ust de w eigh t

,

o b o ne nigger .

Yo u infernal scoundrel ! c ri ed Legrand apparently much ,

relieved w hat do yo u mean by telling me such nonsense as
,

that ? As s u re as yo u l et that beetl e fall I ll break your neck ,

.

Look h ere Jupiter ! do you hear me

,

Ye s massa need n t hollo at poor nigger dat s ty l e

, , .

We ll ! no w l isten if yo u wil l venture out o n the l imb as

far as yo u think safe and not let go the beet l e I ll make yo u a
, ,

present o f a S i l ver dollar as soon as you get down

.

I m gwine Massa Will deed I is rep l ied the negro very
, ,

promptly m ost o u t to the e e n d now

.

Ou t to Me en d here fair ly screamed Legrand do yo u ,

say yo u are o u t to the end o f that limb ?

S o o n be to de e en d massa -O h l Lo rgo la-marcy !

, ,

what is dis here pon de tree

Well ! cried Legrand highly delighted what is it ?
, ,

Why taint n u f n but a skull

,
somebody bin l ef hi m
head u p de tree and de crows done gobb l e e b e ry bit o b de
,

m eat o ff .

A skull you s ay very wel l

,
h o w is it fastened to the
l imb What h olds i t o n ?

S ure nu ff massa ; mus lo ok Why dis be rry eu rous s ar

, .
,

c u m s tan ce p o n m y w ord dare s a great big nail i n de skul l

, ,

w hat fastens o b it o n to de tree

.

We ll now Jupiter do exact ly as I tel l yo u
, ,
d o you h ear ?

Yes m assa
,
.

Pay attention then n d the l eft eye o f the skull

,
.

Hum ! h oo ! dat s good ! why dar aint no eye l ef at all

,
.

Curse your stupidity ! do you kno w your right hand fro m

y o u r left ?

 TH E G O LD
BUG 83

Yes I nose dat

,
nose all bo u t dat
t is m y l ef hand

wh at I chops de wo o d wid .

To be sure ! y ou ar e l eft-handed ; and your l eft eye i s on

the same side as y ou r l eft hand Now I suppose yo u can nd
.
,

the l eft eye of t h e sku ll o r t h e p l ace w here the l eft eye h as

,

been Have y ou found i t

.
?

Here was a l ong pause At l ength the negro asked I s de

.
,

l ef eye o f de sku ll p o n de same side as de l ef h and of de

sku ll to o ? -cau se de sk ull aint got not a bit Ob a h and at
,

al l n ebb e r mind ! I go t de l ef eye no w here de l ef eye !

what m ust do wid it ?

Let the beetl e drop thro u g h i t as fa r as th e st ri ng will,

reach but be c arefu l and not l et go you r ho l d of th e

string .

Al l dat done Massa Wil l ; migh ty ea sy ting fo r to p u t de

,

bug fru de hole l ook o u t for him dar be l ow !

During this colloquy no portion of Jupiter s person c o u ld

be seen ; but the beetle which he had s u ffered to descend

, ,

was now visib l e at the end o f the string and g l istened l ike a ,

globe O f burnished gold in the l ast rays o f the setting s u n ,

some o f which still faintly illumined the eminen c e u pon w hich

we stood The sea ra ba n s hung quite cl ear o f any branches
.
,

and if allowed to fall wo ul d have fall en at o u r feet Legrand

, , .

immediately took t h e scythe and cl eared with it a circu l a r

,

space three o r four yards in diameter j u st beneath the insect

, , ,

and h aving ac co m plished this ordered Jupiter to l et go t h e

, ,

string and c ome down from th e tree .

D riving a peg w ith great nicety i nt o the gr o und at the

, ,

precise spot whe r e the beet l e fel l m y friend n o w prod uc ed ,

fr om his po cket a tape measure Fastening o ne en d o f this at

- .

that point o f t h e trunk o f the tree which was nearest t h e peg ,

he unro ll ed it ti ll i t reached the peg and thence farther u m ,

ro ll ed it in the dire c tio n already establis h ed by the two points

,
84 S H O RT ST O RI E S

of the tree and the peg for the distance of fty feet Jup i te r
,

clearing away the brambles with the scythe At the spot thus .

attained a second peg was dri v en and about this as a centre , , ,

a rude circle about four feet in diameter described Taking

, , .

now a spade himself and giving o n e to Jupiter and o n e to me

, ,

Legrand begged us to s e t about digging as quickly as possible .

To speak the truth I had no especial re l ish for such amuse

,

ment at any time and at that particular moment wou l d mo s t

, , ,

willingly hav e declined it ; for the night was coming on and I ,

'

fel t much fatigued with the exercise already taken ; but I saw
no mode of escape and w as fearfu l of disturbing my poor
,

friend s equanimity by a refusal Could I h ave depended in

.
,

deed upon Jupiter s aid I would ha v e had no hesitation in

,

,

attempting to get the lunatic home by force ; but I was too

wel l assured o f the old negro s disposition to hope that he

wou l d assist me under any circumstances in a personal con

, ,

test with his master I made no doubt that the latter had been
.

infected with some o f the innumerable S outhern superstitions

about money buried and that his fantasy had received c o n
,

rm atio n by the nding of the s ea ra lf a n s o r perhaps by Jupi , , ,

ter s obstinacy in maintaining it to be a bug o f rea l gold

.

A mind disposed to lunacy would readily be led away by such

suggestions espe c ially if chiming in with favorite precon c eived
,

ideas ; and then I called to mind the poor fellow s speech about

the beetle s being the index o f h is fortune

Upon the wh o le .
,

I was sadly vexed and puzzled but at l ength I concl uded to ,

make a virtue o f necessity to dig with a good will and th u s ,

the sooner to convince the V isionary by ocu l ar dem o nstration , ,

of the fallacy o f the O pinions he entertained .

The lanterns ha v ing been lit we al l fel l to work with a zeal ,

worthy a more rational cause ; and as the glare fel l upon o u r ,

persons and implements I could not help thinking how pic tu r

,

esque a group we composed and how strange and s u sp i ci ou s ,

An o ri gi n al illu s trat i o n f o r
T h e G o l d-B u g, p
u b l is h e d with t h e t e t x
fo r Poe
s o n e p y
h u n dre d-do llar- riz e s t o r in t h e Pni la delp /z i a D o lla r
z l/iew sp ap e r fo r W e dn e s da y , Ju n e 28 , 1 8 43 .Th e illu s t rat i o n s w e re b y
F . O . C . D arle y , th e P h ilade lp h ia art is t re t ai n e d b
y Po e t o i llu s t rat e th e

S ty lu s , w h i c h ne v er a pp e are d . F m l ro a e of th e D o lla r N ew sp ap er .

( C o u rte s y of th e M yl d H i t
ar an s o ri c al S o c ie ty )
An o ri gi n al illu s trati o n f o r T h e G o ld-B u g, p u b lis h e d with th e t e t x
for Po e s
o ne- h u n dre d- do llar- riz e s to r i n p y th e Pni la delp ni a D o lla r
N ew sp aper f o r W e dn e s da y , June 28 , 1 8 43T h e illu s t rat io n s w e re b y
.

F . O . C . D arle y , th e P h ilade lp h ia artis t re tain e d b y Po e t o illu s t rat e t h e

S ty lu s , w h i c h ne v er a pp e are d .F ro m a le of th e D o lla r N ew sp ap er .

( C o u rt e s y of th e M yl ar an d Hi s t o ri c al S o c i e ty )
 TH E G O LD
BUG 85

o u r l ab o rs must have appeared to any interloper who by ,

chance might hav e stumbled up o n o u r whereabouts

, .

We dug ve ry steadily for two hours Littl e was said ; and .

our chief embarrassment l ay in the ye l pings o f t h e dog w ho ,

took exceeding interest in o u r proceedings He at l engt h b e .

, ,

came so O bstreperous that we grew fearfu l O f his giving the

alarm to some straggl ers in the vic inity ; o r rather this w as , ,

the apprehension o f Legrand ; for m yse l f I shou l d have re ,

o ic e d at any interru ption which might have enab l ed m e to get

j
the w anderer home The noise was at l ength very effe c t u al ly
.
, ,

sil en c ed by Jupiter w ho getting o u t o f the h ol e w ith a dogged

, ,

air Of deliberation tied the bru te s m outh up w it h o n e o f h is

,

suspenders and then returned wit h a grave c h uck l e t o h is task

, , , .

When the time m entioned had expired we had rea ch ed a ,

depth o f ve feet and yet n o signs o f any treasure becam e

,

manifest A genera l pau se ensued and I began to h ope th at

.
,

the farce was at an end Legrand h owever a l though ev i dently .

, ,

much disconcerted w i ped h is bro w th o ughtfu lly and re co m

,

m en ce d We had excavated the entire c ir cl e o f fo ur feet dia m e

.

ter and n o w we s l ight ly en l arged the l imit and went t o the

, ,

farth er depth o f two feet S til l not h ing appeared The go l d . .

seeker who m I sincere ly pitied at l ength cl ambered fro m the

, ,

pit with the bitterest disappoint m ent imprinted u pon eve ry

,

feature and proceeded s l o wly and re l uctantly to p u t on h is

,

coat wh ich h e had thr o wn o ff at the begi nning of his l abo r

,
.

In the meantime I made no remark Jupiter at a signal fro m .

,

his master began to gather up his tools This done and the
,
.
,

dog having been u nmuzzled we turned in pr o fo und si len c e ,

towards home .

We h ad taken perhaps a d o zen steps in this direction when

, , , ,

with a l oud oath Legrand str o de up to Jupiter and seized hi m

, ,

by the collar The astonished negro O pened his eyes and m outh
.

to the fu ll est extent l et fal l the spades and fel l upon his knees
, , .
86 S H O R T S T OR I E S

Yo u sco u ndrel said Legrand hissing o u t the syll ab l es

,

fro m between his cl enched teeth you infernal b l ack villain !

speak I tel l you
, answer me this instant w itho u t prevari ,

c ation which which is your l eft eye ?

O h my go lly Massa Wil l ! aint dis here my l ef eye f o r

, ,

sartain ? roared the te r r i ed Jupiter placing his hand upon

,

his rignt organ o f visi o n and holding it there with a desperate

,

pertinacity as i f i n im m ediate dread o f his m aster s atte m pt

,

at a go uge .

I thought s o ! I knew i t ! Hurrah ! vociferated Legrand

,

l etting the negro go and executing a series o f curvets and

,

cara co l es mu ch t o the ast o nishment o f his valet wh o arising

, , ,

fro m his knees loo ked mu tely fr o m his master to myse l f and
, ,

then fro m m yself to his master .

Co m e ! w e m ust go back said the l atter the gam e s, ,

not up yet and h e again l ed the way to the tu l ip-tree .

J u piter said he w hen w e rea ched its foot

, ,
come here ! ,

Was t h e skul l nailed t o the l i m b w it h t h e fa c e ou t w ard o r ,

with t h e face to the l imb ?

D e fa c e was o ut m assa so dat de crows coul d get at de

, ,

eyes good wido u t any trouble
, .

Well then was it this eye o r that through w h ic h yo u
, ,

dropped t h e beetl e ?
h ere Legrand touched each of J u piter s

eyes .

T was dis eye Massa de l ef eye ji s as yo u te ll me

, ,

and here it was his right eye that the negro indi c ated .

That wil l do we m ust try it again

.

Here my friend about whose madness I now saw or

, , ,

fancied that I s aw c ertain indication s of method removed the

, ,

peg which marked the spot where the beetle fel l to a spot ,

about three inches to the westward o f its former position .

Taking now the tape-measure from the nearest point o f the

, ,

tru nk to the peg as before and continuing the extension in a

, ,
88 S H O RT ST O R I E S

I st um b l ed and fell forward hav ing caught the toe o f my,

b oo t in a l arge ring o f iron that lay half buried in the l oose

earth .

We n ow wo rked i n earnest and never did I pass ten m in u tes

,

o f more intense excitement During this interval we had fairly

.

unearth ed an oblong ches t o f wood which from its perfect , ,

preservation and wonderful hardness had plainly been s u b ,

j ec t e d to some mineralizing process perhaps that o f the
bich l oride o f mercury This box was three feet and a hal f
.

l ong three feet broad and two and a half feet deep It was
, , .

rmly secured by bands o f wrought iron riveted and form ing , ,

a kind o f trellis-work over the who l e O n each side o f the .

chest near the top were three rings o f iron s ix in all by

, ,

m eans o f wh i ch a rm hold could be obtained by s ix persons .

O ur u tm ost united endeavors served only to disturb the co ffer

ve ry slightly in its bed We at once s aw the impossibi l ity o f
.

r emo ving s o great a w e ight Luckily the sole fastenin gs o f

.
,

the l id consisted o f two S liding bolts These we dre w back .

tremb l ing and panting with anxiety In an instant a treasure .

,

o f incalcu l able value l ay gleaming before us As the rays o f .

the lanterns fel l within the pit there ashed upwards fro m , ,

a confused heap o f gold and o f j ewels a gl o w and a glare that ,

abso l ute ly dazzled o u r eyes .

I S hal l n o t pretend to describe the feelings with which I

'

gazed Amazement w as o f course predominant Legrand

.
, ,
.

appeared exhausted with excitement and S poke very fe w w ord s ,

.

Jupiter s countenance wore fo r some minutes as deadly a pallor

, ,

as it is possib l e in the nature o f things for any negro s V isage

, ,

t o assume H e seem ed s tu pe e d thunder stricken Presently

.
- .

h e fell upon his knees in the pit and burying his naked arms , ,

u p to the elbows in gold let them there remain as if enj oying

, ,

the lu xury o f a bath At l ength with a deep sigh he excl ai m ed

.
, , ,

as if in a soliloquy :
 TH E G O L D
BUG 89

And d i s all cu m ob de goole-bug ! de putty goo l e-bug ! de

poor little goole b u g what I boosed in dat sab age kind o b style !
-
,

Aint you shamed ob y o ursel f nigger answer m e dat ,

I t became necessary at l ast that I sho ul d ar ou se b o th m aste r

, ,

and valet t o the expediency o f removing the treasure It w as .

growing l ate and i t behooved u s to mak e exertion that w e

, ,

might get everything h o used before day l ight It was di fcu l t .

to say what should be done and much time w as S pent in de l ibera ,

tion s o confused were the ideas o f all We nal ly l ightened .

the box by removing two -thirds o f its contents w hen we w ere ,

enabled with some trouble to raise it fro m the h ol e The

, ,
.

articles taken o u t were deposited among the bramb l es and the ,

dog l eft to gu ard them with strict orders fr o m Jupiter neither

, ,

upon any pretence to stir from the spot nor to open his m outh
, ,

unti l o u r return We then hu rriedly m ade for home w ith t h e

.

chest reaching the hut in safe ty but after ex c essive toi l at

:

l
, ,

o n e 0 clo ck in the morning Worn o u t as we were it was not .

,

in human nature to do m ore j ust no w We rested u nti l two and .

,

had supper ; starting for the hil l s immediate ly afterwards armed ,

with three stout sacks whic h by goo d l uck w ere u po n t h e prem

,

ise s
. A little before four w e arrived at the pit divided the ,

remainder o f the booty as equally as might be a m ong u s and

, , , ,

leav ing the ho l es unlled again se t out for the hut at which, , ,

for the se cond time we deposited o u r g o lden b u rdens j ust as

, ,

the rst streaks of the dawn gleamed fr o m over the tree-tops

in the east .

We were now thoroughly broken dow n ; but the intense

excitement o f the time denied us repose After an unquiet .

slumber of some three or four hours duration we ar o se as if

, ,

by preconcert to make examination o f o u r treas u re

, .

The chest had been full to the brim and w e spent the whole ,

day and the gre ater part of the next night in a s crutiny o f its
, ,

contents There had been nothing l ike order o r arrangement

. .
9 0 S H O RT S T O R I E S

Everything h ad been heaped in pr o miscuously Having as s o rt ed .

al l with care we found ourselves possessed o f even vaster w eal t h

,

than w e had at rst supposed In coin there was rathe r more .

than four hundred and fty th o usand dollars estimating the

value O f the pieces as accurately as we cou l d by the tables o f
, ,

the period There w as not a particl e o f sil ver Al l was gold

. .

o f antiq u e date and o f great variety : French S panish and , ,

German m o ney w ith a few E nglish gui neas and s o me co u nters

, ,

o f whic h w e had never seen specime n s before There were .

several very large and heavy coins so worn t h at w e c o u ld m ak e ,

'

nothing of their inscriptions There was no American money

. .

The va l ue o f the j ewe l s we found more di fc ul ty in esti m ating .

There were diamonds some o f them exceedingly large and

n e a hundred and ten in al l and n o t o n e of the m smal l ; ,

eighteen rubies o f remarkab l e brilliancy ; three hundred and ten

emera l ds a ll very beautiful ; and twenty o n e sapphires w it h an
,
-
,

opa l T h ese stones had al l been broken fro m their se ttings and
.

thrown l oose in the chest The settings themse l ves which we

.
,

picked o ut from among the o ther gold appeared to have been ,

beaten u p with h ammers as if to prevent identi c ation Besides

,
.

all this there w as a vast quantity o f solid go l d ornaments

,

near ly two hundred massive nger and ear rings rich chains
-

thirty of these if I remember ; eighty-three very l arge and heavy

,

cru cix e s ; v e g o ld censers o f great value ; a pr o digious golden

punch-b o w l ornamented wit h rich ly chased vine-leaves an d

,

Ba c chanalian gures ; with two sword handles exquisite ly e m

- f

b o ssed and many other smal ler articles which I cannot reco llect
,
.

The weight o f these valu ab l es ex c eeded three hundred and fty

p ou nds avoirdu pois ; and in this estimate I have not included
o n e h undred and nine ty- seven superb gold watches ; three o f
th e n u mber being worth each ve hundred dollars if o n e ,
.

Many o f them were very O ld and as time-keepers val ueless the

, ,

works having suffered more o r l ess fro m corrosion ; but al l were

92 S H O RT S T O R I E S

Presently I took a cand l e and Seating myself at the othe r end , ,

o f the room proceeded to scrutinize the parchment more closely

, .

Upon turning it o v er I saw my o wn sketch upon the reverse

, ,

j ust as I had made it My rst idea now was mere surprise

.
, ,

at the really remarkable similarity O f o u tline at the si n gular

coincidence i nvo l ved in the fact that unknown to me there , ,

shoul d have been a skul l u pon the other side o f the parchment ,

immediate ly beneath my gure o f the s ea ra oa n s and that thi s ,

sku l l not on ly in outline but i n size S hould s o closely resemble

, , ,

m y dra wing I s ay the singu l arity of this coincidence absolutely

.

s tu p e e d m e for a time This is the usual e ffect o f such co in c i

.

de n ce s . The mind struggles to establish a conne c tion a

sequen c e o f cause and effect and being unable t o do s o , ,

su ffers a species o f temporary paralysis But when I recovered .

,

fro m this stupor t h ere dawned upon me gradual ly a conviction

,

which startled me even far more than the coincidence I began .

distinct l y positiv ely to remember that there had been n o draw

, ,

ing o n the parchment when I made my sketch o f the s ea ra oa n s .

I becam e perfectly certain o f this ; for I recollected turning up

rst o n e side and then the oth e r i n se arc h o f the c l eanest S pot , .

Had the sku ll been then there O f cour s e I c ou l d not have failed
,

to notice it H ere was indeed a mystery which I felt i t im p o s

.

sible to exp l ain ; but even at that early moment there seemed
, ,

to glimmer faintly within the most remote and secret chambers

, ,

of my intel l ect a glow-worm -like conception o f that truth which

,

l ast night s adventure brought to s o magnicent a demonstra

tion I arose at once and putting the parchment securely away

.
, , ,

dismissed al l farther reection until I should be alone .

When yo u had gone and when Jupiter was fast asleep I , ,

betook my s elf to a more methodical in v e s tigation of the affair .

In the rst place I considered the manner in which the parch

ment had come into my possession The spot where we dis .

co v ered the s ea ra oa ns was o n the coast of t h e m ainland about ,

 THE G O LD
BUG 93

a m i l e eastward O f the i sland and but a short distance above ,

high-water mark Upon m y taking hold o f it it gav e me a sharp

.
,

bite w hich caused m e to l et it drop Jupiter wit h his accus

,
.
,

to m e d caut i on before seizing t h e insect wh ich h ad own

, ,

towards him l ooked about h im for a l eaf o r something o f that

, ,

natu re by wh ic h to take hold o f i t I t was at this m oment that

,
.

his eyes and mine al s o fe ll u pon the scrap o f parchment which

, , ,

I then supposed to be paper It w as lying half-buried in the .

sand a corner sticking up Near t h e spot where we fo u nd it

,
.
,

I observed the remnants of the hul l o f w h at appeared to have

been a ship s l ong boat The wreck seemed to have been there

.

for a very great while ; for the resemb l ance to boat timbers
could scarcely be traced .

Well Jupiter pi cked up the parchment w rapped t h e beetle

, ,

i n it and gav e it to m e S oon afterw ards we turned to go h ome

,
.
,

and o n the way met Lieutenant G I showed h im the

insect and he begged me to l et h im take it to the fort O n my
,
.

consentin g he thrust it forthwit h i nto h is w aistcoat pocket

, ,

w ithout the parchment in which it had been wrapped and which ,

I had continued to hold in my hand during his inspection Per .

hap s he dreaded my changing my mind and thought it best to ,

m ake sure o f the prize at once you know ho w ent h usiastic

he is o n al l subj ects connected with Natural History At the .

same time without being conscious o f it I must have dep o s i ted

, ,

the parchm ent in my o wn pocket .

Yo u re m e mbe r th at wh en I w ent to the tab l e fo r th e ,

purpose o f making a sket ch o f the beet le I found no paper ,

where it w as u sually kept I l ooked in the drawer and found

.
,

none there I searched m y pockets hoping to nd an old l etter

.
, ,

and then m y hand fel l upon the parchment I thus detai l the .

precise mode in which it came into my pos s ession ; fo r t h e

C ircumstances impressed m e with peculiar force .

N o doubt yo u will think m e fan ci ful b u t I h ad a lready

94 S H OR T S T O R I E S

estab l is h ed a kind of con n ection I h ad put togeth er two li nks .

o f a great chain There w as a boat lying o n a seacoast and

.
,

n o t far fro m the boat was a parchment n ot a p ap er with

a sk ull depicted on it Yo u wi ll of course ask w here i s the

.
, ,

conne ct i on ? I r e p ly that the sku ll o r death s-head is the well

,

,

kno wn emb l e m o f the pirate The ag o f the death s-head is .

h o i sted in al l engagements .

I h ave said that the scrap was parch ment and not paper , .

Parch m ent is durable almost imperishable Matters of l ittl e .

mom ent are rarely c onsigned to parchment ; since for the m ere ,

ordinary purposes of drawing o r writing it i s not near ly s o w el l ,

adapted as paper This reection suggested some meaning

.

so m e r e l evancy in the death s-head I did n o t fai l to O bserve

.
,

al s o th e f orm o f the parchment Alth o ugh o n e o f its corners

,
.

h ad been by s o me accident destroyed it cou l d be seen that

, , ,

the or iginal form was ob l ong It was j ust such a s l ip indeed .

, ,

as m ight h ave been chosen for a memorandum fo r a re c ord

of something to be l ong remembered and carefully preserved .

But I interposed yo u s ay that the skul l was n ot upon

, ,

th e parch ment when yo u made the drawing of the beet l e How .

then do you trace any connection between the boat and the
S ku ll since this l atter according to your o wn admission m ust
, ,

have been designed ( God only knows h o w o r by whom ) at so m e

period s u bsequent to your sketching the s ea ra lz a n s

Ah h ereupon turns the who l e m ystery ; although the secret
, ,

at this p o int I had comparati v ely little di f cu lty in solv ing

,
.

My steps were s u re and could afford but a single result I

,
.

reasoned for example thus : When I dre w the s ea ra oa as there

, , ,

was no S kull apparent on the parchment When I had com .

p le t e d the drawing I gave it to you and obse rved you narrowly ,

until you returned it Yo u therefore did not design the skull

.
, , ,

and no one e l se was present to do it Then it was n o t don e .

by hum an agency And neverthe l e ss it was d on e

. .
9 6 S H O RT S T O RIE S
the strengt h ening of the faint lines in the sku l l ; but o n pe r se ,

v e rin g in the experi m ent there became vi s ible at the corner

,

o f the slip diagonally opposite to the spot in which the deat h s

,

head w as de l ineated the gure o f what I at rst supposed to

,

be a goat A clo ser scru tiny however satised me that it w as

.
, ,

intended fo r a kid .

Ha ! ha ! said I to be sure I have no right to l augh at

,

you a million and a half o f money is too serious a matter

f o r mirth but yo u are not about to establish a third link in
your chain : yo u w il l not nd any especial connection between
your pirates and a goat ; pirates you know have nothing to , ,

do w ith goats ; they appertain to the farming interest .

But I have j ust said that the gure was n ot that of a goat .

Well a kid then pretty much the same thing

,

,

.

Pretty much but not a l together said Legrand

,

You m ay , .

h av e heard of one Cap ta in Kidd I at once l ooked o n the .

gure o f the animal as a kind o f punning or hieroglyphical

signature I s ay signature because its position o n the vel l um
.
,

suggested this idea The death s-head at the corner diagonally

.

opposite had in the same manner the air of a stamp or seal

, , , .

But I was sorely put out by the ab s ence o f al l else o f the

body to my imagined instrument o f the text for my context .

I presume you expected to nd a l etter between the stamp

and the signature .

S o m ething o f that kind The fact is I felt irresistibly im.

,

pressed with a presentiment o f som e vast good fortune im

pending I c an scarce ly s ay wh y Perhaps after all it was
. .
, ,

rather a desire than an actual belief - but do yo u know that

Jupiter s S illy words about the bug being o f solid gold had a

, ,

remarkab l e effect on m y fancy ? And then the series o f acci

dents and coincidences these were s o very extraordinary D O .

you observe how mere an accident it was that these events

s h ou l d h ave o cc u rred o n the s ole day of al l the year i n whi c h
 T H E G O LD
BUG 97

it h as been or may be suf ciently cool for re and that w i t h

, , ,

out the re o r without the intervention of the dog at the pre

,

cise moment in which he appeared I should never hav e become ,

aware of the death s-head and s o ne v er the possessor of the

,

treasure ?
But proceed I am all impatience .

Well ; you have heard O f course the many stories current

, ,

the thousand vague rumors aoat about m oney buried some ,

where o n the Atlantic coast by K idd and his associates The s e, .

rumors m ust ha v e had some foundation in fact And that the .

rumors have existed s o l ong and s o continuously cou l d have ,

resulted it appeared to m e only from the circumstance o f t h e

, ,

buried treasure stil l rema in ing entombed Had Kidd concealed .

his plunder for a time and afterwards reclai med it the ru mors
, ,

would scarcely hav e reached us in their present unvarying form .

You wil l observe that the stories told are al l about money
seekers not about money n de rs H ad the pirate recovere d
,
.

his money there th e a ffair would have dropped It seemed

, .

to me that some accident s ay the l oss o f a memorandum

indicating its locality had deprived him of the means o f re
covering it and that this accident had become known to his
,

followers wh o otherwise might ne v er have heard that treasure

,

had been concealed at all and who busying themse l ves I n va i n

, , ,

because unguided attempts to regain it had given rst birth

, , ,

and then universal currency to the reports w hich are n o w s o ,

c ommon Have you e v er heard of any imp o rtant treasure being

.

u nearthed along the coast ?

Never .

But that K idd s accumu l ations were i m m ense i s w e ll known

.

I took it for granted therefore that the earth stil l held t h em

, ,

and yo u wil l scarcely be surprised when I tell you that I fel t

a ho pe nearl y amounting to certainty that the parchment s o
, ,

strangel y found invo lv ed a lost record of the place of dep o sit

.
9 8 S H O RT S T O R I E S

But ho w did you pro ceed ?

I held the vellum again to the re after i n c reas i ng the ,

heat but nothing appeared I now though t it p o ssib l e that the

,
.

coating o f dirt might hav e something to do with the fai l ure ;

SO I carefully rinsed the parchment by pouring warm water

o v er it and hav ing done this I placed it in a tin pan w i th the

, , , ,

S k ull downwards and put the pan upon a furnace of lighted

,

charcoal In a few minutes the pan hav ing become thor o ughly
.
,

heated I removed the slip and to my inexpressib l e j oy fo u nd

, , , ,

it spotted in severa l places with what appeared to be gures

, ,

arranged in l ines Again I placed it in the pan and su ffered

.
,

it to remain another m inute Upon taking it o ff the w ho l e was .

,

j ust as you see it now .

Here Legrand having reheated the parchment submitted it

, , ,

to my in s pection The following characters were rudely traced

.
,

in a red tint between the death s -head and the goat

,

4 )8 1l

I SS ; I ? ;

But said I returning him the slip I am as much in the

, , ,

dark as e v er Were all the j ewels o f Golconda awaiting me

.

on my solution o f this enigma I am quite sure that I sh o u l d ,

be u nable to earn them

.

And yet said Legrand the solution is by no means so
, ,

di fcu l t as you might be led to imagine from the rst hasty in

s p ec tio n of the characters These characters as any o n e migh t
.
,

readily guess form a cipher that is to s ay they convey a

, ,

meaning ; but then from what is known of K idd I could not

, ,

suppo s e him capable o f constructing any of the more abstruse

cryptographs I m ade up my mind at once that this was o f a
.
, ,
1 00 S H O RT S T O R I E S

predominant l etters as well as the lea s t frequent

, . Counting
al l I constructed a table th us
, ,

Of th e c haracte r 8 th e re are 33
26

1
9
16

1 3
1 2

II
8
N

V
O-
F-
O
U

Now in English the l etter which most freq u ent ly o ccurs

, ,

is e Afterwards the succession runs thus : a o i d Ii n r s t n

.

y f g
c l m to o a p o x z E predominates however
. so remark , ,

ab ly that an individual sentence of any l ength is rare ly seen in ,

w hich it i s n o t the prevailing character .

Here then w e hav e in the very beginning the ground

, , , ,

work for something more than a mere guess The genera l u s e .

which may be made o f the table is obvious but in this par ,

tic u lar cipher we shall only v ery partiall y require its aid
,
As .
:

o u r predominant character is 8 w e will commence by assuming ,

it as the e o f the natural alphabet T O ver i fy the supposition .

,

l et us O bserve if the 8 be seen often in couples for e is

doub l ed with great frequency in E nglish in such words for ,

example as meet eet speed seen been agree etc
, ,

,

,

, ,

,
.

In the present instance we s ee it dou b led no less than ve

ti m es although the cryptograph is brief
,
.

Let us assume 8 then as e Now of all w ords in the

, ,
.

l angu age the is most usual ; let us s e e there f ore whether

,

, ,
 TH E G O LD
BUG 10 1

th ere are not repetitions o f any three chara c ters i n the sam e ,

O rder o f c o llocati on the last o f them being 8 If we dis cover

,
.

repeti tio n s o f s uc h l etters so arranged they wi ll most probab ly

, ,

represent the word the O n inspection w e nd no l ess t h an

.

,

seven such arrange m ents the characters being ; 4 8 We m ay ,

.
,

therefore assume that the se m icolon represents t that 4 re pre

, ,

sents ll and that 8 represents e

,
the last being n o w w e l l co n
r m ed Thus a great step has been taken
. .

B u t having established a singl e w o rd w e are enab l ed t o

, ,

estab l is h a vastly imp o rtant p o int ; that is to say severa l c om ,

m e n c em en ts and terminations o f other w o rds Let us refer for .

,

exam ple to the l ast instance b u t o n e in whic h the c ombinati o n

, ,

;4 8 o cc urs not far fro m the end o f the cipher We kn ow .

t h at the semico l on i mm ediate ly ensuing is the comm en c e m ent

o f a word and of the s ix chara cters s u cceeding this th e w e are
, , ,

co gniz ant of no l ess th an ve Let us set these ch ara cters .

d o wn thus by th e l etters we know the m t o represent l eav i ng a

, , ,

space fo r t h e unknown
t e e th .

Here we are enab l ed at once t o discard t h e a ; as f o r m

, ,

ing no portion o f the word co m men c ing with the rst t ; since ,

by experiment o f the entire alphabet for a l etter adapted to th e

vacancy we perceive that no word can be for m ed o f w hi ch thi s
,

a c an be a part We are th u s narrowed into

.

and go ing thr ou gh the al phabet if ne c essa ry as before w e

, , , ,

arrive at the word tree as the so l e p o ssib l e reading We t h us

.

gain another letter r represented by , w ith the wo rds the

,

tree in j uxtaposition .

L o oking beyond these w o rds for a sho rt d i stan c e w e aga in , ,

see the co m bination ; 4 8 and emp lo y it by w ay o f termin ation

,

t o what imm ediatel p re c edes We have thus this arrange m ent :

v .

th e tr ee ?34 th e ,
1 02 S H O R T S T OR I E S

o r s u bst i tu t i ng the nat u ral l etters wh ere known

, , ,
it reads th u s
th e tree th r I ?3 h th e .

N o w i f i n place of the u nkn o wn c h ar ac te r s we l eave

, , ,

b l ank spa c es or substitute dots w e read th u s

, ,

th e tree th r h the ,

wh en th e word th rongli m akes itsel f ev ident at on c e But .

this dis c overy gives us three new l etters 0 n and g rep re , , , ,

sented by It and 3 ,
.

Looking n o w narrowly t h r ou gh the c iphe r for combi

, ,
"

nations o f known c h aracters w e nd no t very far from the ,

begi nning this arrange m ent

,

8 o r egre e ,

whi ch p l a in ly is the c onclu s io n of th e w ord degree and gives

, , ,

us an o the r l etter d represented by T

, , .

F ou r l etters be y ond the wo rd degree we per c eive the ,

com binatio n
; 46 (

Trans l ating t h e known characters and representin g th e ,

u nknown by dots as before we read thus

, ,
:

th rte e .

an arrange m ent i mm ed i ate ly suggestive Of the wo rd thirteen

and again furnishin g u s with two new characters i and n , ,

represented by 6 and
R eferri ng n o w to th e begi nni ng o f the c ryptograph we
, , ,

nd t h e co mbinati o n ,

5 3 11 1

T ransl ati ng as befo re w e o btain ,

good ,

w hich assu res u s that the rst letter is A,

wo rds are A good .

1 04 S H O RT S T O R I E S

Yo u mean to p u nct u ate it

,
?

S o m ething o f that kind

.

But how is it possible to effect this ?

I reected that it had been a p oi n t with the writer to r u n

his words together without division S O as to increase the dif ,

culty o f solution Now a not over-acute man in pursuing such

.
, ,

an obj ect would be nearly certain to o v erdo the matter When

, .
,

in the course o f his composition he arrived at a break in his ,

subj ect which would naturally require a pause or a point he , ,

w ould be exceedi n gly apt to run his characters at this place , ,

mo re than usually close together If you wil l obser v e the M S . .

,

in the present instance you will ea s ily detect v e such cases o f

,

unusual cro wding Acting on this hint I made the div ision thus
.
,

A good gla s s i n tb e D is b op s b os tel i n tb c devil s s ea t

-
tw en ty on e degrees a n d tb i r teen m i n u tes n ortb ea s t a n d by n oi t b

ma i n bra n cb lim b
s even t/
z ea s t s ide s b oot f m
ro tb c left eye
f s
b ea d f bee-li n e m tb e tree tb rong/z tb e s not

o tb e dea tb a ro

f y f

t ee t o u t .

Even this division said I leaves m e still in the dark

, , .

It l eft me also in the dark replied Legrand

for a few , ,

days ; during which I made diligent inquiry in the neighbor ,

h o od o f S ullivan s Is l and for any bui l ding which went by the

,

name o f the Bishop s Hotel ; fo r o f course I dropped the

, ,

obsolete word hostel Gaining no informati o n o n the subj ect

.

,

I was o n the poin t o f extending my sphere o f search and pro ,

c ee din g in a more systematic manner when o n e m orning it ,

entered into my head quite suddenly that this Bishop s Hoste l

, ,

might have some reference to an o ld family Of the n ame o f ,

B e S S Op which time o u t o f mind had held possession of an

, , ,

ancient manor-house abo u t four mil es to the northward o f the

,

island I accordingly went over to the plantation and reins ti

.
,

tu t e d my inquiries among the older n egroes of the place At .

length one o f the most aged o f the women said that s h e had
 T H E G O LD B U G
105

h eard o f such a p l a c e as B ess op s Ca stle and thought th at s h e

,

cou l d guide me to it but that it was not a castle nor a tavern

, , ,

b u t a high rock .

I offered to pay her wel l for her tro u b l e and after so m e , ,

de m ur s h e consented to accompany me to the S pot We f o und

,
.

it without much di f culty when dismissing her I proceeded , , ,

to examine the place The castl e c onsisted o f an irregu lar

.

assemblage o f cliffs and rocks o n e o f the l atter being quite

remarkab l e fo r its height as wel l as for its ins ul ated and a rt i

cial appearance I clambered to its apex and then fe l t much
.
,

at a loss as to what should be next done .

While I was busied in reection my eyes fe ll on a narro w ,

l edge in the eastern face o f the ro ck perhaps a yard below the ,

summit upon which I stood This ledge proj ected about eighteen .

i nches and was not more than a foot wide while a niche in the
, ,

cliff j ust above it gav e it a rude resemb l ance to o n e o f the h o l

lo w-backed chairs used by o u r ancest o rs I made no doubt that .

h ere was the de v il s seat al luded to in the M S and no w I

.
,

seemed to grasp the full secret o f the riddle .

The good glass I knew could h ave reference to nothing

,

but a te l escope ; fo r the word glass is rarely emp l oyed in any

other sense by seamen Now here I at on c e saw was a tele .
, ,

scope to be used and a denite point o f view a dmitting n o

, ,

v a ria tion fro m which to use it N o r did I h esitate to belie v e

,
.

that the phrases twenty-o n e degrees and thirteen minutes ,

and no rth-east and by north were inte nded as directions

,

for the le v elling o f the glass Greatly excited by these dis .

c o v erie s,
I hurried ho m e pr oc ured a te l escope and returned
, ,

to the rock .

I let myself down to the ledge and found that it was ,

I mpossible to retain a seat o n it unless in o n e particular posi

tion This fact conrmed my preconceived idea I proceeded
. .

to use the glass O f co u rse the twentyo ne degree s and

.
,

1 06 S H O RT S T O R I E S

thirteen m in u tes co u l d all ude to nothi ng b u t e l evati o n ab o ve

th e visible h orizon sin c e the h oriz o nta l dire c tion w as c l ear ly
,

i ndicated by the w o rds n o rth-east and by north This l atter

, .

directi on I at once estab l ished by means of a po cket-compass ;

then pointing the glass as near l y at an ang l e o f twenty-one
,

degrees of elevati o n as I c ou l d do it by guess I m oved it ,

c autio u sly up o r down unti l m y attention was arrested by a

,

cir cul a r rift o r O pening in the fo l iage f a l arge tree t h at over

p
topped its fello w s in the distan c e In the c entre of this rift I .

per c eived a white spot b u t c o ul d n o t at rst distinguish wh at

, , ,

it w as Adj u sting the fo cu s Of the te l escope I again l o o ked and

.
, ,

n ow m ade i t o u t to be a h um an sk ull .

O n th is dis co very I w as s o sangu ine as to consider the
en ig m a s olved for t h e p h rase m ain branch se v enth l imb east , ,

side could refer o n l y t o the p o siti o n o f the skul l on the tree

,

,

w h i l e shoot fr om the l eft eye of the death s hea - d admitted

,

al so of b u t o ne interpretation in regard t o a sear ch f or b u ried

, ,

treasu re I per c eived that the design was to drop a b ullet fro m
.

th e l eft eye of the sku ll and that a bee-line or in o the r w o rds

, , ,

a strai ght line drawn fro m the nearest point o f the t ru nk thr o ugh
,

th e sh o t ( o r the S pot w here the bullet fe l l) and t h ence ,

extended t o a distance of fty feet wou l d indi c ate a denite ,

point and beneath this point I thought it at l east p oss ible t h at

a dep o sit o f val ue l ay con c eal ed .

Al l t h is I said is ex c eedingly cl ear and a l though ingen

,

, , ,

ious sti ll simple and exp l ic it When yo u l eft the Bishop s H o te l

, .

,

w hat then ?
Why h aving carefully taken the bearing s o f the tree I
, ,

turned h om ewards The instant that I left the devil s seat

.

,

however the circular rift vanished ; nor could I get a gl impse

,

o f it afterwards turn as I would

,
What seems to me the chief .

ingenuity in this who l e b u siness is the fact ( for repeated ex p eri

,

m ent has con v inced me it is a fact) that the c ir cul ar O p en ing in

1 08 S H O RT S T O R I E S

obj e ct i f s m all should be z o/i ite ; and there is nothing like y our
, ,

hum an skull for retaining and even i ncreasing its whiteness

under expos u re to al l vicissi tudes o f weather
.

B u t y o ur grandi l oq u ence and your c o nduct in swingi ng th e

,

beetl e h ow excessively O dd ! I w as sure you were m ad And .

why did you insist o n l etting fall the bug instead o f a b ull et , ,

fr om t h e sku l l ?

W hy to be frank I fe l t somewhat annoyed by your ev i dent

, ,

s u spici o ns t ou ching my sanity and so reso l ved to punish yo u

,

q u iet ly in m y o wn w ay by a little bit o f sober m ys ticatio n

, , .

Fo r th is reason I sw u ng the beetle and for this reason I l et it ,

fall fr o m the tree An observation o f yours about its great

.

we ight suggested the l atter idea

.

Yes I perceive ; and now there is on ly one point whi ch

,

puzz l es me What are we to make o f the ske l etons found in

.

the hol e ?

That is a q u estion I am n o m ore able to answer than yo u r

se l f There see m s however on ly o n e plausible way of ac count
.
, ,

ing fo r the m and yet it is dreadful to believe in such atrocity

as my s u ggestion wo u l d imp ly It is clear that Kidd . if Kidd
indeed se c reted this treasure w hich I doubt not it is c l ear
,

that he m ust have had assistance in the l abor But the w o rst .
,

o f this l abor concluded he may have thought i t expedient to

,

remove all participants in his secret Perhaps a coup l e o f blows .

wi th a m atto ck w ere su f cient w hile his c oadj utors were b u sy

,

in th e p i t ; pe rhaps i t re qui red a d oz en who s h a ll te ll ?

 V . A C H R I S T M AS CA RO L ( 1 8 4 3 )
BY C HARLE S D I C K EN S ( 1 8 1 2 - 1 8 7 0 )

[ Setting In this m o st fa m ous of Christmas stories Dickens

gi ves us th e very atmosphere o f the season with al l the contrasts
that po v erty and wea l th miser l iness and charity the past and
, ,

the future can suggest T hough h e had London i n mind any

.
,

great industrial center wo ul d h av e s e rved as wel l fo r Dickens ,

was thinking primarily o f the relati ons between employe r and

employee That Christmas is better kept in England n o w than
.

when Dickens wrote is a triumph due more to A Christmas

Carol than to any other o n e piece o f prose o r verse .

Plot The story was p l anned rather than plotted By cal l ing
. .

it a caro l and dividing it into staves Dickens would have us ,

think o f it not as a narrative but as a song full o f the j oy and ,

good will that Christmas ought to diffuse It is a ri ll from the .

fountain o f the rst great Christmas chant O n earth peace , ,

good wil l toward men

The them e is no t so much the duty of
.

se rvice as the j oy o f service the happiness that we fee l in mak

,

ing others happy ; and the four carols mark the four stages in
the conversion o f S cr o oge from solitary selshness to social
good wil l The p l an i s simp l e but it is su ffused with a l ove and
.

sympathy that no o n e but D ickens o r O Henry c ou l d have .

given it If The Go l d-Bug is a triumph o f the analytic intel

.

lect this story is a triump h o f the socia l impul ses that m ake the
,

w orl d better It seems to m e said Thackeray a nationa l

.

, ,

benet and to every m an and woman wh o reads it a persona l

,

kindness Whil e writing it Dickens said : I wept and l augh ed

.

and wept again

And yet the psycho l ogy of the p l ot is as
.

so u ndly inte l lect u al as the style is emoti o nal Dickens kne w .

1 09
1 IO S H O RT S T O R I E S

th at a in t-h earted m an l ike S crooge c ould not be ch anged by

fo r c es bro u ght to bear from with ou t The appea l must co m e .

fro m w i thin H e mu st himse l f s ee his past his present and his

.
, ,

pro bab l e fut u re but in a ne w l ight and from a wider angl e o f

,

vis i on The drea m i s o n ly a m eans to this end A man m oves

. .

t o a higher real m O f thought and action n o t by l earn i ng ne w

tr u ths but by seeing the o ld truths differently re l ated .

C/z a racters S crooge is o f course the ce ntra l chara c te r He

.
, , .

is al s o a perfect examp l e o f the changing character as contrasted

wi th the stati o nary character In fact all the other characters .

re m ain essentially the same while S crooge wh o at the beginnin g

, ,

is u nfriendly and friendless becomes at the end as good a

,

friend as good a master and as good a man as the good o l d

, ,

city knew or any othe r good o ld city town o r boro u gh in the

, , ,

good Ol d worl d
It i s dif cu lt t o c reate any kind o f character
.
,

whether stationary o r changing but the l atter is the more dif ,

cu l t B o th demand rare p o wers o f O bse rvation and interpreta

.

tion b u t the as c ending o r descending character demands a

,

kn owl edge of the che m istry o f co nd uc t that o n ly the masters

h ave .

The C ratch its must not b e overlooked Tiny Tim s God .

b l ess us every one has at l east be come the symbo l o f Christ

m as benevolence wherever Ch ris tm as is c el ebrated i n E ngl is h
speak ing l and s !

S TAV E O N E
MA R LEY S
G H O ST
Marl ey w as dead to begin with There is no doubt whatever
, .

about that The register o f his burial w as signed by the clergy

.

m an the cl erk the undertaker and th e chief mourner S crooge

, , , .

S igned it And S crooge s name was good upon Change fo r

.

anything he chose to put his hand to .

O ld Marl ey was as dead as a d o or-nail .

I 12 S H O RT S T O R I E S

hum an sympathy to keep its distance was what the kno wing ,

ones call nuts to S crooge

.

O nce up o n a ti m e O f all the good days i n the year u pon ,

a Christmas ev e Ol d S crooge s at b u sy in his counting-house .

I t was c old b l eak biting foggy weather ; and the c ity cl ocks
, , ,

had on ly j ust gone three but it was quite dark already

.
, .

T h e door o f S crooge s counting-house was O pen that he

,

m ight keep his eye upon his cl erk wh o in a dismal littl e cell , ,

beyond a sort o f tank was copying letters S crooge had a very

, ,
.

small re but the clerk s re was so very much smaller that it

,

l ooked l ike o n e coal But he could n t replenish it for S crooge

.

,

kept the coal box i n his o wn room ; and s o surely as the

-

clerk came in with the shove l the master predicted that it

would be necessary fo r them t o part Wherefore the cl erk put .

o n his white comforter and tried to warm himse l f at the

,

c andle ; i n which effort not being a man o f a strong imagina

,

tion he failed
,
.

A merry Christmas uncle God save you cried a cheer

,

fu l voice It was the voice of S crooge s nephew wh o cam e

.

,

u pon hi m so quickly that this was the rst intimation S crooge

had o f his approach .

Ba h said S crooge ; humbug

Christmas a humbug u ncle ! You don t m ean that I ,

,

am s u re
I do O ut u pon mer ry Christ m as ! What s Christmas time
.

to you but a time for paying bills without money ; a time fo r

ndin g yourself a year older and not an hour richer ; a time ,

for balancing your books and having e v ery item in e m through

a round dozen o f months presented dead against yo u ? If I had

m y wi ll e v ery idiot wh o goes ab o ut with Merry Christmas
,

on his l ips should be boiled with his own pudding and buried ,

with a stake o f holly thro u gh his heart ! H e should !
 A CH R I S TMA S CA RO L 1 3

Uncl e !
Nephew keep Christmas in your own way and l et m e
, ,

keep i t in mine
.

Keep i t ! B u t y o u don t keep it

.

Let m e l eave it alone then M u ch go o d m ay i t do y ou !,

.
v

M u ch good it has ever done you !

There are many things from w h ich I migh t have der i ved
good by which I hav e not proted I dare s ay Christmas
, , ,

among the rest But I am sure I have always thought o f

.

Christmas time w hen it has come round apart from the

, ,

veneration due to i ts sacred origin if anything bel onging to it ,

ca n be apart from that as a good time ; a kind forgiving

, , ,

c h ari tab l e pleasant time ; the only time I know O f in the l ong
, ,

c al endar o f the year when men and women see m by o n e con

,

sent to open their shut-u p heart s freely and to think o f peop l e ,

be l ow them as if they really were fellow-trav ellers to the grave ,

and not another race of creatures bound o n other j ourneys .

And therefore unc l e though it has never put a scrap o f gold

, ,

o r si l ver in my pocket I b e lie v e that it b a s done me good an d

'

w ill do me good ; and I s ay G o d bless it ! ,

The clerk in the tank in v oluntarily applauded .

Let me hear another sound from yon said S crooge and

, ,

you l l keep your Christmas by l osing your situation

Y ou re

q u ite a powerfu l speaker S ir he added turning to his nephew

, , , ,

I wonder you don t go into Parl iament

.

Do nt be angry uncl e Co m e ! Din e wit h u s to -m orrow

, .
,
.

S crooge said that he would see him yes indeed he did , .

He w ent the whole length o f the expression and said t h at h e ,

w o u ld se e hi m in that extremity rst .

But why ? c ried S cro oge s nep h e w

W hy ?
.

Why did yo u get married ?
Because I fe ll in love
.
1 14 S H O RT ST O R I E S

Bec au se you fe ll in l o v e grow l ed S crooge as i f that w er e ,

the only o n e thing in the world more ridiculous than a mer ry

Ch ristmas Good afternoon !
.

Nay uncle but you never came to se e me before t h at
, ,

h appened Why give it as a reason fo r not coming now ?

.

Good afternoon .

I want nothing from yo u ; I ask nothing o f yo u ; why

cannot we be friends ?

Good afte rnoon .

I a m sorry with all my heart to nd yo u s o resolute We

, , .

h ave never had any quarrel to which I hav e been a party B u t , .

I h ave made th e trial i n homage to Ch rist m as and I ll keep ,

my Christmas hu m o r to the l ast S 0 A M e rry C hri stm as .

, ,

u ncl e
Good aftern o on !
And A Happy Ne w Year !
Good afternoon !
His nephew l eft t h e room without an angry wo rd n o twith ,

standing The cl erk in l etting S crooge s nephe w o u t had let

.
,

,

two other people in They were portly gent l e m en p l easant to

.
,

behold and now stood with their hats o ff in S crooge s ofce

, , ,

.

They had books and papers in their hands and bowed to him ,
.

Sc rooge and Marley s I bel ieve said o ne of the gentl e

, ,

m en referring to h is l ist
,
H ave I th e p l eas u re o f add r e s s i ng
.

Mr S crooge o r Mr M ar l ey
.
,
?
.

Mr Marley has been dead these seven years He di ed

. .

seven years ago this very night ,

.

At this festiv e season o f the year Mr S cro o ge said th e ,

.
,

gentleman taking up a pen it is m o re than usual ly desirab l e

, ,

that we S hould make some slight pro v ision for the poor and
destitute wh o suffer great ly at the present time Many th o u
,
.

sands are in want o f common necessaries hu ndreds o f th ou sands

are i n want of common co m fo rts s ir

.
,
 I I 6 S H O RT S TO R I E S

T h e c l erk pr o m i sed th at he w o ul d ; and S crooge walked out

w ith a grow l The o fce was c l osed in a twinkling and the
.
,

clerk w ith the l ong ends O f his white comforter dangling belo w
,

his waist ( for he boasted no great coat) w ent down a s l ide at

-
, ,

the end of a l ane o f boys twenty times in honor O f its being, ,

Christmas e v e and then ran home as hard as he cou l d pe l t to

, ,

play at b l ind-man sbuff

.

S crooge t o ok his melancho ly dinner in his u sua l melancho ly

tavern ; and having read all the newspapers and beguiled the ,

rest of the evening with his banker s book went home to bed , .

He l ived in chambers which had once be l onged to his deceased

partner They were a gloo my suite o f rooms i n a l owering
.
,

pile of building up a yard The building was old enough n o w .

,

and drea ry enough ; for nobody l ived in it but S crooge the ,

other rooms being all let o u t as O fces .

Now it is a fact that there w as nothing at all particular

,

about the kn ocker on the door o f this house except that it was ,

very large ; al so that S crooge had seen i t night and morning

, , ,

during his whole residence in that p l ace ; al so that Sc rooge h ad ,

as l ittle o f what is called fancy about him as any m an i n th e

city of London And yet S crooge having his key in t h e l ock
.
,

of the door saw in the knocker without its undergoin g any in

, ,

te rm e diate process of change not a knocker but Marley s face

.
, ,

Marl ey s face with a dismal light about it li k e a bad lobster

, ,

in a dark cellar It w as n o t angry o r ferocious but it looked

.
,

at S crooge as Marley used to l ook with ghostly spec tacles ,

turned up upon its ghostly forehead .

As S crooge l ooked xedly at this phenomenon it was a ,

knocker again He said Po o h pooh ! and closed the doo r

.

, ,

with a bang .

The sound resounded through the house l ike thunder E very .

roo m above and e v ery cask in the wine -merchant s cellars

,

belo w appeared to have a separate pea l o f echoes of its own

, .
 A C H R I S TMA S CA RO L 1 17

S cr o oge not a man to be frightened by echoes H e

w as .

fastened the door and wal ked acro ss the hall and up the stairs
, , .

S l o wly too trimming his cand l e as h e went

, ,
.

Up S crooge went no t caring a button for its being very

,

dark Darkness is cheap and S crooge liked it But before he

.
,
.

shut his hea v y door he walked through his rooms to see that
,

a l l w as right He had j ust enough recollection o f the face to

.

desire to do that .

S itting-room bedroom lumber-room all as they S hou l d be

, , ,
.

Nobody u nder the table nobody under the sofa ; a smal l re in ,

the grate ; spo o n and basin ready ; and the little saucepan o f
gruel ( S crooge h ad a cold in his head) upon the hob Nobody .

under the bed ; nobody in the c loset ; nobody in his dressing

gown whic h was hanging up in a suspicious attitude against
,

the wall Lumber-room as usual O ld re-guard old shoes t wo

. .
, ,

sh - baskets washing-stand o n three l egs and a poker

, ,
.

Quite satised b e c l osed his door and l ocked himse l f in ;

, ,

double-l ocked h imself i n whic h w as not his custom Thus ,

.

secured against surprise he took o ff his cravat put on his , ,

dressing-gown and slippers and his night-cap and sat down ,

before the very l ow re to take his gruel .

As he threw h is head back I n the chair his glance happened ,

to rest upon a be l l a di s used bell that hung I n the room and

, , ,

comm u nicated for some purpose now forgotten with a cham

, ,

ber in the highest story o f the building It w as with great .

astonishment and with a strange inexplicable dread that as

, , , ,

he l ooked he s aw this bell begin to swing S oon it rang out

,
.

l oudly and so did ev e ry be ll in the house

,
.

This was succeed ed by a clanking noise deep down below , ,

as if some person were dragging a heavy chain over the cask s

-
in the wine merchant s cellar
.

Then he heard the noi s e much l ouder on the oors below ; ,

then coming up the stairs ; then coming straight towards his door .
1 1 8 S H O RT S T O R I E S

It came o n through the hea v y door and a spectre passed ,

into t h e r oom before his eyes And upon its coming in the .
,

dying am e l eaped u p as though i t c ried ,

I know him ! ,

Marl ey s ghost !

The same face the very same M arl ey in his pigtai l usua l
,
.
,

w aistcoat tights and boots His body w as transparent ; s o

, ,
.

that S crooge observing him and looking through his w aistcoat

, , ,

c ou l d see the two buttons o n his coat behind .

Sc r o oge had often heard it said that Marl ey had no bowels ,

b u t he had never believed it u nti l n o w .

N o nor did he believe it even now Tho u gh he l ooked the

,
.

phanto m through and through and saw it standing before him , ,

th o ugh he felt the chilling inuence o f its death-co l d eyes ,

and noticed the very texture o f t h e folded ker chief b ou nd about

its h ead and c hin h e was still incredul o us
,
.

How now ! said S crooge causti c and col d as ever ,

.

W h at do yo u want w ith me ?

M uch ! Marley s voice no doubt abo u t it

,
.

Who are yo u
Ask m e who I w as .

Wh o w ere yo u th en ?
,

I n l ife I w as your partner Jacob Mar l ey ,

.

Can yo u c an yo u s it down ?

I c an
.

Do it then,
.

S cro oge asked the question because he did n t know whether ,

a ghost so transparent might nd himself in a condition to take

a chair ; and felt that in the event o f its being impossible it
, ,

m ight invo l ve the necessity o f an embarrassing explanation .

But the ghost s at down o n the O pposite side of the replace as ,

if he were quite u sed to it .

Yo u don t be l ieve in me

.

I don t
.
1 20 S H O RT ST O R I E S

O b l ind man b l ind man ! not to know that ages of in ce s

,
'

sant labor by immortal creature s for thi s earth must pass in t o

eternity before the good o f which it is susceptible is al l deve l
O ped Not to know that any Christian spirit wor k ing kindly in
.

its little sphere w hatever it may be will nd its mortal life to o

, ,

short for its vast means o f usefulness Not to know that no .

S pace o f regret can make amends for o n e l ife s O pportunities

m isused ! Yet I was l ike this man ; I once w as like this man !

But you were al ways a good man of business Jacob , ,

faltered S crooge wh o now began to apply this to himself

,
.

Business ! cried the ghost wringing its hands again , .

Mankind was my business The common w el fare was my .

business ; charity mercy forbearance bene v olence w ere al l

, , , ,

my business The dealings o f my trade were but a drop of

.

water in the comprehensive ocean o f my business .

S crooge was very much dismayed to hear the spectre going

o n at this rate and began to quake exceeding l y
,
.

Hear me ! My time is nearly gone .

I will But don t be hard upon me ! Don t be owery

.

,

Jacob ! Pray !
I am here to n ight to w arn you that you have yet a chance
and h ope o f escaping my fate A chance and hope o f my .

procuring E benezer ,

.

Yo u were always a good friend to me T h ank e e !

.

You wil l be haunted by Three S pirits .

I s that the chance and h O p e yo u mentioned Jacob ? I I ,

think I d rather not

.

Without their visits you cannot hope to shun the path I ,

tread E xpect the rst to-morrow night when the bell tolls
.
,

O ne E xpect the second o n the next night at the same hour

. .

The third upon the next night when the last stroke o f Twel v e
, ,

has ceased to vibrate Look to see me no more ; and look that .

,

for your o w n sake yo u remember what has passed between us

,
 A CH R I S TMA S CA RO L 121

It w alked backward from him ; and at every step it took ,

the window raised itse lf a little so that when the apparition , ,

reached it it was wide open

, .

S crooge closed the window and examined the door by which ,

the Ghost had entered I t was double locked as he had l ocked

- .
,

it with his o w n hands and the bolts were undisturbed S crooge

, .

tried to s ay Humbug ! but stopped at the rst syllab l e

,

.

And being fro m the emotion he had underg o ne o r the fatigu es

, ,

o f the day or his glimpse o f the invisibl e w orld o r the d u l l

, ,

conversation of the Ghost o r the l ateness o f the hour much in

, ,

need o f repose he went straight t o bed w ith o ut undressing

, , ,

and fe ll as l eep o n the instant .

S TAV E TW O
TH E FI R S T OF TH E T H R E E S P I R IT S
When S crooge awoke it was so dark that l ooking o u t of
, , ,

bed he could scarcely distinguish the transparent window from

,

the opaque walls o f his chamber u nti l sudden ly the churc h ,

clock tolled a deep dull hollow melancholy O N E

, , , .

Light ashed up in the roo m upon the instant and the cu r ,

tains of his bed were drawn aside by a strange gure like a ,

child : yet not so like a child as like an Old man viewed thro u gh ,

some supern atura l medium which gave h im the appearan ce ,

o f having receded fro m the view and being diminished to a ,

child s proportions Its hair which hung about its neck and

.
,

down its back was white as if with age ; and yet the face had
,

no t a wrinkle in it and the tenderest bloom was o n the sk i n

,
.

It held a branch o f fresh green h olly in its hand ; and in ,

singular contradiction o f that wintry emblem had its dress ,

trimmed wit h summer owers But the strangest thing about .

it w as that fr om the cro wn of its head there sprung a bright

,
1 22 S H O RT ST O RI E S

c l ear j et o f l igh t by wh i ch all th is w as visib l e ; and w hich w as

,

d ou btl ess the occ asion of its using in its d ull er mom ents a , ,

great exting u isher fo r a cap w hi c h it no w he l d u nder i ts arm , .

Are y ou the S pirit sir who se comi ngwas fo retold t o m e ?

, ,

I am !

W ho and what are y ou ?

I a m the Gh o st o f C h r i st m as Past .

Long past ?

No Y o ur past The things t h at y ou will see wi t h me are

. .

s h ad ow s o f the things t h at h ave been ; they w i ll have n o co n

sc io u s n e s s of us .

Sc ro o ge t h en m ade bold to i nquire wh at business b rou gh t

him there .

Your w e l fare R ise and w al k w ith m e

.
,

It w oul d h ave been in vain fo r Sc rooge to plead that th e

w eath e r and the hour were not adapted t o pedestrian purposes ;
that the bed was w arm and th e ther mom eter a l ong w ay be l o w
,

f reezing ; that he w as c l ad b u t l ightly i n h is s l ippers dressing ,

go wn and nightcap ; and that h e h ad a co l d u pon h i m at that

,

ti m e The grasp though gent l e as a w o m an s h and was not to

.
, ,

be resisted H e rose ; but nd i ng that the S pirit m ade to w ards

.
,

t h e windo w cl asped its robe i n supp l ication

,
.

I a m a mortal and l iab l e to fal l

, .

Bear but a touch o f m y h and tlz ere said the S piri t l ay i ng , ,

it upon his heart and yo u sha ll be u phel d in m ore than this

,

As the w ords were sp o ken they passed t h ro u gh the wall and , ,

s to o d in t h e busy thoro u ghfares o f a c ity It w as m ade p l ain .

eno u gh by the dress i ng o f th e sh o ps t hat h ere t oo it w as , ,

Christ m as ti m e .

The G ho st st o pped at a c e rtain w are ho use door and asked ,

S crooge if he knew it .

Kno w i t ! Was I apprent i ced here !

They w ent in At sight o f an old gentleman in a We l sh wig
.
,
1 24 S H O RT S T O R I E S

th e ho usemaid with her cousin the baker In came th e c oo k

, .
,

with her brother s particular friend the milkman In they all

.

c am e o n e after another ; some shyly some bo ldly some grace , ,

fu l ly some awkwardly s o me pushing some pul l ing ; in they al l

, , ,

cam e anyho w and eve ryhow Away they al l went twenty

,
.
,

coup l e at o nce ; hands half ro u nd and back again the other

way ; do wn the middle and u p again ; round and round in va ri
o u s stages o f a ffectionate grouping ; o ld top couple always

turnin g up in the wrong place ; new top coup l e starting Off

again as soon as they got there ; al l top couples at l ast and
, ,

not a b o ttom o n e to help them When this result was brought .

about o ld Fezziwig clapping his hands to stop the dance cried

, ,

o u t Wel l done ! and the ddler plunged his hot f ace into a
,

pot o f porter especially provided for that purpose .

There were more dances and there were forfeits and mo re , ,

dances and there was cake and there was negus and there
, , ,

was a great piece o f Cold R oast and there was a great piece o f ,

Cold Boiled and there were mince -pies and p l enty o f beer
, , .

But the great effect o f the evening came after the R oast and
Boi l ed when the dd l er struck up S ir R oger de Coverley
, .

Then Ol d Fezziwig stood o u t to dance with Mrs F e z z iwig T o p . .

c oup l e too ; with a good st iff pie c e of work c u t o u t for them ;

,

three o r four and twenty pair o f partners ; people wh o were

n o t to be tri e d w ith ; peop l e wh o w ou ld dance and had no ,

notion o f walking .

But if they h ad been twice as many fou r ti m e s o ld ,

Fezziwig woul d have been a match for them and s o would ,

Mrs Fezziwig As to b er s h e was worthy to be his par tner in

. .
,

eve ry sense o f the term A positive light appeared to iss u e from

.

Fezziwig s calves They shone in every part o f the dance Yo u

. .

could n t have predicted at any gi v en time what would become

, ,

o f em next

And when O ld Fezziwig and Mrs Fezziwig had
. .

go ne al l thr ou gh th e dance advance and ret i re turn your , ,

 A CH R I S T MA S CA RO L 1 25

partner bow and courtesy co ck s c re w thread the need l e and

, , , ,

back again to yo u r place F e z z iwig c u t cut so deftly , , ,

that he appeared to wink with his l egs .

When the clock struck elev en this domestic bal l broke up .

Mr and Mrs Fezziwig took their stations o ne o n either side

. . ,

the door and S haking hands with e v ery person individually as

, ,

he o r s h e went o u t wished him or her a M erry Christmas ,

.

When everybody had retired but the two prentices t h ey did

,

the same to them ; and thus the chee rfu l voices died away ,

and the lads were l eft to their beds which were under a co u nter ,

in the back shop .

A smal l matter said the G h ost to m ake these silly folks

, ,

so full of gratit u de H e has spent but a few p o unds of your

.

m ortal m oney three o r four perhaps Is that s o much that

,
.

he dese rves this praise ?

It is n t that said S cro o ge h eated by the r emark and

, , ,

speaking unconscio u sly l ike his former not his l atter se l f , ,

it is n t that S pirit He h as the power to render us h appy o r

,
.

unhappy ; to make o u r service l ight o r burdensome a p l easure ,

or a t o i l S ay that his power lies in words and l ooks ; in things

.

so s l ight and insignicant that it is impossible to add and count

em u p : what then ? The h appiness he gives is q u ite as great

as i f it co st a fortune .

He fe l t the S pirit s gl an c e and sto pped

, .

What is the matter ?

Nothing pa rticu l ar .

S omething I think ?
,

No no I s ho u l d l ike to be able to say a w o rd o r t wo to

,
.

m y clerk just n o w That s all .

.

My time grows short observed the S pirit

Quick !
, .

This was not addressed to S crooge o r to any one whom he ,

cou l d s e e but it produced an immediate e ffect For again he

, .

s aw himself He was older no w ; a man in the pr im e o f li fe

.
.
1 26 S H O RT S T O R I E S

He w as n o t alo ne but sat by t h e s i de o f a fair y ou ng gi r l in

,

a black dress in wh o se eyes there w ere tears

,
.

It m atters l itt l e s h e said soft ly to S cro oge s forme r se l f

,

.

To you very little An o ther id ol has disp l aced m e ; and if it

, .

c an comfort you in time to co m e as I wo ul d h ave tri ed t o do , ,

I h ave no j ust ca u se t o grieve

.

What Id ol has disp l aced you ?

A go l den one Yo u fear t h e w o r l d too m uch I have seen

. .

your n o b l e r aspirat i ons fall o ff o n e by o n e until the m aster ,

passion Gain engr o sses you Have I not ?

, ,

.

What t h en ? E ven i f I have gr o wn s o m uch w is er what ,

then ? I a m n o t ch anged towards yo u Have I eve r s ough t .

release fr o m o u r engage m ent ?

I n wo rds n o Never
,
. .

In w h at then ? ,

In a changed nature in an al tered sp i rit ; i n an o t h er at m os

h e re o f l ife ; an o ther Hope as i ts great end I f yo u w ere free
p .

t o-day to-m orrow yesterday can even I be l ieve that yo u w ou l d

, , ,

choose a dowerl ess gir l ; o r choosing her d o I not kn ow th at , ,

y ou r repentance and regret w ou l d s u rely follow ? I do ; and I

rel ease y ou W i t h a fu ll heart f or the l ove of hi m yo u o n c e
.
,

w ere .

S pi rit ! re mo ve me from th is p l a c e .

I to l d yo u these w ere s h ad o ws o f the things that have been ,

said the G ho st That they are w hat they are do not b l am e

.
,

me !
R e m ove m e ! S crooge ex cl ai m ed I cannot bear it ! .

Leave me ! Take me back Haunt m e no l onger !

.

As he struggled with the S pirit he w as conscious of being

exhausted and overcome by an irresistible drowsiness ; and fu r
'

, ,

ther o f being i n his own bedroom He had bare ly time to ree l

,
.

to bed before he sank into a heavy s l eep .

1 28 S H O RT S T O R I E S

A tremendous family to pro v ide fo r ! S pirit conduct m e ,

wh ere you will I went forth last night o n comp ul sion and I
.
,

l earnt a lesson which is working no w Tonight if y ou h ave .

,

aught to teach me l et m e prot by i t, .

Touch m y robe
S crooge did as he was told and held i t fast , .

The roo m and its contents al l vanished instant ly and they ,

st o od in the city streets upon a snowy Christmas m orning .

S cro oge and the Ghost passed on in v isib l e straight to , ,

S crooge s clerk s ; and o n the threshold o f the door the S pirit

smiled and stopped to bless Bob C ratch it s dwelling with the

,

sprinklings o f his torch Think o f that ! Bob had but fteen

.

Bob 1
a week himself he pocketed o n S aturdays but fteen
copies o f his Christian name ; and yet the Ghost o f Christmas
Present b l essed his four-roomed house !
Then up rose M rs Cratchit C ratchit s wife dressed o u t but
.
,

,

poor ly in a twice-turned gown but brav e in ribbons which are , ,

cheap and make a goodly sho w for S ixpence ; and sh e l aid the
cl oth assisted by Belinda Cr atchit se c ond O f her daughters
, , ,

also brave i n ribbons ; while Master P eter Cratchit plunged a

fork into the saucepan o f potatoes and getting the corners of , ,

his monstrous shirt-collar ( Bob s pri v ate property conferred

,

upon his s o n and heir in honor of the day) into his mouth ,

rej oi c ed to nd himself so gallantly attired and yearned to ,

show his linen in the fashionable Parks And now two smaller .

C ratc hits boy and girl came tearing in scream ing that outside
, , ,

the baker s they had smelt the goose and known it for their

,

o wn ; and basking in luxurious thoughts o f sage and onion

, ,

these young C ratchits danced about the table an d exalted ,

Master Peter Cratchit to the skies w hil e he ( not proud al , ,

though his c o llars n e arly choked hi m) b l e w the re unti l the

'

1 S h illin g s .
tf AND IN C A M E L I TT L E B OB
1 30 S H O RT S T O R I E S

Ma rth a d i d n t li ke to see h i m disappointed i f i t w ere o n ly

i n j o ke ; so she came o u t prematurely from behind the cl oset

door and ran into his ar m s whi l e the two young C ratchits
, ,

h u stled Tiny Tim and bore him o ff into the wash -h ou se that
,

he might hear the p u dding s inging in the copper .

And how did l ittl e Tim beha v e ? asked Mrs Cratchit

.
,

when s h e had rallied Bob o n his credulity and Bo b had hugged ,

his daughter to his heart s content

.

As g o od as gold said Bob

and better S omeho w h e
, , .

gets thoughtfu l sitting by himse l f s o much and thinks the

, ,

strangest things you ever heard H e told me coming home .

, ,

that he hoped the people s aw him in the church be c ause he ,

was a cripple and it might be pleasant to the m to remember

, ,

up o n Christ m as day wh o made l am e beggars walk and blind

,

men se e .

Bob s voi c e was tremulous when he told them this and

,

tre m b l ed more when he said that Tiny Tim was growing

strong an d hearty .

His active littl e crutch was heard upon the oor and back ,

came Tiny Tim before another word w as spoken escorted by ,

his brother and S ister to his stool beside the re ; and while
Bob turning up his cuffs
,
as if poor fe l low they were capa
, , ,

ble o f being made more shabby compounded some hot mix ,

ture in a j ug with gin and l emons and stirred it round and ,

round and put it o n the hob to simmer Master Peter and the ,

two ubiquitous young C ratch its went to fetch the goose with ,

which they soon returned in h igh procession 1

.

Mrs Cratchit made the gravy ( ready beforehand in a little

.

saucepan) hissing hot ; Master Peter mashed the potatoes wit h

in credible vigo r ; Miss Be l inda sweetened up the apple-sauce ;
Martha dusted the hot p l ates ; Bob took Tiny Tim beside him
in a tiny corn er at the table ; the two yo u ng C ratchi ts s e t chairs
1 Th e g oose h ad b e e n coo k ed i n th e b ak e r s

ov e n , fo r e conom y .
 A C H R I S T MA S CA RO L I 3 1

for eve rybody not forgetting themse l ves and m ounting guard
, ,

upon their posts c ra mm ed spoons into their mouths lest they

, ,

shou l d shriek for goose before their turn came to be helped .

At l ast the dishes were s e t o n and grace was said I t was s uc

,
.

c e e de d by a breathless pause as Mrs Cratchit looking slowly

,
.
,

al l al ong the c arving knife prepared to plunge it in the breast ;

-
,

but when S he did and when the long-expected gu sh o f stu fng

,

iss u ed forth o n e murmur o f delight arose al l round the board

, ,

and even Tiny Tim excited by the two young C ratchits beat
, ,

o n the table with the handle o f his knife and feeb ly c ried , ,

Hurrah !
There never was such a goose Bob said he did n t believe .

there ever was such a goose c ooked Its tenderness and av or .

,

size and cheapness were the themes o f universal admiration

, .

Eked o u t by app l e-sauce and m ashed potatoes it was a s u f ,

cient dinner for the who l e family ; indeed as Mrs Cratchit ,

.

said w ith great del ight ( surveying one small atom o f a b o ne

u pon the dish) they had n t ate it all at l ast ! Yet ev e ry on e
,

had had eno u gh and the youngest C ratch its in particu l ar were
,

steeped in sage and onion to the eyebrows But now the plates ,

being c hanged by Miss Belinda Mrs Cratchit left the room , .

alone , too nervous t o bear witnesses to take the pudding ,

u p and bring it in
, .

S uppose it should not be done enough ! S uppose it shou l d

break in turning out ! S uppose somebody shou l d have got
o v er the wall o f the back yard and stolen it w hi l e they were
, ,

merry with the goose a supposition at which the two young

,

C ratch its be c ame l ivid ! Al l sorts o f horrors were supposed .

H all o ! A gr eat dea l of steam ! The p u dding was o u t o f

the C o pper A smell l ike a w ashing-day ! That was the c lo th
. .

A smell like an eating-house and a pastry-c o ok s next door to

each other with a laundress s next door to that ! That was

,

the p u dd i ng ! In h alf a min u te M rs Cratc hit entered .

,
1 32 S H O RT S T O R I E S

ushed but smil ing proudly with the pudding l ike a spe ck l ed
, ,

cann o n-ba ll s o hard and rm blaz m g in half of half a quartern

, ,

of ignited brandy and bedight with Christmas holly st uck i nt o

,

the top .

O a wo nderfu l pudding ! Bob Cratchit said and calmly

, , ,

too that he regarded it as the greatest success achieved by

,

Mrs Crat ch it since their marriage Mrs Cratchit said that

. . .

now the weight w as Off her mind she would confess she had ,

h ad her d o ubts about the quantity Of our Ev erybody had .

something to s ay about it but nob o dy said o r tho u ght it was

,

at a ll a s m al l pudding for a l arge family Any Cratchit w ou l d .

h ave b lushed to hint at such a thing .

At l ast t h e dinner was all done the cl oth was cleared the , ,

h ea rt h swept and the re made up The compound in the

,
.

jug being tasted and considered perfect app l es and oran ge s ,

were put u pon the tab l e and a shovel ful o f chestnuts on

,

t h e re .

Then al l the Cratchit family drew r o und the hearth in wh at ,

B o b Cratchit called a circle and at Bob C ratch it s e l bo w stood

,

the fami ly display of glass two tumblers and a c ustard cup

,
-
,

with ou t a hand l e .

These h eld the hot stuff fro m the j ug however as w e ll as , ,

go l den gob l ets would have done ; and Bob served it o u t with
beaming looks while the chestnuts on the re sputtered and
,

crack l ed noisily Then Bob proposed

.

A M er ry Christmas to us al l m y dears God b l ess u s ,

.

Which al l the fami ly re-e choed .

G o d b l ess u s every o n e ! said Tiny Ti m the l ast of al l ,

.

He s at very close to his father s side upon his litt l e stoo l

,
.

B o b h e l d his withered littl e hand in his as if he l oved the chi l d , ,

and w is h ed to keep hi m by his side and dreaded t h at h e m ight ,

be taken fr om h im .

S crooge raised his h ead speedily on hearing his own na m e ,

.
1 34 S H O RT S T O R I E S

sh e worked at a stretch and h o w s h e meant to lie abed to ,

morrow morning for a good l ong rest ; tomorrow being a holi

day s h e passed at home Also how s h e had seen a countess and .

a lord some days before and h ow the l ord was much about as ,

tall as Peter at which Peter pulled up his collars so high that

you could n t have seen his head if you had been there All this

.

time the chestnuts and the j ug went round and round ; and by
and by they had a song about a lost child travelling in th e snow , ,

from Tiny Tim wh o had a plaintive l ittle voice and sang it very
, ,

w ell indeed .

There w as nothing o f high mark in this They wer e not a .

handsome family ; they were not wel l dressed ; their shoes were
far from being water-proof their clothes w ere scanty ; and
Peter might have known and very likely did the inside o f a , ,

pawnbroker s But they were happy grateful p l eased with o n e

.
, ,

another and contented with the time ; and when they faded
, ,

and l ooked happier yet in the bright sprink l ings o f the S pirit s

torch at parting S crooge had his eye upon them and especially
, ,

o n Tiny Ti m u ntil the l ast ,

.

It was a great surprise to S crooge as this scene vanished to , ,

hear a hearty laugh It was a much greater surprise to S crooge

.

to recognize it as his o wn nephew s and to nd himself in a

,

b ri ght dry gl eaming room with the S pirit standing smi l ing by
, , ,

his side and looking at that same nephew

,
.

It is a fair even-handed nob l e adj ustment o f things that

, , ,

while there is infection in disease and sorrow there is nothing

in the world so irresistibly contagious as l aughter and good
humor When S crooge s nephew laughed S crooge s niece by
.

,

m arriage l aughed as heartily as he And their assemb l ed friends .

,

being not a bit behindhand laughed out lustily ,

.

H e said that Christmas w as a humbug as I li ve ! c ri ed ,

S c rooge s nephew H e be l ieve d it to o !

.
 A C HR I S T M AS CA RO L 1 35

More sham e for him Fred ! said S crooge s niece in dig ,

,
~

nan tly .Bless those women ! they never do anything by ha lves .

They are al ways in earnest .

S he was very pretty exceedingly pretty With a dimp l ed , .

,

surprised-looking capita l face ; a ripe l itt l e mouth that seemed

,

made to be kissed as no doubt it was ; al l kinds o f good

,

little dots about her chin that melted into o n e another when sh e,

laughed and the sunniest pair o f eyes yo u e v er saw in any l ittle

creature s head Altogether s h e was what you would have called
.

pro v oking but satisfacto ry too O perfectly satisfactory !

, , .
,

He s a comica l old fellow said S crooge s nephew that s

,

,

the truth ; and not s o pleasant as he might be However his .

,

o ffences carry their o wn punishment and I have noth ing to s ay ,

against him Who suffers by his ill whims ? H imself always

.
, .

H ere he tak es it into his head to dislike u s and he won t come ,

and dine with u s What s the consequence ? H e don t l ose

much o f a dinner .

Indeed I think he l oses a very good dinner interru pted

, ,

S crooge s niece Eve rybody else said the same and they must

.
,

be allowed to have been competent j udges because they had ,

j ust had dinner ; and with the dessert upon the table w ere, ,

clustered ro u nd th e re by lamplight ,
.

We l l I am very glad to hear it said S crooge s nephew be

, ,

,

cause I hav e n t any great faith in these young housekeepers

.

What do you s ay Topper ,

Topper clearly had his eye on one of Scrooge s niece s s is

ters fo r he answered that a bachelor was a w re tc h e d outcast

,
~

who had n o right to express an opinion o n the subj ect Whereat .

S crooge s niece s sister the plump o n e with the lace tucker

,

not the o n e with the roses blushed .

After tea they had some music For they were a musical .

family and knew w h at they were about w hen they sung a Glee
, ,
1 36 S H O RT S T O R I E S

or Cat ch I c an assu re yo u especially Topper wh o c ould

, ,
, ,

grow! a w ay in the bass l ike a good one and never swe ll the ,

l arge veins i n his forehead o r get red in the fa c e over it ,

.

B u t they did n t devote the whole evening to music After a

.

whi l e they p l ayed at forfeits for it is good to be children some

times and never better than at Christmas wh en its m ighty
, ,

Founder was a chi l d himse l f There was rst a game at blind .

man s-bu ff though And I no more be l ieve Topper was real l y

,
.

blinded than I believe h e had eyes in h is boots Be c ause the .

w ay in w hich he w ent after that plump sister in the l ace tucker

w as an o u trage on th e credu l ity o f h um an nature Knocking .

down the re-irons tum bling o v er the chairs bu m ping up

, ,

against the p i ano s mo thering him se l f among the curtains

, ,

w herever sh e w ent th ere w ent he ! H e al ways knew w here

the p l u m p s i ster was H e w ou l d n t c atch anybody e l se If yo u
.

.

h ad fallen up against him as s o me o f th em did and stood th ere , , ,

h e would have m ade a feint o f endeavoring to seize you w hich ,

w ould have been an affront to your understanding and w ou l d ,

in stantly have sidled o ff in t h e direction of the p l ump sister .

Here is a new game said S crooge

O ne hal f-hour S pi rit
,
.
, ,

on ly o n e !
It w as a Game cal led Y es and No w here S crooge s nephew ,

had to think of something and the rest must nd o u t what ; he ,

on ly answering to their questions yes o r no as the case w as , .

The re o f questioning to which he was exposed elicited from

him that h e w as thinking o f an animal a live anima l rather a , ,

disagreeab l e animal a savage animal an animal that growled

, ,

and grunted sometimes and talked sometimes and l ived in , ,

London and walked about the streets and was n t made a S how
, ,

of and was n t l ed by anybody and did n t l ive in a m enagerie

,

,

,

and w as never ki l led in a m arket and was not a horse or an , ,

ass o r a c ow or a bull o r a tiger o r a dog o r a pig or a cat

, , , , , , ,

o r a bear At every ne w q u estion put to him this nephew b u rst

.
,
I 38 S H O RT S T O R I E S

S TA V E F O U R
TH E LA S T O F TH E S P I R IT S

The Phantom slowly grav ely s ilently approached When it , , .

came near him S crooge bent down upon h is knee ; for in the
,

air through which this S pirit moved it seemed to scatter gloom

and mystery .

I t w as S hrouded in a deep b lack garment which concealed ,

its head its face its form and left nothing o f it visible save o n e
, , ,

outstretched hand H e knew no more for the S pirit neither

.
,

spoke nor moved .

I a m in the presence o f the Ghost o f Christmas Yet To

Come ? Ghost o f the Future ! I fear you more than any
spectre I have seen But as I know your purpose is to do
.

m e good and as I hope to liv e to be another man f rom what I

,

was I am prepared to bear you company and do it with a

, ,

thankfu l heart Will yo u not speak to me

.
?

It gave him no reply The hand was pointed straight before

.

them .

Lead o n ! Lead o n ! The night is waning fast and it is ,

precious time to me I know Lead o n S pirit ! ,

.
,

They scarce ly seemed to enter the city ; for the city rather
seemed to spring up about them But there they were in the .

heart o f it ; o n Change amongst the merchants

, .

The S pirit stopped beside o n e little k not of business men .

O bserving that the hand was pointed to them S crooge advanced ,

to listen to their talk .

No said a great fat man with a monstrous ch in I don t

, ,

know muc h about it either way I o nly know he s dead .

.

When did he die ? inquired another

.

Last night I believe ,
.

Why what w as the m atter wit h h im I thought he dnever d i e

,

.
 A CH R I S TMA S CA RO L 1 39

knows said the rst with a yawn

G od , ,
.

What h as he done with his money ? as k e d a red - faced
gentl em an .

I have n t heard said the man with the l arge chin

, Co m .

pany perhaps H e has n t l eft it to me That s a ll I know

,
.

.

.

By by
,

Scrooge w as at rst i nclined to be surprised that the S pirit

should attach importance to conversation apparently s o triv ial ;
but feeling assured that it must hav e some hidden purpose he ,

se t him s elf to consider what it was like l y to be It cou l d scarce ly .

be supposed to have any bearing o n the death o f Jacob his o ld ,

partner for that was Past and this Ghost s provin c e was the
, ,

Future .

H e l ooked about in that very p l ace fo r his own im age ; but

another man stood in his accustomed co m er and tho u gh the ,

clock pointed to his usual time o f day for be i ng there he saw ,

no l ikeness o f himself among the m ul titudes that poured in

through the Porch It gave h i m l ittle surprise h owever ; for h e
.
,

h ad been revo lving in his mind a change o f life and he tho ught ,

and hoped he s aw his new -born resolutions carried o u t in this .

They l eft this busy scene and w ent into an obscure pa rt o f

'

the to wn t o a lo w shop where i ron Ol d rags bott l es bones

, , , , ,

and greasy o ffa l were bought A gray-haired rascal of great .

,

age sat sm o king his pipe

,
.

S crooge and the Phantom cam e into the presence o f this m an ,

just as a woman w ith a heavy bund l e slunk into the shop But .

s h e had scarce l y entered when another woman similarl y l aden

, , ,

came in too ; and sh e was cl ose ly followed by a man i n faded

b l ack After a short period o f b l ank astonishment in which the
.
,

o l d man wit h the pipe h ad j oined the m t h ey al l t h ree b u rst into ,

a laugh .

Let the charwoman alone to be the rst ! cried s h e wh o
h ad entered rst Let the laundress a l one to be the second ;
.
1 40 S H O RT S T O R I E S

and l et t h e u nde rtake r s man a lo ne to be th e third L oo k h e r e

.
,

old J o e h ere s a chan ce ! If w e h ave n t a ll t hree m et h e r e

,

w i thout m ean ing it

Yo u c ou l d n t have m et i n better p l ace Yo u w ere m ade

.

free of it l ong ago you know ; and t h e o t h er two ain t strangers

,

.

What have yo u got to se l l W h at h ave yo u go t to se ll

? ?

Hal f a m in ute s patience Joe and yo u shal l s e e

, ,
.

What o dds then ! What o dds Mrs Di l ber said the ,

.

wo m an Eve ry person has a right to take c are o f th emsel ves

. .

H e al ways did ! Who s the wo rse fo r the l oss of a fe w things

l ike these ? N o t a dead m an I supp o se

, .

Mrs Dilber w hose manner was re m arkab l e for general

.
,

p ropitiat ion sai d N O i ndeed m a a m

, ,

, ,

.

If he wanted t o keep em afte r he was dead a w icked Old

,

s c re w why was n t h e nat u ra l i n his l ifetime ? If he had been

, ,

h e d h ave had someb o dy to l ook afte r h i m when he was struck

wi t h Deat h instead o f l y i ng gasp i ng ou t h is l ast t h e re a l one

, ,

by himsel f
.

It s the tr u est wo rd that ever w as sp o ke ; it s a j udg m ent

on h i m
.

I w is h it was a l ittl e heavier j udg m ent and it sh o uld have ,

been y ou m ay depend upon it if I c o uld have l aid my h ands

, ,

o n anything else O pen that bund l e old J o e and let me know

.
, ,

the val ue of it S peak out p l ain I m not afr ai d t o be the rst

. .

,

nor afraid for the m to s e e it

.

J o e w ent d o wn o n his knees for the greate r c onvenience o f

O pening the bund l e and dragged o ut a l arge and heavy ro ll o f
,

s ome dark stu ff .

What do yo u cal l this ? Bed-cu rtains

A h ! Bed -cu rtains ! Don t drop t h at oi l u p o n t h e b l ankets
,

H isb l ankets
W ho se e l se s do you thi nk ? He i s n t l ike ly to take cold

,

1 42 S H O RT S T O R I E S

Past i t rather Peter answered shutting up h is book

, , , .

B u t I think he h as walked a little s l ower than he used these ,

few l ast even i ngs mother

,
.

I have known him walk with I have known him wal k

w ith Tiny Tim upon his shou l der ve ry fast indeed
, .

And so hav e I cried Peter

O ften
,
. .

And so have I excl aimed another S O had all , . .

But he was very l ight to carry and his father loved him so , ,

th at it was no trouble no trouble And there is your father

, .

at the door !
S he hurried o u t to m eet him and l ittl e Bob in h is comforter
he had need o f it poor fel l ow came in His tea was ready
, .

fo r him o n the hob and they all tried wh o shou l d he l p him to

,

i t most Then the tw o young C ratch its got upon his knees and
.

l aid each chi l d a l ittle cheek against his face as if they said
, , , ,

Don t mind it father Don t be grieved l

, .

Bob was very cheerfu l w ith them and spoke p l easantl y to al l ,

the fami ly H e l ooked at the w ork upon the table and praised
.
,

the industry and speed o f Mrs Cratchit and the girls They . .

w ould be d o ne lo ng before S unday he said , .

S unday ! Yo u went to day then R obert ?

-
, ,

Ye s my dear ,

returned Bob I wis h you coul d have
,
.

gone It w o ul d have done you good to see how gr een a

.

p l ace it is B u t you ll se e it often I pr o mised hi m that I

.

.

wou l d walk there on a Su nday My l itt l e l ittl e chi l d ! My l ittl e .

,

chi l d !

H e broke down al l at once He could n t help it If h e c ou l d .

.

have helped it he and the chil d w o u ld have been farth e r apart

, ,

perhaps than they were

, .

S pe c tre said S crooge something informs m e that our

, ,

parting moment is at hand I know it but I know not h o w .

, .

Tel l me what man that was with the c o vered face w hom we , ,

saw ly ing dead ?

 A CH R I S T MA S C A RO L 1 43

The Ghost of Christmas Y et To Come conveyed him to a

dismal wretched ruinous churchyard
, , .

The S pirit stood among the graves and pointed down to O ne ,

.

Before I draw nearer to that stone to which you point ,

answer me o n e question Are these the shadows o f the things

.

that Will be o r are they shadows o f the th ings that May be

,

only
S till the Ghost pointed downward to the grav e by which it stood .

Men s courses will foreshadow certain ends to which if

, ,

persevered in they must lead But if the courses be departed

,
.

from the ends will change S ay it i s t h us wi t h wh at yo u

,
.

show me !
The S pirit was immovab l e as ever .

S crooge crept towards it trembling as h e went ; and fo ll o w

, ,

ing the nger read upon the stone O f the negl ected grave his
,

o wn name EB ENE ZE R S CROO GE

,
.

A m I that man who l ay upon the bed ? No S pirit ! O no , ,

no S pirit hear m e ! I a m not the man I was I wil l not be the .

man I must have been but for this intercourse Why show me .

this if I am past all hope ? Assure me that I yet m ay change

,

these shadows you h ave s ho wn me by an a l tered l ife

.

For the rst time the kind hand faltered .

I w i ll honor Christmas in my h eart and try t o keep it all ,

th e year I wil l l ive in the Past the Present and the Future
.
, ,
.

The S pirits of all three shal l stri v e within me I wil l not shut .

o u t the l ess o ns that they teach O tel l me I may s ponge away.

,

the writing o n this stone

Holding up his hands in o n e l ast prayer to hav e his fate
reversed he saw an alteration in the Phanto m s hood and dress
,

.

It shrunk collapsed and dw i nd l ed down int o a bedpost

, ,
.

Yes and the bedp o st was his o w n The bed was his o wn
,
.
,

the room was his o wn Best and happiest o f a l l the Time befo re
.
,

h i m was hi s o wn t o m ake a m ends i n !

,
1 44 S H O RT S T O R I E S

He was checked in his transports by the ch u rches ri nging o u t

t h e lu stiest peals h e had e v er heard .

R unning to the window he opened it and put out his , ,

head No fog no m ist no night ; c l ear bright sti rring go l den

.
, , , , ,

day !
What s to day
cried S crooge calling downward to a ,

b oy in S unday c l othes who perhaps h ad loi tered i n t o lo ok

,

about h im .

Eh ?
What s to - day my ne fel low

,

T O-day ! Why C HRI S T M A S DAY , .

It s Christ m as day ! I h ave n t missed it Hall o my ne

.
,

fe llow !

Hallo
D O you kno w the Po ul terer s in the next street b u t o n e at

, ,

the corner ?
I S hould hope I did .

An intelligent boy ! A re m arkable boy ! Do yo u kno w

whether they v e sold the prize Turkey that was hanging up

there ? N o t the littl e prize Turkey the big one ?

,

What the o n e as big as m e

,
?

What a delightf ul b oy It s a p l eas ur e t o tal k t o him Yes

.
,

my buck
I t s h anging there n o w

.

I s it ? Go and buy it .

- 1
Walk ER exclaimed the boy .

N O no I am in earnest
, ,
Go and buy it and tell em to .
,

bring i t here that I may giv e them the direction where to take
,

it Come back with the man and I 11 gi v e yo u a shill ing

.
,

.

Come back with him in l ess than ve m inutes and I ll gi ve ,

you half a crown !
The boy was O ff like a shot .

1 Walk e r !
or H oo k y W lk
e a er ! m e an s Wh at a s t o r y!
1 46 S H O RT S T O R I E S

Let hi m in ! It is a mercy he did n t shake his arm o ff He

.

was at home in v e minutes Nothing c o uld be heartier His . .

nie c e l ooked j ust the same S O did Topper when b e came S o . .

did the p l ump siste r w hen s li c came S o did every o n e when .

tb ey came Wonderfu l party w onderfu l games w onderfu l

.
, ,

unanimity wonder-ful happiness !

,

But he was early at the o fce next morning O he was early .

,

there ! I f he could only be there rst and catch Bob Cratchit ,

com ing late ! That was the thing he had set his heart upon .

And he did it The clock struck nine No Bob A quarter

. . .

past No Bo b Bob was full eighteen minutes and a hal f b e

. .

hind his time S crooge s at with his doo r w ide open that he
.
,

might s ee him come into the Tank .

Bob s hat was o ff before he opened the door ; his comforter

t o o H e was on his stoo l i n a j i ffy ; driving away with his pen

.
,

as if he were t rying to overtake nine o clock

.

Hallo ! growled S crooge in his accustomed voice as near

,

as he could feign it What do yo u m ean by coming h ere at

.

this time o f day ?

I a m very sorry s ir I a m behind my time , . .

Yo u are ? Yes I think you are S tep this way if yo u

. .
,

p l ease
.

It s o nly once a year s ir It shall not be repeated I was

,
. .

making rather m erry yesterday s ir ,

.

Now I ll tel l yo u what my friend I am not going to
,

,
.

stand this sort of thin g any longer And therefore S crooge .

,

continued leaping from his stool and giv ing Bob such a dig in
, ,

the wai s tcoat that he staggered back into the Tank again ,

and therefore I am about to raise your salary !
Bob tremb l ed and got a little nearer to the ru ler
, .

A merry Christmas Bob ! said S crooge with an earnest

, ,

ness that could not be mistaken as he clapped him o n the back ,

.

A merrier Christmas Bob my good fellow than I have given

, , ,
 A CH R I S TMA S CA RO L 1 47

you for many a year ! I l l raise your sal ary and endeavor to

,

assist your struggling family and we will discu s s your affairs

,

this very afternoon o v er a Christmas bowl of smo k ing bishop

, ,

Bob ! Make up the res and buy a second coal scuttl e before
,
-

you dot another i Bob Cratchit

,

S crooge was better than his word H e did i t all and innitely
.
,

more ; and to Tiny Ti m wh o did N OT die he was a second

, ,

father H e became as good a friend as good a master and as

.
, ,

good a man as the good o ld city knew o r any other good old
,

c ity town o r borough in the good old worl d S ome people

, ,
.

l au ghed to s ee the al teration in him but his o wn heart laughed ,

and that was quite enough for him .

He had n o further intercourse with spirits but l ived in that

,

respect upon the tota l-abstin e nce principle ever afterw ard ; and
it was a l ways said o f him that he knew how to keep Christmas
,

wel l if any m an aliv e p o ssessed the know l edge May that be

, .

tru l y said o f u s and al l of u s ! And so as Tiny Tim O bserved

, , ,

God bless us e v ery o n e

 V I . T H E G REAT S TO N E FA CE 1
( 1 8 5 0)
BY N ATHANIE L H AWTH O RNE ( 1 8 0 4 1 8 6 4)

[ S The Prole Mountain a huge w ork of Nature in

etti ng ,

her mood of maj estic playfulness seems to have given the ,

suggestion The Prole Mountain is a part of Cannon Moun

.

tain which is o n e o f the White Mountains of N e w Hampshire

, .

But the l arger background is to be sought in the interp l ay o f

the spiritual and physical forces whic h Hawt h o rne has here
staged in allegory The m ountain is the symbo l o f a l ofty ideal
.

that b l esses those that follow its beckoning and m arks the
degree o f failure o f those that slight o r ign o re it .

Plot The plan o f the sto ry is as simp l e and beautifu l as the

.

teaching is profound and h elpful

M r H awthorne writes . .
,

Mrs Hawthorne says he is rather ashamed o f the mechanical

.
,

structure o f the story the moral being so plain and m anifest

,

.

But what is the plain and manifest moral that the struct u re

o f the story i s de s igned to bring o u t ? O ne interpreter says ,

That the l ast S hal l be rst another That success is not ,

to be measured by human standards

The centra l thought .

seems to me to be l arger than either o f these and to include

both It is rather the assimilati v e power of a l ofty ideal and is
.

best phrased in 2 Corinthians iii 1 8 : But w e al l with open , ,

face beholding as in a glass the glory o f the Lord are changed ,

into the same image from glo ry to glory By setting his ideal .

high and by loo k ing and longing E rnest grew daily in S piritual ,

s tature and w as saved from being the victim o f the popular and

1 F ro m
Th e S n ow Im ga e , an d O th e r Twi -T ce o ld Tl a es . U s e d by
p e rm i s s io n o f, an d by p
s i l
ec a arran g m e e nt w it h , H gh t
ou on M if in
C o m p an y , p u b lis h e rs o f H w th
a o rn e s

W k or s .

1 48
I 5 0 S H OR T S T O R I E S

Embosomed am o ngst a fami ly o f l ofty m ountains there was ,

a vall ey so spacious that it contained many thousand inhabit

ants Som e o f these good peop l e dwe l t in lo g hu ts w ith the
.
,

b l a ck f o rest a ll ar ou nd t h e m on t h e steep and dif c u l t h il l

,

sides O thers h ad thei r h o m es in co m fortab l e far m-h o u ses

.
,

and cu l tivated th e r ich soi l o n the gent l e l p es o r l eve l s u r

faces o f the val l ey O th ers again were co n gregated into
.
, ,

popu l o u s vi ll ages wh ere some w ild h igh l and rivu l et tumb l ing
, , ,

do w n fro m i ts birt h p l a c e in the u ppe r m ou ntain region had ,

been c aught and tam ed by h u m an cu nning and c o mpe lled t o ,

turn t h e m achinery o f cotton factories T h e i n h abitants o f

- .

this vall ey i n short w ere n um er ou s and o f m any mo des of life

, , , .

But all of them gr o wn people and chi l dren h ad a kind o f

, ,

fa mil iarity with the Great S tone Face al thou gh some possessed ,

the gift o f distinguishing t h is grand natural phenomenon m ore

perfe c tl y than many o f their neighbors .

The G r eat S tone Face then was a work of Nat u re i n h e r

, ,

m ood o f m aj estic playfu l ness form ed o n the perpendi cu lar ,

side o f the mountain by some immense rocks which had been ,

thrown together i n s uch a position as when viewed at a pro per ,

distance precisely to rese m ble the features O f the human co u n

,

t en an ce It seemed as i f an enormo u s giant o r a Titan h ad

.
, ,

sculptured h is o wn l ikeness o n the precipice There was the .

broad arch o f the forehead a hundred feet in height ; the nose , ,

with its long bridge ; and t h e vast l ips w hich if they co ul d , ,

have spoken would h ave ro lled their thunder accents fro m one
,

end o f the valley to the other Tru e it is that if the spectator .

,

approached too near he lost t h e outline o f the giganti c visage

, ,

and c ould discern on lya heap of ponder o u s and gigantic rocks ,

pi l ed in chaotic ru in one upon another R etra c ing h is steps .

,

h owever the wondro u s features w o ul d again be seen ; and th e

,

farther h e withdre w from them the m ore l ike a h uman face , ,

w ith all i ts original divinity intact did they appear ; u ntil as it , ,

 T H E G RE AT S T O N E FAC E 1 51

g rew dim in the distance with the clouds and ,

g l oried vapor
o f the m ountains c l ustering abo u t it the Great S tone Face ,

see m ed p o sitively to be al ive .

It w as a happy l ot for chi l dren t o gr ow up t o m an ho od o r

w omanhood with the Great S tone Face before their eyes fo r ,

al l the feat u res w ere noble and the expression was at once,

grand and sweet as if it were the glow o f a vast warm heart

, , ,

that embra c ed al l m ankind in its affections and had room fo r ,

more It was an education on l y to l ook at it Ac c ording to

. .

th e belief of many peop l e t h e va ll ey owed much o f its fertility

,

to this benign aspect that was c ontin u a ll y bea m in g over it ,

ill uminating the c l o u ds and infusing its tenderness int o the

,

s unshine .

As we began wit h say in g a m oth er and her l ittl e boy s at ,

at their cottage- do o r gazing at the Great S tone Face and

, ,

talking abo ut it The child s name was E rnest

.

.

Mother said he while the Titanic visage smiled o n h im

, , ,

I wish that it could speak for it looks so ve ry kindly that its

,

voice must needs be p l easant If I were to see a man with .

s u ch a fa c e I should lo v e hi m dear ly
,

.

If an o ld prophecy shou l d com e to pass answered his ,

mother we m ay see a m an s om e ti m e or other with exactly

, , ,

s u ch a face as that
p

.

What prophecy do you m ean dear mother ?
eagerly ,

inquired E rnest Pray tel l m e all abo u t it !

.

S o his mother told him a sto ry that he r o wn m o ther had

told to her when she herself w as younger than l itt l e E rnest ;
,

a story n o t o f things that were past but O f what was yet to

, ,

come ; a sto ry neverthel ess so very Ol d that even the Indians

, , ,

who fo rmerly inhabited this valley had heard it from thei r ,

forefathers to whom as they af rmed it had been murm ured

, , ,

by the mountain streams and whispered by the wind a m ong ,

the treetops The purport was that at s om e fut u re day a

.
, , ,
1 52 S H O RT S T O R I E S

child sh o ul d be born hereab o uts ,

wh o w as desti ned t o be com e
the greatest and noblest personage o f his time and whose ,

co u ntenance in manhood shoul d bear an exact rese m b l ance

, ,

t o the Great S tone Face Not a few o ld-fashioned people and .

,

young o nes l ikewise in the ardor o f their hopes still cherished

, ,

an enduring faith in this o ld prophecy But others who had .

,

seen m ore of the world had watched and waited til l th ey w ere
,

weary and h ad be h eld no m an with such a face no r any m an

, ,

that proved to be much gre ater o r nobler than h is neighbors

c on cl uded i t to be nothing but an id l e tal e At all eve n ts the .

,

great man o f the pro phe cy had not yet appeared .

O m oth er dea r m other ! c ried E rnest cl apping h is hands

,

,

above h is h ead I do h ope that I shall l ive to see h im

,
?

His m o t h er w as an affe c ti o nate and thoughtfu l wo m an and ,

fe l t that it was wisest not to discourage the generous hopes o f

h er l ittl e boy S O s h e only said to him Perhaps you may
.

,
.

And E rnest ne v er forgot the story that his mother to l d him .

I t w as a l ways in his mind whenever h e l ooked upon the Great ,

S to ne Face H e spent his childhood in the l og cottage where

.
-

h e was born and was dutifu l to his m other and helpfu l to he r

, ,

in m any things assisting h er much with his l ittle hands and

, ,

mo re w ith his l oving heart In this m anner fro m a happy yet .

,

o ften pensive child he grew up to be a m ild quiet u nobt ru sive

, , ,

boy and s u nb ro wn e d with l abor i n the elds but w ith more

, ,

inte ll igen c e brightening his aspect than is seen in many lads

wh o h ave been taught at fam ous schoo l s Yet E rnest had had .

no teacher save on ly that the Great S tone Fa c e became one to

,

him When the toi l o f the day was over h e w o u ld gaz e at it

.
,

for hours unti l h e began to imagine that th o se vast features

,

re cogniz ed hi m and gave h i m a smile o f kindness and en c o u r

,

agem en t responsi v e to his o w n look o f veneration

,
We must .

n o t take upon us to a f rm that this w as a mistake although ,

th e Fa c e m ay ha v e looked no m ore kindly at Ernest t h an at all

1 54 S H O RT ST O R I E S

Mr G ath e rgo ld h ad become so very rich that i t w o ul d h ave

.

taken hi m a hundred years only to count his w ealth he be ,

th o ught himse l f o f his native valley and resolved to go back ,

thither and end his days where he was born With this
,
.

purpose in view he sent a skilfu l architect to build him

,

such a pal ace as should be t for a m an o f his vast wealth

to live in .

As I h av e said above it had already been rumored in the

,

v a ll ey that Mr G ath e rgo ld had turned o u t to be the prophetic

.

personage so l ong and v ainly looked for and that his v isage ,

was the perfect and undeniable similitude o f the Great S tone

Face Peop l e were the more ready to belie v e that this must
.

needs be the fact when they beheld the splendid edice that
,

rose as if by enchantment o n the site o f his father s old

, ,

w eather beaten farm house The exterior was of marble so

- - .
,

dazzlingl y white that it seemed as though the w ho l e stru cture

m ight melt away in the s u nshine l ike those humbler ones ,

which Mr G ath e.r

go ld in his y o ung play
,
-days before his ngers ,

were gifted with the touch of transmutation had been accus ,

to m e d to build o f sno w I t h ad a rich ly ornamented portico

.
,

supported by tall pillars beneath which w as a l ofty door

, ,

studded with si l ver knobs and made of a kind o f variegated

,

wood that had been brought from beyond the s e a The win .

dows from the oor to the ceiling of each stately apartment

, ,

were composed respecti v ely O f but o n e enormous pane of

, ,

glass so transparently pure that it w as said to be a ner

,

mediu m than even the vacant atmosphere Hardly anybody .

had been per m itted to s e e the interior O f this palace ; but it

w as reported an d with good semb l ance of truth to be far
, ,

more gorgeous than the outside insomuch that whate v er was ,

iron o r brass in other houses was S il v er or gold in this ; and

Mr G ath e rgo ld s bedchamber especially made such a glitter
.

, ,

ing appearance that no ordinary man would have been ab l e to

 TH E G RE AT S T O N E FA C E 1 55

c l ose h is eyes there But on the other hand Mr G ath e rgo ld

.
, , .

was n o w so inured to wea l th that perhaps he could not have ,

cl osed his eyes un l ess where the glea m o f it was certain t o

nd its way beneath his eyelids .

In due time the mansion was nished ; next came the u ph o l

,

s te re rs w ith magnicent furniture ; then a whole troop o f black ,

and white servants the h arbingers o f Mr G ath e rgold wh o in

,
.
, ,

h i s o wn m ajestic pers o n was expected to arrive at sunset O ur

, .

friend E rnest meanwhile had been deep ly stirred by the idea

, ,

that the great man the nob l e man the man o f prophecy after
, , ,

so many ages o f de l ay was at lengt h to be made m anifest to

,

h is native valley H e knew boy as he was that there were

.
, ,

a th o usand ways in w hich M r G ath e rgo ld with his vast wealth

.
, ,

m ight transfor m hi m se l f int o an ange l o f b ene c e n c e and ,

assume a contr ol o ver human affairs as wide and benignant as

the smile o f the Great S tone Fa c e F ull o f faith and hope .
,

E rnest doubted n o t that w h at t h e peop l e said was true and ,

t h at now h e w as to be h o l d the l iving l ikeness o f th o se wondrous

features o n t h e m o u ntain -side Whi l e the boy w as sti ll gazing
.

up t h e val l ey and fancying as h e alw ays did that the Great

, , ,

S tone Face returned h is gaz e and l ooked kindly at h im the ,

ru mb l ing o f w h ee l s w as h eard appr o ach ing swiftly a long the,

w inding road .

Here h e c omes !
cried a gro u p O f people who were
assembled to witness the arrival Here comes the great .

Mr G ath e rgo ld
.

A carriage drawn by four h orses dashed round the turn o f

, ,

the road Within it thru st partly o u t of the window appeared

.
, ,

the physiognomy o f a li ttl e o ld man wit h a skin as yel l o w as if ,

h i s o w Midas h and had transmuted it He had a l ow forehead

n - .
,

smal l sharp eyes puckered about with innumerab l e wrinkles

, , ,

and very thin lips whi ch he m ade still thinne r by pressing the m
,

f o r c ibly toget h e r.
1 5 6 S H OR T S T O R I E S

T h e very image of the Great S tone Fa c e ! shouted the

peop l e . S ure enough the O ld prophecy is true ; and here w e

,

have the great man come at l ast ! ,

And w hat greatly perplexed E rnest they seemed a c t u ally to

, ,

bel ieve th at here was the likeness which they spoke o f By the .

roadside there chanced to be an o ld beggar-wo m an and two

little beggar children stragglers fro m some far-O ff region wh o
-
, , ,

as the carriage ro lled onward held o u t their hands and lifted

,

up their dolefu l voices most pite o us ly beseeching charity A

,
.

ye l low claw the very same that had c l awed together so much
weal th p o ked itse l f o u t o f the coach-window and dropt some ,

C opper coins u pon the ground ; s o that though the great man s

,

name seems to have been G ath e rgo ld he might j ust as suitab ly ,

h ave been nicknamed S catterCOpp e r S til l ne v ertheless with .

, ,

an earnest shout and evidently with as much g oo d fait h as ever

, ,

the peop l e bel lowed ,

He is the v e ry image o f the Great S tone Face

B u t E rnest turned sadly fro m the wrink l ed shrewdness o f
that sordid visage and gazed up the valley where amid a
, , ,

gathering m ist gilded by the l ast s u nbeams he cou l d still dis

, ,

tingu is h those g l orio u s features whi ch had impressed them .

se l ves into his sou l Their aspe c t cheered him What did th e
. .

benign l ips see m to s ay ?

H e w i ll c om e ! Fear n o t E rnest ; the man wil l come !
,

The years w ent o n and E rnest ceased to be a boy He had

,
.

grown to be a young man now H e attracted little notice from .

the other inhabitants of the valley ; fo r they saw nothing

remarkab l e in his way of life save that when the l abor of the
, ,

day was over he still loved to go apart and gaze and meditate
,

upon the Great S tone Face A c cording to their idea o f the

.

matter it was a folly indeed but pardonable ina s much as

, , , ,

E rnest was industrious kind and neighborly and neglected no

, , ,

d u ty fo r th e s ak e of i ndulging this id l e h abit T h ey knew no t .

1 58 S H O RT S T O R I E S

o f hard ghting had n o w become an i ll ustrious co mm ander

, .

Whate v er he may be called in history he was known in camps ,

and o the batt l e

n - e ld under the nickname o f O ld Blood and
-

Th under This w ar-worn veteran being now inrm wit h age

.
,

and w ounds and weary o f the turmoil o f a military l ife and o f

, ,

the ro l l o f th e dru m and the clangor o f the trumpet that had ,

so l ong been ri nging in his ears had l ate ly signied a purpose,

o f returning to his native val l ey hoping to nd repose where ,

h e rem embered to have l eft it The inhabitants his old neigh

.
,

bors and their grown -u p children were resol v ed to welcome the ,

r enowned warrior with a salute of canno n and a public dinner ;

and all the m ore enthusiastically it being a frmed that now at , ,

l ast the l ikeness o f the Great S tone Face had actually appeared
, .

-
An aid de camp - o f O ld Blood and Thunder trave ll ing through
-
,

th e valley w as said to have been struck w ith the resemb l ance

, .

M o reover the schoo lmates and early a cqu aintances o f the general
w ere ready t o testify o n oath that to the be s t of their re co lle c
, , ,

t ion the aforesaid general had been exceedingly l ike the m aj estic
,

i mage ev en when a boy on l y that the idea had nev er occurred

, ,

to them at that period Great t h erefore was the excitement

.
, ,

t h roughout the valley ; and many people wh o had never once ,

thought o f gl ancing at th e Great S tone Face for years before ,

no w spent their ti m e in gazing at it for the sake o f knowing

exactly how Genera l Blood and Thunder looked
- - .

O n the day o f the great festi v al E rnest with al l the o the r , ,

pe o p l e o f the valley l eft their work and proceeded to the spot

, ,

where the sylv an banquet was prepared A S he approached .

,

the lo ud voice o f the R e v D r B attle blas t was heard beseeching

. .
,

a b l essing o n the good things s e t before them and on the dis ,

tin gu is h e d friend of peace in whose honor they were assemb l ed .

The tab l es were arranged in a cleared space o f the woods shut ,

i n by the surrounding trees except wh ere a vista O pened east

,

w ard and affo rded a distant view of the Great S tone Face
,
.
 T H E G RE AT S T O N E FAC E 1 59

O v er the general s chair which was a relic from the h ome o f

Washington there w as an arch of verdant boughs with the

, ,

l aure l profuse ly intermixed and surmounted by his c ountry s ,

banner beneath which h e had won his victories O ur friend

,
.

E rnest raised himself o n his tiptoes in hopes t o get a glimpse ,

o f the ce l ebrated guest ; but there w as a mighty crowd about

the tables anxious to hear the toas ts and speeches and to catch ,

any word that might fall from th e general in reply and a volu m
teer company doing duty as a guard pricked ruthless ly with
, ,

their bayonets at any particu l arly quiet person among the throng .

S o Ernest being of an unobtrusi v e character was thrust quite

, ,

into the ba ckground where h e could s e e no more o f O ld Blood

,

andThunder s physiognomy than if it had been stil l blazing on

the battle- eld To console himself he turned towards the

.
,

Great S tone Face which like a faithfu l and l ong-remembered

, ,

friend l ooked back and smiled upon him through the vista o f
,

the forest M eantime however he could overhear the remarks

.
, ,

o f various individuals w h o were comparing the features o f the

,

hero w ith the face o n the distant mountain-side .

T is the same face to a hair ! cried one man cutting

, ,

a caper for j oy .

Wonderfully like that s a fact !
responded anothe r,

.

Like ! w hy I cal l it O ld Blood-and-Thunder himse l f in

, ,

a monstrous l ooking-gl ass !

cried a third
And why not ? .

He s the greatest man o f this o r any other age beyond

,

a doub t
And then al l three o f the speakers ga v e a great shout which ,

c ommunicated electricity to the crowd and Called forth a roar ,

from a thousand voices that went reverberating for miles ,

a m ong the mountains unti l you might have supposed that the ,

Great S tone Face had poured its thunder-breath into the c ry .

A ll these co m ments and this vast enthusiasm served the more

,

t o interest our friend ; nor did he think o f questioning that n ow ,

1 60 S H O RT S T O R I E S

at l ength the m ountain-visage had found its human c ou nterpart

,
.

It is true E rnest had imagined that this l ong-l ooked-for person

,

age w ou l d appear in the character o f a man of peace uttering ,

wisdom and doing good and making people happy But tak ing
, , .
,

an habi tua l breadth o f V iew with all his simplicity he contended

, ,

that Providence should choose its own method o f b l essing man

kind and could conceive that this great end might be e ffected
,

e v en by a warrior and a bloody sword sho u ld ins c ru table ,

wisdom s e e t to order m atters so .

The general ! the general ! was now the cry Hush ! .

sil ence ! O ld Blood and Thunder s going to make a speech

- -
.

Even s o ; fo r the c l oth being remo v ed the general s health

, ,

had been drunk amid shouts o f app l ause and he n o w stood ,

u pon his feet to thank the company E rnest s aw him There . .

he was over the shoulders o f the crowd from the two glittering
, ,

epaulets and embroidered collar upward beneath the arch of ,

green boughs wit h intertw ined l au re l and t h e banne r drooping ,

as if to shade his brow ! A n d th ere too visible in the sam e , ,

glance through the vista of the forest appeared the Great

, ,

S tone Face ! And w as there indeed such a resemb l ance as the

, ,

crowd had testied ? Alas E rnest could not recogniz e it ! H e

,

beheld a war worn and weather beaten co u ntenance ful l o f

- -
,

energy, and expressive o f an iron will ; but the gentle wisdom ,

the deep broad tender sympathies were altogether wanting in

, , ,

O ld Blood -and-Thunder s vi s age ; and e v en if the Great S tone

Face had assumed his l ook o f stern command the milder traits ,

would still hav e tempered it .

This is not the man o f prophecy sighed E rnest to him , ,

se l f as h e made his way out o f the throng

,

And must the .

world wait longer yet ?

The mists had congregated about the distant mountain -side ,

and there were seen the grand and awfu l features of the Great
S tone Face awful but benignant as i f a m ighty ange l were
, ,
 62 S H O RT S T O R I E S

E rnest himself suspect it ; but inevitably as the murmur of a ,

rivu l et came thoughts o u t o f his mouth that no other human

,

l ips had spoken .

When the peop l e s minds had had a l ittle time to coo l they

,

were ready enough to ack nowledge their mistake in imagin ing

a similarity between General Blood and Thunder s t ruculent - -

physiognomy and the benign visage on the mountain-side But .

now again there were reports and many paragraphs in the

, ,

newspapers a f rming that the likeness of the Great S tone Face

,

had appeared upon the broad shoulders of a certain eminent

statesman H e like Mr G. a th e
,
rgo ld and O ld Blood
.
-and -
Thun
der was a nati v e o f the valley but had left it in his early days
, , ,

and taken up the trades o f la w and politics Instead o f the rich .

m an s wealth and the warrior s sword he had but a tongu e and

, ,

i t was mightier than both together S o wonderfully eloq u ent .

w as he that whatever he might choose to say his auditors had

, ,

n o choice but to believe h im ; wrong l ooked l ike right and right ,

l ike wrong ; for when it pleased him he could make a kind of ,

illuminated fog with his mere breath and obscure the natura l ,

daylight with it His tongue indeed was a magic in s trument

.
, ,

sometimes it rumbled l ike the thunder ; sometimes it warbled l ike

the sweetest mu sic It w as the blast of w ar the song of
.
,

peace and i t seemed to have a heart in it when there was no ,

such matter In good truth he was a wondrous man ; and

.
,

when his tongue had acquired him all other imaginable s u c

ces s when it had been heard in halls of s tate and in the ,

courts o f princes and potentates after it had made him ,

known all over the world e v en as a voice crying from shore

,

to S hore it nally persuaded his countrymen to select him

,

for the Presidency Before this time indeed as soon as he

.
, ,

began to grow celebrated h is admirers had found o u t the

,

resemb l ance bet ween hi m and the Great S tone Face ; and s o
much w ere they stru ck by it that throughout the country this
,
 TH E G RE AT S T O N E FAC E 16 3

distingui shed gentleman was known by the name o f O l d S tony

Phiz The phrase was considered as gi v ing a highly favorab l e
.

aspect to his political prospects ; for as is l ikewise the case

,

with th e Popedom nobody e v er becomes President witho u t

,

tak ing a name other than h is own .

While his friends were doing their best to m ake h i m Presi

dent O ld S tony Phiz as he was called s e t o u t o n a visit to the
, , ,

v alley where he was born O f course he had no other obj ect

.
,

than to shake hands with his fello w-citizens and neither thought ,

nor cared about any e ffect which his progress through the coun
try might have upon the e l ection Magnicent preparations w ere
.

made to receive the illustrious statesman ; a cava l cade o f ho rse

men s e t forth to meet him at the boundary l ine o f the S tate ,

and all the people left their business and gathered along the
wayside to s ee him pass Among these w as E rnest Though
. .

m ore than once disappointed as w e have seen he had such a

, ,

hopefu l and c on ding nature that he was a l ways ready to believe

,

in w hatever seemed beautifu l and good H e kept h is heart con

.

tin u ally O pen and thus was sure to catch the blessing from o n
,

h igh when it should come S O now again as buoyantly as ever

, .
, ,

he went forth to behold the l ikeness o f the Great S tone Fa c e .

The cavalcade came prancing along the road w ith a great ,

clattering o f hoofs and a mighty cloud o f dust whic h rose u p ,

s o dense and high that the visage O f the m o u ntain- side w as

completely hidden from E rnest s eyes Al l th e great men o f

.

the neighborhood were there o n horseb ack : militia o i ce rs in ,

u niform ; the member o f Congress ; the sheriff o f the coun ty ;

the editors of newspapers and many a farmer too had mounted , ,

his patient steed with his S unday co at upon his back It really
, .

was a very brilliant spectacl e especially as there w ere num er

,

o us banners aun tin g over the cavalcade on so m e o f which ,

w ere gorgeous portraits of the illustrio u s states m an and the

Great S tone Face s m iling familiarly at one another l ike two
, ,
164 S H O R T S T O RI E S

brothers If the pictures were to be trusted the mutual resem

.
,

blance it must be confes s ed was marvellous We m ust not for

, ,
.

get to m ention that there was a band o f music which made the ,

e ch oes o f the mountains ring and reverberate w it h the l oud

triump h o f its strains ; so that ai ry and sou l-thrilling mel odies
br o ke o u t among a ll the heights and hol l ows as if every nook ,

o f his native valley had found a voice to w elcome the distin ,

is h e d g u est But the grandest e ffe c t was when the far - ff

g u . o

mountain precipice ung back the music ; fo r then the Great

S tone Fa c e itself seemed to be swelling the triumphant chorus ,

in ackn o w l edgment that at length the man O f prophecy w as

, ,

com e .

A ll this while the people were throwing up their hats and

shouting w ith enthusiasm s o contagious that the heart o f E rnest
,

kindled up and he likewise threw u p his hat and shouted as

, , ,

l oudly as the loudest Huzza for the great man ! Huzza for
,

O ld S tony Phiz !
But as yet he had not seen hi m .

H ere he i s now ! cried those wh o stood near E rnest

,
.

There ! There ! Look at O l d S tony Phiz and then at the

O ld Man o f the Mountain and see if they are not as like as,

tw o twin brothers
-

In the midst o f al l this gallant array came an O pen barouche , ,

drawn by four white horses ; and in the barouche with his ,

massive head uncovered s at the illustrious statesman O ld

, ,

S tony Phiz himself .

Confess it said o ne o f E rnest s neighbors to him ; the

,

Great S tone Face has met its m atch at last !

N o w it m ust be owned that at his rst glimpse of the coun
, ,

t e n ance wh ic h was bowing and smiling from the barouche ,

Ernest did fancy that there was a resemblance bet ween it and
the Old familiar face upon the m ountain-side The brow with .
,

its massive depth s and l oftiness and al l the other features in , ,

deed were bo l dly and strongly he w n as if in emulation o f a

, ,
1 66 S H O RT ST O R I E S

w as an aged man B u t n o t in vain h ad h e gr ow n o ld ; m ore

.

than the white h airs o n h is head w ere the sage th o ughts in his
m ind ; h is wrinkles and furrows w ere ins criptions that Ti m e
had graved and in which he had written l egends o f wisdo m
,

that had been tested by the tenor of a life And E rnest had .

ceased to be obscure Unsought for undesired had come the

.
, ,

fame w hich so many seek and made him known in the great ,

world beyond the limits of th e valley in which he h ad dwelt so

,

quietly College professors an d even the active men of cities

.
, ,

came from far to see and converse with E rnest ; for the report
had gone abroad that this S imp l e husbandman had ideas un l ike
those of other men n o t gained from books but O f a h igher
, ,

t o ne ,
a tranquil and familiar maj esty as if he had been talk ,

ing with the angels as his daily friends Whether it were sage .
,

statesman o r phil anthropist E rnest re c eived these visitors with

, ,

the gentle sincerity that had characterized him fr o m boyho o d ,

and spoke free ly with them o f whatever came uppermost or ,

l ay deepest i n his heart o r their o wn While they talked to .

geth er his fac e wou l d kindle unawares and shine upon them
, , , ,

as with a mild evening light Pensive with the fu l ness of such .

discourse his gu ests took leave and went their way ; and pass
,

ing up the valley paused to l ook at the Great S tone Face

, ,

imagining that they had seen its likeness in a human c o u n te

nance but c ould not remember where
,
.

While E rnest had been growing up and growing o ld a boun ,

tiful Pro v idence had granted a new poet to this earth H e .

,

likewise was a native o f the valley but had spent the greater
, ,

part o f his life at a distance from that romantic regio n pouring ,

out his sweet music amid the bustle and din o f cities O ften .
,

howev er did the mountains which had been fami l iar to him I n
,

his childhood lift their snowy peaks into the cle a r atmosphere
o f his poetry Neither was the Great S to ne F ace forgotten fo r
.
,

the po et had c e l ebrated it in an ode w hi ch w as grand en ou gh ,

 TH E G RE AT S T O N E FAC E 167

to h ave been u ttered by its o wn maj estic l ips This man o f .

genius w e m ay say had come down fro m h eaven with wo n

, ,

de rf u l endowments If he sang o f a mo untain the eyes of a ll

.
,

mankind beheld a mightier grandeur reposing o n its breast o r ,

soaring to its summit than had before been seen there If his

, .

theme were a l o v ely lake a celestial smile had n o w been thrown

,

over it to gleam forev er on its surface If it were the vast o ld

,
.

se a even the deep immensity o f its dread bosom seemed to

,

swell the higher as if mo v ed by the emotions o f the song

, .

Thus the wor l d assumed another and a better aspect fro m the
hour that the poet blessed it with his happy eyes The Creator .

had bestowed him as the last best touch to his o wn handiwork

, .

Creation was not nished till the poet c ame to interpret and so ,

complete it .

The effect was no l ess high and beautiful when h is human ,

brethren were the subj ect o f his verse The man or wo m an .

,

sordid with the common dust o f life who crossed his dai ly ,

path and the l itt l e child who p l ayed in it were gl o ried if he

, ,

behe l d them in h is m ood o f poetic faith He showed the go l den .

links of the great chain that intertwined them with an angel ic

kindred ; h e brought o u t the hidden traits o f a ce l estial birth
that made them worthy o f such kin S ome indeed there were .
, , ,

wh o thought to S how the soundness o f their j udgment by af rm

ing that all the beauty and dignity o f the natura l w orl d existed
on ly in the poet s fancy Let suc h m en speak for themse lv es

.
,

who u n doubtedly appear to have been spawned forth by Nature

with a contemptuous bitte rness ; sh e having plastered them up
out o f her refuse stu ff after al l the swi ne were m ade As
,
.

respects all things else th e p oe s ideal was the truest truth

i ,
.

The songs o f this poet found thEiF way to Ernest H e read .

them after his customary toil seated o n the bench before his
,

cottage-door where for such a length o f time he had lled his

,

re p o se with thought by gazi ng at the Great S tone Face And

,
.
1 68 S H O RT S T O R I E S

now as h e read stanzas that caused the sou l to thrill within h i m ,

he lifted his eyes to the vast countenance bea m ing o n hi m s o

ben i gnantly .

O m aj estic fr i end h e mu rmured addressing the Great

, ,

S tone Face is not this man w orthy to resemble thee ?

,

The Fa c e seemed to smile but answered not a word ,

.

Now it happened that the poet though he dwelt so far away , ,

had not o nly heard o f E rnest but had meditated much upon ,

his character unti l he deemed nothing s o desirable as to meet

,

this m an whose untaught w isdom w alked hand i n hand with

,

the nob l e simplicity o f his l ife O ne summer morning therefore.

, ,

he t o ok passage by the railroad and in the decline of the after , ,

noon alighted from the cars at no great distance f rom E rne s t s

,

cottage The great hotel which had formerly been the palace
.
,

of Mr G ath e rgo ld was close at hand but the poet with his
.
, , ,

carpet-bag on h i s arm inquired at once where Ernest dwelt

, ,

and was resolved to be accepted as his guest .

Approaching the door he there found the good o ld man , ,

holding a volume in his hand which alternately he read and , ,

then w ith a nger between the l eaves l ooked l ovingly at the

, ,

Great S tone Face

Good evening said the poet Can you gi v e a traveller a
, .

night s l od ging

Willingly answered E rnest ; and then he added smiling

, , ,

Methinks I nev er saw the Great S tone Face look s o hospitably

at a stranger .

The poet sat down on the bench beside h im and he and ,

Ernest talked together O ften had the poet held intercour s e

.

with the wittiest and the wisest but never before with a man ,

like E rnest whose thoughts and feelings gushed up wit h suc h

,

a natura l freedom and wh o made great truths so familiar by

,

his s im ple utterance of them Angels as had been so often .

,

s aid seemed to ha v e wrought with him at his l abor in the elds ;

,
1 70 S H O RT S TO RI E S

i n m e the l ikeness the Great S tone Face And y ou are

of .

disappointed as formerly with M r G ath e rgo ld and O ld Blood

, .
,

and-Thunder and O ld S tony Phiz Ye s Erne s t it is my doom

, .
, , .

Yo u m u st add my na m e to the illust rious three an d record ,

anoth e r fai l ure o f your hopes For in shame and sadness .

do I speak i t E rnest I am not worthy to be typied by

,

yonde r benign and maj estic image .

And wh y ? asked E rnest H e pointed to the vo l ume

. .

Are n o t those thoughts div ine ?

They have a strain o f the Div inity replied the poet You , .

can h ear in them the far-Off echo of a heavenly song But my .

life dear E rnest h as not corresponded wit h my thought I

, , .

h ave had grand dreams but they hav e been on ly dreams

, ,

be c au se I have lived and that too by my o wn choice , ,

among p o or and m ean realities S ometimes even shall I .

dare to say it ? I l a ck faith in the grandeur the beauty and , ,

the go o dness w hich my o wn works are said to have made

,

mo re evident in nature and in human l ife Why then pure .

, ,

seeker o f the good and true shouldst thou h Op e to nd me , ,

in yonde r im age o f the di v ine ?

T h e poet spoke sadly and his eyes were dim with tears
, .

S o l ikewise were those o f E rnest

, ,
.

At the h ou r o f sunset as had l ong been his frequent cu stom

, ,

Ernest w as to discourse to an assemblage o f the neighboring

inhab i tants in t h e open air H e and the poet arm in arm still
.
, ,

talking together as they went al ong proceeded to the spot It , .

was a s m al l nook among the hil l s with a gray precipice behind , ,

the stern front of which was relieved by the p l easant fo l iage

of many creeping plants that made a tapestry fo r the naked
,

rock by h anging t h eir festoons fr om all its ru gged angles At

,
.

a small e l evation above the ground s e t in a rich framework o f ,

v erdure there appeared a niche spacious enough to admit a

, ,

hu m an gure with freedom for such gestures as spontan eousl y

,
 TH E G RE AT S T O N E FAC E 1 7 1

accompany; earnest thought and genuine emotion Into this .

natura l pulpit E rnest a s cended and threw a look of familiar ,

kindness a round upon his audience They stood or s at o r

-
.
, ,

reclined upon the gra ss as seemed good to each wit h the , ,

departing sunshine falling oblique ly o v er them and mingling ,

its subdued cheerfulness with the solemnity o f a gro v e o f

ancient tree s beneath and amid the boughs o f whic h the
,

golden rays were constrained to pa s s I n another direction .

was seen the Great S tone Face with the same cheer combined , ,

with the same solemnity in its benignant aspect , .

Ernest began to speak giving to the peop l e o f w h at was in

,

his heart and mind His w ords had power because they
.
,

ac corded with his thoughts ; and his thoughts had reality and
depth because they harmoniz ed with the life wh ich he had
,

a l ways lived It was not mere breath that this preacher uttered ;
.

they were the words of life because a l ife of good deeds and ,

holy love was melted i nto them Pearls pure and rich had .
, ,

been dissolved into this precious draught The poet as he .

,

listened felt that the being and character o f E rnest were a

,

nobler strain o f poetry than he had e v er written His eyes .

gl istening with tears he gazed reverentially at the venerable

,

man and said within himself that neve r was there an aspect so
,

worthy o f a prophet and a sage as that mild sweet th oughtfu l , ,

countenance with the glo ry o f white hair diffused about it At

,
.

a distance but distinctly to be seen h igh up I n the go l den

, ,

l ight of the setting s u n appeared the Great S tone Face with

, ,

hoary mists around it li k e the white hairs around the brow

,

of E rnest Its look of grand b en e c e n ce seemed to embrace

.

the world .

At that moment in sympathy with a thought which he was

,

about to utter the face of E rnest assumed a grandeur o f

,

expression so im b ued with benevolence that the poet by an

, , ,

irresistible impul s e threw h is arm s al oft and sho u ted

, , ,
1 7 2 S H O R T S T OR I E S

Behold ! Be h o l d ! Ernest is himself the l ikeness o f the

G r eat S t o ne Fa c e !
Then all the peop l e l ooked and saw that w h at the deep-sighted
,

poet said was tru e T h e prop h ecy was ful l l ed But E rnest
. .
,

hav i ng nis h ed wh at h e h ad to s ay took the poet s arm and

,

,

w alked S l ow l y homeward sti ll h oping that some w iser and

,

better man than himse l f wou l d by and by appear bearing a

,

resemb l ance to the G R EAT S TO NE F A C E .

1 74 S H O R T S T O R I ES

there is usually too little action and too much description T h e .

adj ectives tend to smother the verbs They hav e said Haw

.
,

-
thorne o f his Twice Told Tales
the pale tint o f o w ers ,

th at bloss om ed in too retired a shade -the coo l ness o f a ,

meditative habit which d iffuses itse l f through the feelin g and

,

observation o f every sketch But no such charge can be laid .

at the door o f R ab and his Friends

The very dumbness of .

R ab his mute yearning to help his brave and l oyal ministries

, ,

in the hospital doubly affecting because wordless and impotent

, ,

l end an appeal to this s k etch that few sketches of men and

women can be said to hav e .

Cb a ra cters I n a later sketch cal led O ur Dogs Dr Br o wn

. .

tell s how R ab became the property o f James and Ailie He .

had been terrifying everybody at M ac b ie Hill and his owner

ordered him to be hanged A S R ab was getting the better o f .

the contest his owner commanded that he be shot But Ailie

,
.
,

wh o happened to be near noticed that he had a big S plinter in ,

his foreleg S he gav e him water says Dr Brown and by

.
,
.
,

her woman s w it got his lame paw under a door s o that he

,

could n t suddenly get at her ; then with a quick rm hand she

p l ucked o u t the S plinter and put in an ample meal S he went

,
.

in some time after taking no notice o f him and he came limp

, ,

ing up and laid his great j aws in her lap

,

Fro m that moment .

they became friends A little l ater James was in a l onely part

.

of the woods when a robber sprang at him and demanded his

money Wee l a weel l et m e get it said James and stepping
.

, , ,

back he whispered to R ab S peak till him my man R ab

, ,
.

had the robber down in an instant .

In R ab and his Friend s the great masti ff shows j ust the

qualities that we should expect from this account o f his ear l ier
career But his sympathy and affection for Ailie shown so
.
,

tenderly in the h ospita l scenes nd an added pathos in the ,

thought that he was serving his rst and best friend o n e ,

who had healed his h urt as h e w o u ld h ave h eal ed h ers if

h e could ! .
 RA B A N D H I S FR I E N D S 1 75

Fo ur and thirty years ago Bob Ainslie and I were coming up

-
,

Inrmary S treet from the Edinburgh High S chool o u r heads ,

together and our arm s intertwisted as on l y l overs and b o ys

, ,

know h o w o r wh y ,
.

When we got to the top o f the street and tu rned north we , ,

espied a crowd at the Tron Church A dog- gh t shouted .

Bob and was o ff and so was I both o f us al l but praying that

, ,

i t might not be over before we got up ! And is not this boy

nature ? and h uman nature too ? and don t we al l wish a h ouse

on re not to be o u t before w e se e it ? Dogs like ghting ; O ld

Isaa c says they delight in it and for the best of al l reasons ; ,

and boys are not cruel because they like to s e e the ght They .

s e e three o f the great cardinal virtues o f dog or man c ourage ,

endurance and S kill ,

in intense action This is very different .

from a l ove of m aking dogs ght and enj oying and aggrav at , ,

ing and making gain by their pluck A boy b e he e v er s o

,
.
,

fond himself o f gh ting if he be a good boy hates and

, ,

despises al l this but he w ould hav e run Off w ith Bo b and me

,

fast enough : it is a natural and a not wicked interest that al l

, ,

boys and men have in w itnessing intense energy i n action .

Does any curious and n y ignorant w oman w is h to know

e l

how Bob s eye at a glance announced a dog- gh t to h is brain ?

H e did n o t h e could not s ee the dogs ghtin g ; it w as a as h

,

o f an inference a rapid induction ,

The crowd round a couple .

o f dogs ghting is a crowd masculine mainly with an o ccasiona l ,

activ e compassionate woman u tte rin g wildly round the o u t

, ,

side and using her tongue and her hands freely upon the men
, ,

as s o many brutes i t is a crowd annu l ar compact and , ,

mobile ; a crowd centripetal having its eyes and i ts h eads al l

,

bent downwards and inwards to one common focu s ,

.

Well Bob and I are up and nd it is not over : a small

, ,

thoroughbred white Bull Terrier is bus y throttling a large

, ,

shepherd s dog unaccu stomed to w ar but not to be trie d with

, , .
1 76 S H OR T S T O R I E S

T h ey are h ard at it ; the scientic l ittle fe ll ow doing his work

in great style his pastora l enemy ghting wildly but with the
, ,

sharpest o f teet h and a great courage S cience and breeding .

,

however soon had their o wn ; the Game Chicken as the pre

, ,

m ature Bob called him working his way up took his na l grip , ,

of poor Yarrow s throat and he lay gasping and done for

, .

His master a brown handsome big young shepherd from

, , ,

Tweedsmuir would hav e li k ed to hav e knocked down any m an

, ,

would drink up E s il o r eat a crocodile for that part if he

1
, , ,

had a chance : it was no use kicking the l ittle dog ; that would
only make him hold the closer M any were the means shouted .

out in mouthfuls o f the best possible ways o f ending i t

, .

Water ! but there was none near and many cried for i t ,

wh o m ight h ave got it from the w el l at Blackfriars Wynd .

Bite the tail !

and a l arge vague bene vo l ent middle-aged , , ,

m an more desirous than wise with some struggle got the bushy
, ,

end of Ya rrow s tai l into his ample mouth and bit it with al l

,

his might This was more than enough for the much-enduring
.
,

much perspiring shepherd wh o with a gleam o f j oy o v er his

-
, ,
~

broad visage deliv ered a terric facer upon our l arge vague
, , ,

benevo l ent middle-aged friend wh o went down like a shot

, , .

S till the Chicken holds ; death not far o ff S nu ff ! a pinch .

-
of snuff ! observed a calm highly dressed young buck with , ,

an eye-gl ass in his eye S nu ff indeed ! growled the angry

.
,

c rowd affronted and glaring

,
S nuff ! a pin ch of snu ff .

again observed the buck but with m ore u rgency ; w hereon were ,

produced severa l open boxes and from a mull which may have ,

been at Culloden he took a pinch knelt down and presented it

, , ,

t o the nose o f the Chicken The l aws o f physiology and o f snuff .

take their course ; the Chicken sneezes and Yarrow is free ! ,

The young pastora l giant stalks o ff with Yarrow in his arms ,

c o m forting him .

1 Es il v i n e g ar (H a m l t V I ,
e , , ,
178 S H O R T S T OR I E S

fell ow over and saw he w as quite dead ; the mastiff had taken
,

h im by th e smal l o f the back like a rat and broken it

. ,
.

He lo o ked d o wn at h is victim appeased ashamed and , ,

amazed ; snuffed him all o v er stared at him and taking a , ,

sudden thought turned round and trotted o ff Bob took the

, .

dead dog up and said John we ll bury him after tea
, , ,

.

Yes said I and was o ff after the mastiff He made up the

, ,
.

Cowgate at a rapid swing ; he had forgotten some engagement .

H e turned up the Candlemaker R ow and stopped at the ,

Harrow Inn .

There w as a carrier s cart ready to start and a keen thin

, , ,

- -
impatient black a vised little man his hand at his gray horse s
, ,

head l ooking about angrily for something

,
R ab ye thief !
.
,

said he aiming a kick at my great friend wh o drew cringing

, ,

up and av oiding the heavy S hoe with more agility than dignity
, ,

and watch ing his master s eye slunk dismayed under the cart
, ,

his ears down and as much as he had o f tai l down to o .

,

What a man this must b e thought I to whom my tre

mendo n s hero turns tai l ! The carrier s aw the muzz l e hanging ,

c u t and useless from his neck and I eagerly told him th e sto ry
, , ,

which Bob and I a lways thought and still think Homer or , , ,

K ing Dav id or S ir Walter a l one were worthy to rehear s e The

,
.

se v ere little man was mitigated and condescended to s ay R ab , , ,

my man puir R abbie whereup o n the stump o f a tail rose

, ,

up the ears w ere cocked the eyes lled and were com f orted ;
, , ,

the two friends were reconciled Hupp and a stroke o f t h e .

w hip were given to Jess ; and off went the three .

Bo band I buried the Game Chicken that night ( we h ad no t

much o f a tea) in the back -green o f his house in Melville S treet ,

No 1 7 with considerab le gravity and silence ; and being at the

.
,

time in the Iliad and like al l boys Troj ans we called him , , , ,

Hector of c o urse .
 RAB AN D H I S FR IENDS 1 79

S ix years have passed a l ong ti m e for a boy and a dog , :

Bob A ins l ie is off to the wars ; I am a m edical student and ,

c l erk at Minto H o use Hospital .

R ab I s aw almost ev ery week o n the Wednesday and w e , ,

had much p l easant intimacy I found the way to his heart by .

frequent scratching o f his huge head and an occasional bone , .

When I did not notice him he would plant himself straight

before me and stand wagging that bud o f a tail and looking
, ,

up with his head a l ittle to the o n e side His master I occa

,
.

s io n ally s aw ; he used to ca ll me Maister John but was

,

l a c onic as any S partan .

O ne ne O ctober afternoon I was leaving the h ospital when , ,

I s aw the l arge gate open and in walked R ab with that great , ,

and easy saunter o f his He looked as if taking general posses .

sion o f the place ; like the Duke o f Wellington entering a s u b

dued city satiated with v ictory and peace After him came Jess
,
.
,

n o w white fro m age with her cart ; and in it a woman carefully

, ,

wrapped up the carrier leading the horse anx i ously and

, ,

l ooking back When he s aw me James ( for his name was

.
,

James Noble) made a curt and grotesque b o o and said , ,

Maister John this is the mistress ; s h e s got a trouble in her

,

breest some kind 0 an income we re thinking

.

By this time I saw the woman s face ; s h e was sitting on a

sack lled with straw her husband s plaid round her and his ,

,

big-coat with its l arge white metal button s o v er her feet , .

I nev er s aw a more unforgettable face pale serious lon ely 1

, , ,

deli cate sweet without being at all what we call ne S he loo k ed

, ,
.

six ty and had o n a mutch white as snow W

,
ith its black ribbon ; , ,

her si l very smooth hair setting o ff her dark-gray eyes

,
eyes
such as o n e sees only twice or thrice in a lifetime full o f suffer ,

i ng ful l also o f the overcoming o f it : her eyebro ws black and

,

1
I t is n o t e as y g ivi g n th i s lo o k by one w o rd ; it was e xp re s s i v e of

h e r b e in g so mu ch of h e r li f e alo n e .
1 80 S H OR T S T OR I E S

del icate and her mouth rm patient and contented whic h few
, , , ,

m o u ths ever are .

As I have said I ne v er s aw a more beautifu l countenance

, ,

o r o n e more subdued to settled quiet Ailie said James .
, ,

this is Maister John the young doctor ; R ab s freend ye ken

,

,
.

We O ften speak aboot you doctor

S he smi l ed and made a ,
.
,

m ovement but said nothing ; and prepared to come do w n put

, ,

ting her plaid aside and rising Had S olomon in all his glo ry .
, ,

been handing down the Q u een o f S heba at his pa l ace gate he

cou ld n o t have done it more dainti ly more tender ly more l ike , ,

a gentl eman than did Jam es the Howgate carrier when he l ifted
, ,

d o wn Ailie his wife The contrast o f his small swa rthy w eather
.
, ,

beaten keen worldly face to hers pal e subdued and beauti

, , , ,

fu l was something wonderfu l R ab l ooked o n concerned and .

puzz l ed but ready for anything that might turn up w ere it

, ,

to strangle the nurse the porter o r even m e Ailie and he , ,

.

seemed great friends .

As I was sayin she s g o t a kind 0 troub l e i n h er breest do c

,

t o r ; wu ll ye tak a l ook at it ?
We walked into t h e cons ul ting

ro om al l four ; R ab gri m and c omi c willing to be h appy and

, ,

condential if c ause c ou l d be sh o wn wi ll ing a l so to be the ,

reverse on the same term s Ai l ie sat down u ndid h er O pen

,
.
,

gown and her l awn handkerchief round her neck and without ,

a word showed me her right breast I l ooked at and exami ned

,
.

it carefully she and James watching me and R ab eying al l

, ,

three What could I say ? there it w as that had once been s o

.
,

soft so shapely so white s o gracio us and bountifu l so ful l o f

, , , ,

all b l essed conditions hard as a stone a centre o f ho rri d

, ,

pain m aking that pale face w ith its gray lucid reas o nable
, , , ,

eyes and its sweet resol v ed mouth express the ful l measure
, ,

o f s u ffering overcome Why was that gentle modest s weet .

, ,

woman cl ean and lo vab l e c ondemned by Go d to bear s uch a

, ,

burden
1 82 S H O RT ST O R I E S

Andrew Fuller The same l arge heav y menacin g co mbative

.
1
, , , ,

s om b re honest counten ance the sam e deep inevi table eye the
, , ,

same l ook as o f thunder asleep but ready neither a dog

, , ,

nor a m an to be trie d with .

Next day my master the surgeon examined Ai l ie There

, , , .

was no doubt it must kill her and soon I t could be removed , .

it m ight never return it would gi v e her speedy re l ief

s h e S h o u ld h av e it done S he curtsied looked at Jam es and

'

.
, ,

said ,
When ?
To morrow said the kind surgeon a

,

man o f fe w w ords S he and James and R ab and I retired I . .

noticed that he and s h e spoke little but seemed to anti cipate ,

everything in each other The following day at noon the s tu .

, ,

dents came in hurrying up the great stair At the rst l anding

,
.

p l ace o n a small well known blackboard was a bit o f paper

,
-
,

fastened by wafers and many remains o f old wafers beside it .

O n the paper were the words An operation to-day J B , . . .

Up ran the youths eager to secure good places ; in they ,

c rowded full o f interest and talk What s the case

,
?
Which .

S ide is it ?

Don t think them heartless ; they are neither better nor worse

than you or I ; they get over their professional horrors and ,

i nto their proper w ork and in the m pity as an emotion ,

1 F u lle r w as , i n e arl y lif e, wh e n a f arm e r lad at S o h am , f am o u s as a

bo x er ; q u arre ls o m e , b u t n o t w ith o u t
n ot t h e s t e rn de li h t a m an g
of

s t re n g t h an d c o u ra e g f
e e ls i n th e ir e e rc i s e D r C h arle s S t e w art , x . . of

D u n e arn , w h o s e rare g if t d g
s an rac e s as a ph y s i c i an , a v
di in e , a s c h o lar,

an d a g e n t le m an , live only i t h n e m e m or y of t h o s e f e w wh o k n e w an d

s u rv i v e h im , li k e d t o t e ll h ow M r . F u lle r u s e d t o s ay, t h at w h e n h e was

i n th e p lp it
u , an d s aw a bu i rdly m an c o m e alo n g th p e as s a g e, h e w o u ld
in s t i n c tiv ly
e draw h im s e l f u p, m e as u re h is im g i y a n ar an t a g o n is t , an d

f o re c as t h o w h e w o u ld de al w it h h im , h is h an ds m e an wh ile c o n de n s in g
in t o s ts , an d t e n din t o s q u are

g
H e m u s t h av e b e e n a h ard h itt e r if
.

h e bo x e d as he p re ac h e d wh at

Th e F an c y
wo u ld c all

an u gly
c u s to m e r .
 RAB A N D H I S FRI E N D S 1 83

ending in i tsel f o r at best in tears and a l ong-drawn breat h

lessens while pity as a m oti ve is quickened and gains power
, ,

and purpose It is well for poor human nature that it is s o

. .

The operating theatre is crowded ; much talk and fun and all ,

the c ord i al ity and stir o f youth The surgeon with his staff o f.

assistants is there In co m es Ailie : o n e l ook at her quiets and

.

abates the eager students That beautifu l o ld wo m an is to o

.

m uch for them ; they S it down and are dumb and gaz e at h er , ,
.

These rough boys fee l the power o f her presence S he w alk s .

in quickly but without haste ; dressed in her m u tch h er n e ck eI

, ,

ch ief her white dimity short-gown h er b l ack bombazine petti

, ,

c o at sho wing her white worsted sto ckings and her carpet-shoes
,
.

Behind her was J a mes with R ab James s at down in the dis .

tance and took that huge and noble h ead between his knees
,
.

R ab l ooked perplexed and dangero u s ; foreve r co cking his ear

and dropping it as fast .

Ailie stepped up on a seat and laid hersel f o n t h e tab l e as

, ,

her friend the surgeon told her ; arranged herself gave a rapid ,

loo k at James shut her eyes rested herself o n me and took my

, , ,

hand The operation was at once begun ; it w as necessarily

.

slow ; and chl o roform o n e o f God s best gifts to his suffering

children was then unknown The surgeon did his work The
. .

pal e face showed its pain but was stil l and si l ent R ab s soul
,
.

was w orking within him ; he s aw that someth in g strange was

going o n blood owing fro m his mistress and s h e suffering ;
, ,

his ragged ear was up and importunate ; h e growled and gave

,
.

now and then a sharp impatient ye l p ; he w ou l d have liked to

have d o ne something to that m an But James h ad hi m rm .
,

and gave him a glow er from time to time and an intimat i on o f ,

a possibl e kick all the better for James it kept his eye and ,

his mind o ff Ailie .

It is over : s h e is dressed steps gently and decently down

,

fro m the tab l e l ooks for James ; then turn i ng to the su rge o n
, ,
1 84 SH O RT S TO R I E S

and t h e s t u dents s h e curtsies ,

and in a l ow c l ear voice begs , , ,

their pardon if she has behaved ill The students all of u s .

w ept like chi l d ren ; the surgeon happed her up carefu lly ,

and r est in g o n Jam es and m e Ailie w ent to her roo m R ab

, , ,

following We p u t her to bed James took o ff h is heavy shoes

. .
,

crammed w ith tackets h ee l-capt and toecapt and put the m , ,

careful ly u nder the table sayin g Maister John I m for nane , , ,

o yer s trynge nurse bodies for Ailie I ll be her nurse and

.

,
'
I ll gang ab oo t on my s to ckin so l es as c anny as p u ssy

And
.

s o h e did ; and h andy and c l ever and swift and tender as any ,

wo man w as that horny-handed snell perempto ry l ittl e man

, , ,
.
.

Eve rything sh e got he gave her : h e seldo m slept ; and o ften I

sa w h is small s h rewd eyes out o f t h e dark ness xed o n he r , .

As befo re they spoke l ittl e

,
.

R ab beh aved w el l never m oving sh o wing us how m eek and

, ,

g ent l e h e cou l d be and oc c asiona l ly in,

his s l eep l etting us , ,

kno w t h at h e w as demo l ishing some adversary H e took a walk .

w ith m e eve ry day generally to the Candle m ake r R ow ; but he

,

w as s om bre and m i l d ; declined doing battl e t hou gh some t ,

c ases offered and i ndeed s u bmitted to s u ndry i ndignities ; and

,

was alw ays very r eady to turn and came faster back and , ,

trotted u p t h e stai r wi th mu ch l ightness and w ent s traight to ,

that do or .

Jess the m are h ad been sent with her weather-worn ca rt

, , , ,

t o Ho wgate and h ad doubtl ess h er o wn dim and placid m edi

,

tatio ns and c onfusi o ns o n the absence o f h er m aster and R ab

, ,

and h er unnatu ral freed om fr om the road and h er c art .

F o r s o me days A il ie did w e ll The w ou nd h eal ed by the .

rst intention ; fo r as Jam es said

O ur A ilie s skin s owe r ,

cl ean t o bei l T h e stu dents c ame i n quiet and anx i o u s and

.
,

s u rrou nded h er bed S he said s h e l iked to see thei r young

.
,

ho nest fa c es The surgeon dressed her and spoke to her in

.
,

his o wn s h o rt kind w ay pi tying her throug h his eyes R ab an d, ,

1 86 S H O RT S T O R I E S

starting up surprised and s linking o ff as if he were to b l a m e ,

somehow or had been dreaming he heard ; many eager ques

,

tions and beseechings which James and I could make nothing

of an d o n which sh e seemed to s e t her all and then sink back
, ,

ununderstood It was v ery sad but better than many things that
.
,

are not called s ad James hovered about put o u t and miserable

.
, ,

but acti v e and exact as e v er ; read to her when there w as a lull , ,

short bits fro m the P salms prose and metre chanting the l atter , ,

in his o wn rude and serious way showing great knowledge of the ,

t words bearing up like a m an and doating over her as his ain

, ,

Ailie
Ailie ma w oman !
. M a ain bonnie wee dawtie
,

The end was drawing o n i the golden bowl was breaking ;

the sil v er cord was fast being loosed that a nim n la bla n du la ,

1
v aga la li osp es co mes gn e
,
was about to ee The body and the
, ,
.

soul companions fo r sixty years were being sundered ,

and taking l eave S he was walking alone through the valley

.
,

o f that shadow into which o n e day we must al l enter

,
and ,

yet s h e was not alone for w e know whose rod and staff were ,

comforting her .

o ne night s h e had fallen quiet and as w e hoped asleep ; h e r , ,

eyes were s hut We put down the gas and s at watching her
.
,
.

Su ddenly s h e s at up in bed and taking a bed-gown which was ,

lying on it rolled up s h e held it eagerly to her breast to the , ,

right side We could see her eyes bright with a surprising

.

tenderness and j oy bending over this bundle o f c l othes S he ,

.

held it as a woman holds her sucking child ; O pening o u t her

night-gown impatiently and holding it c l ose and brooding o v er , ,

it and murmuring foolish little words as o v er one whom his

, ,

mother comforteth and who suc k s and is satised It was , .

pitifu l and strange to s e e her wasted dying look keen and yet ,

vague her immense lo v e .

1 L ittl g e, e n tle , wan de rin g s o u l, g u e s t an d c o m rade .

H adri an s
A dd re s s t o h is S ou l
 RAB A N D H I S FR I E N D S
Preserve me ! groaned James giv ing w ay And then s h e ,
.

rocked back and forward as if to make it sleep hushing it , , ,

and wasting on it her innite f o ndness W ae s m e doctor ; I .

,

declare s h e s thin kin it s that bairn

What bairn
The .

only bairn we e v er had ; o u r we e M ys ie and s h e s in the King ,

dom forty years and mair
,
I t w as plainly true : the pain in .

the breast tellin g its urgent st o ry to a bewildered ruined brain

, , ,

was misread and mistaken ; it suggested to her the uneasiness

o f a breast ful l o f milk and then the child ; and s o again once
,

more they were toget h er and sh e h ad her ain wee M ys ie in ,

h er bosom .

This was the close S he sank rapidly : the delirium l eft her ;
.

but as s h e whispered s h e was clean silly ; it w as the l ightening

, ,

before the nal darkness After ha v ing for some time lain stil l .

her eyes shut S he said

James !
H e came cl ose to her
, ,

and l ifting up h er cal m clear bea u tifu l eyes s h e gav e him a

, , ,

l ong l ook turned to me kindly but shortly l ooked for R ab but

, ,

could not s e e him then turned to her husband agai n as if s h e

, ,

w ould never l eave o ff l ooking shut her eyes and composed , ,

h erse l f S he l ay for some time breathing quick and passed

.
,

away s o gently that when we thought s h e was gone James in

, , ,

his o d fashioned way held the mirror to h er face After a l ong

l -
,
.

pause o n e smal l spot o f dimness w as breathed o u t ; it vanished

,

away and never returned leav ing the blank cl ear darkness o f
, ,

the mirror without a stain What is o u r life ? it is even a vapor .

,

w hich appeareth for a little time and the n vanisheth away

,
.

R ab al l thi s time had been ful l awake and motion l ess ; h e

c a m e forward beside u s : Ailie s hand which James had hel d
, ,

w as hanging down ; it was soaked with his tears ; R ab l icked it

all over carefully looked at her and ret u rned to his p l ace under
, ,

the tab l e .

James and I s at I don t know how long but for some time
,

, ,

saying nothing he started up abru ptly and with some n o ise ,

1 88 S H O RT S T O R I E S

w ent to the tab l e and putting h is right fore and mi dd l e ngers

,

each into a shoe pulled th em out and put them o n breakin g

, , ,

one of the l eather l atchets and mu ttering in anger I neve r , ,

did the l ike 0 that afo re

I believe h e never did ; nor after either R ab ! he said .

roughly and pointing with his thu m b to the botto m of the bed
,
.

R ab l eapt u p and settled himsel f ; his head and eye to the

,

dead face Maister John ye ll wait for me
. said the ,

,

c arrier ; and disappeared in the darkness th u nderi ng down ,

stairs in his heavy shoes I ran to a front win dow ; there he .

was a l ready round the h ouse and out at the gate eeing l ike
, , ,

a shadow .

I was afraid about him and yet not afraid ; so I sat d own ,

beside R ab and being wearied fel l as l eep I awoke fr om a

, ,
.

s u dden noise outside It was Nove m ber and there h ad been a .

,

heavy fal l o f snow R ab was i n s ta tic gno he heard t h e noise

.

too and p l ainly knew it but never moved I l ooked out ; and
, ,
.

there at the gate in the dim morning fo r the s u n was not

, ,

up w as Jess and the cart a cloud o f stea m rising fro m th e ,

old mare I did not se e James ; h e was al ready at the d o or

.
,

and came u p the stairs and met me It w as l ess than three ,

.

hours since he l eft and he must have posted o u t ,

who knows
how to Howgate full n i ne m iles o ff yoked Jess and d ri ven, ,

her astonished into town H e had an armfu l o f blankets and .

,

was streaming w ith perspiration H e nodded to m e spread o u t .

,

o n the oor two pairs o f clean o ld blankets having at their

corners A G ,
in l arge l etters in red w o rsted These
. .
,
.

were the initials of Alison G rmm e and James m ay have l ooked ,

in at her from without himse l f unseen but not u nthought of

when he was wat wat and weary and after h aving

, , ,

walked many a mile over the hills may have seen her sitting , ,

while a the lav e were slee pin

and by the re ligh t working

h e r n am e o n t h e b l ank ets fo r her ain Jam es s bed ,

.
190 S H O RT STO R I E S

prevai l ing in the village and his want of sleep h is exhaustion

, , ,

and his misery made him apt to take it The grav e w as not .

di fcult to reopen A fresh fal l o f snow had again m ade all

.

things white and sm o oth ; R ab once more l ooked o n and sl u nk ,

h o me to the stable .

And what o f R ab ? I asked for him next week o f the ne w

carrier w h o got the goodwill of James s business and was now
,

master o f Jess and her cart How s R ab ?

He put me o ff .

,

and said rather rudely What s yo u r business w i the do wg

,

I was not to be s o put o ff

Where s R ab ?
H e getting con .

,

fused and red and intermeddling wit h his hair said

,
Deed , ,

s ir R ab s deid

,

Dead ! what did he die of
. Weel sir , ,

said he getting redder he did na exactly dee ; he was killed

, , .

I had to brain him w i a rack-pin ; there w as nae doin wi him

.

He lay in the tre v iss wi the mear and wad na come oot I
, .

tempit him w i kai l and meat but he w ad tak naething and

, ,

keepit me frae f e e din the beast and he was aye gur gurrin

,

,

and gru p gru ppin me by the legs I was laith to make awa

.

w i the auld do wg his like was na atween this and Thornhi ll

, ,

but deed s ir I could do naething else

,

, ,

I belie v ed him Fit . .

end for R ab quick and complete H is teeth and his friends

,
.

gone why S hould he keep the peace and be civi l ?

, ,
 V III . T H E O U T C A S T S O F PO K E R
1
F LA T ( 1 8 6 9 )
BY B RET H ARTE ( 1 8 6
3
1
9 02
)

[ S etti ng The group tragedy enacted in this story to o k p l ace

between N o vember 2 3 and December 7 1 8 5 0 o n the road , ,

from Poker F l at to S andy Bar in S ierra County Ca l ifornia

, , .

The time and place are those that Bret Harte has made p ecu l
iarly his o w n The a u sterity and wildness of the scenery seem
.

somehow to favor the intimate revelation o f character that the

story disp l ays There is no intervention o f cities crops fashions
.
, , ,

o r c o nventions between the di fferent m embers o f the character

group o r between the group as a who l e and the reader Al l is .

bare like a white mountain peak Notice also how the back.

ground O f a common peril draws the characters together and

brings o u t at l ast the best in each .

Plot The story sets forth and interprets a dramat i c sit u ation
. .

The plot is staged s o as to answer the question Do not the ,

peop l e whom society regards as outcasts ha v e yet some redee m

ing virtue ?
Notice especially how a sense O f common fellow
ship is developed in these o utcasts First they are subj e c ted
.
,

to a common humiliation in being dri v en from Poker F l at by

persons whom the outcasts consider no W hit better than them
sel v es Next they are exposed to a common dan ger a danger
.
, ,

that l eads the stronger to care instincti v e ly for the weaker ,

and the weaker to recognize that it is nobler to give t h an to

recei v e At last in the une x pected entrance o f the inno c ent
.
,

To m S imson and the guileless Piney Woods the outcasts nd ,

1 p
U s e d b y e rm is s io n o f an d b y s
, p e c ial a rran g em ent with , H gh t
ou on

p y p
M if in C o m an , u b li s h e rs of B re t H art e s

W o rks .

19 1
19 2 S H O RT S T O R I E S

a com m on chall enge to the native goodness that had l ong l ai n

dormant within them Innocence and gui l elessness m ay be
.

l au ghed at as they are here but their appeal is often stronger

, ,

than the appea l o f discipl ined virtue o r o f se l f-conscious supe

riorit
y When
. Bret Ha rte w as charged with confusing the
bo u ndary lines o f vice and virtue he replied that his p l ots con
formed to the rules l aid down by a Great Poet w h o created the
parable o f the Prodiga l S on and the G o od S amaritan
.

Cb a ra cters O akhurst w ho is always c alle d Mr O akh u rst

.
, .
,

is of c ourse the dominant character The story begins with him .

and ends with h im H e is the strongest and yet the weake st

.

of the o ut c asts o f Poker Flat

strong while there w as any ,

thing to be done w eak even to sui cide w hen h e h ad only to

,

wait for the inevitable end H e was a brave desperate so l ita ry

.
, ,

man wh o se thought and spee ch an d a ction h owever w ere

, , ,

a lways those o f the professional ga m b l er Bret H arte wh o has .

,

put him i nto severa l stories says o f h i m i n anothe r p l ace : Go
,

where he would and wit h whom he was a lways a notable m an ,

in ten t h o u sand
The admiration that w e yield to such a
.

man though it is on ly a q u alied admiration is doubtless the

, ,

admiration of power which we cannot help thinking might , ,

be u sed b en e c en tly if it cou l d on ly be harnessed to a noble

cause .

B u t if O akhurst is the dominant character Piney Woods is , ,

I t h ink the centra l character S he is centra l in this sto ry just

, .

as l itt l e Aglai a is central in Tennyso n s Princess o r E ppie

'

in George E liot s S i l as Marner o r the baby offsp ri ng o f

,

Cherokee S a l in The Luck o f R oaring Camp Bret Harte .

had j ust written the l ast-named story w hen he began the com
p o sition o f The O utcasts o f Poker F l at M m .

The s to ry to th e s econ d .

m inistry o f the baby and the ministry o f the fte e n-year-o ld

bride is the same in both Like the Great S tone Face in Ha w
.
e

t hor ne s sto ry or l ike l ittle Pippa in Bro wni ng s poe m they

,
1 94 S H O RT S T O R I E S

Mr O akhurst w as right in s u pp o s m g that he was incl uded

.

i n this category A few of the committee had urged hanging

.

him as a possib l e examp l e and a sure method o f reimbursing ,

themselves from his pock ets of the sums he had wo n from

them . I t s agin j ustice said Jim Wheeler to let this yer
, ,

young m an from R oari ng C amp an entire stranger carry

away o u r mo ney But a crude sentiment o f equity residing
.

in the breasts o f th o se w ho had been for tunate enough to win

fro m Mr O ak h urst o verru led this narro w
. er l oca l prej udice .

Mr O akhurst received his sentence with p hilOS O p hic cal m

.

ness n o ne the l ess cool ly that he was aware Of the hesitation o f

,

h is j udges H e was too m uch of a gambler not to accept Fate

. .

With him l ife was at best an uncertain game and he recognized ,

the u sua l percentage in favor of the dealer .

A body o f armed m en accompanied the deported wicked

ness of Poker F l at to the outs k irts of the settl ement Besides .

Mr O akhurst wh o w as known to be a cool ly desperate man

.
, ,

and for whose intimidation the armed escort was intended the ,

expatriated party c onsisted o f a young woman familiarly known

as The Duchess another who had won the title o f Mother ,

S hipton and Uncle Billy a suspected s l uice-robber and

,

conrmed drunkard The cavalcade pro v oked no c omments

.

from the spectators nor was any word uttered by the escort
,
.

O n ly when the gulch which mark ed the uttermost limit o f

,

Poker F l at was reached the l eader spoke briey and to the

,

point The exi l es w ere forbidden to return at the peri l o f

.

their l ives .

-
As the escort disappeared their pent u p feelings found vent ,

in a fe w hysterica l tears from the D u chess some bad l anguage ,

from Moth er S hipton and a Parthian volley of expleti v es from

,

Uncl e Billy The p h iIOSO ph ic O akhur s t alone remained silent

. .

H e listened ca l mly to Mother S hipton s de s ire to c u t somebody s

h eart o u t to the repeated statements o f the Duchess that sh e

,
 TH E O U TCA S T S OF P O K E R FLAT 195

wou l d die in the road and to the al arming oaths that seemed
,

to be bumped out o f Uncle Billy as he rode forward With the .

easy good-humor characteristic of his class he insisted upon ,

ex c hangi ng his o wn riding horse Five S pot for the sorry mule
-
, ,

which the Duchess rode But even this act did not draw the
.

party into any closer sympathy The young woman readj usted .

her somewhat draggled plumes with a feeble faded coquetry ; ,

Mother S hipton eyed the possessor of Five S pot with

malevolence and Uncle Billy included the whole party i n on e

,

sweeping anathema .

The road to S andy Bar a camp that not having as yet ,

experienced the regenerating inu ences o f Poker Flat c o n se ,

quently see m ed to o ffer some invitation to the emigrants lay

over a steep mountain range It w as distant a day s severe .

trave l In that advanced season the party soon passed o u t o f

.
,

the moist temperate regions of the foot hills into the dry cold
,
-
, ,

bracing air o f the S ierras The trail was narrow and dii cu lt
. .

At noon the D u chess rolling o u t of her saddle upon the

,

ground decl ared he r intention of going no farther and the

, ,

party halted .

The spot was singularly wild and impressive A wooded .

amphitheatre surrounded o n three sides by precipitous cliffs o f

,

naked granite l p e d gently toward the crest of another preci

,

pice that o v erlooked the valley It was undoubtedly the most .

, ,

suitab l e spot for a camp had camping been ad v isable But

,
.

Mr O akh u rst knew that scarcely half the j ourney to S an dv

.

Bar was accomplished and the party were not equipped or

,

pro v isioned for delay This fact he pointed out to his c o m p an

.

ions curtly with a philO S Ophic commentary o n the fo l ly o f

,

throwing up their hand before the game was played o u t .

But they were furnished with liquor which in this emergency ,

stood them in place o f food fuel rest and prescience In , , ,

.

s pite of his remon s trances it was not l ong before they were
,
1 96 S H O RT S T O R I E S

m ore or l ess under its inuence Uncle Billy pa s sed rapid ly .

from a be l licose state into one of s tupor the Duchess became ,

m audl in and Mother S hipton snored Mr O a k hurst al one

,
. .

re m ained erect l eaning against a rock calmly surveying the m

, , .

Mr O akhurst did n o t drink It interfered with a profession

. .

which required coo l ness impassiveness and presence o f m ind

, , ,

and i n his o wn language he could n t a fford it As he gazed

,

,

.

at h is recumbent fello w-exiles the l oneliness begotten o f h is ,

pa riah-trade his habits of life his very vices for the rst time
, , ,

serio u s ly oppressed him H e bestirred himself in dusting his

.

b l ack c l othes washing h is hands and face and other acts char
, ,

ac te ris tic o f his studiously neat habits and for a moment forgot ,

h is annoyance The thought o f deserting his wea k er and more

.

pitiable companion s ne v er p erhaps occurred to him Yet he .

co ul d n o t help feeling the want o f that excitement which singu ,

larly enough was most conducive to that calm equanimity for

,

w hich he w as notorious H e l ooked at the gloomy wal l s that

.

rose a thousand feet sheer above the circling pines around him ;
at the sky ominously clouded ; at the valley below already
, ,

deepening into shadow And doing s o suddenly h e heard his

.
, ,

o wn name called .

A horseman slow ly ascended the trai l In the fresh open .

,

face of the new-comer Mr O akhurst recogniz ed T o rn S imson .

,

otherw ise known as The Innocent of S andy Bar He had .

met him s o me months before over a little game and h ad

, ,

w ith perfect equanimity won the entire fortune amounting ,

to some forty dollars o f that gui l e l ess youth After the game .

w as nished Mr O akhurst drew the youthful speculator behind

,
.

the do o r and thus addressed him : T o mmy you re a g o od ,

l ittl e m an but yo u c an t gamble worth a cent Don t try it

,

.

o v er again .H e then handed him his money back p u shed ,

him gently fro m the room and s o m ade a dev oted s l av e o f ,

To m S im son .
198 S H O RT ST O R I E S

profanity B u t wh en he returned to the party h e fo u nd th e m

.
,

seated by a re fo r the air had grown strangely chill and the

sky o ver c ast in apparently amicab l e conversation Piney w as .

actually talking in an impu l sive girlish fashion to the Duchess , ,

who was listening wit h an interest and animation S he had not

shown for many days The Innocent was holding forth ap par-
.
i
,

ently with equa l effect to Mr O akhurst and Mothe r S h ip to n ;

, .

who w as actual ly relaxing into amiability I s this yer a d d .

pic nic ? said Uncle Billy with inward scorn as he s u rv eyed

, ,

the sy l van group the glancing re ligh t and the tethere d animals
, ,

in the foregro u nd S uddenly an idea ming le d with the a l coholic

.

fu mes that disturbed his brain It was apparently of a j oc u lar

.

nature for he fe l t impe ll ed to s l ap his l eg again and cram his

,

st int o his m o n th .

As the shad o ws c rept slow ly u p the m ountain a s l ight breeze ,

r ocked the tops o f the pine-trees and m oaned through their ,

lo ng and gl oomy aisles The ru ined cabin patch ed and co vered

.
,

w it h pine boughs was s e t apa rt for the l adies As the l overs

-
,
.

parted they unaffectedly exchanged a kiss so honest and s i n c ere

, ,

that it might have been heard above the swaying pines The .

frai l D u chess and the m al evo l ent Mother S hipton w ere probab ly
too stunned to remark u pon this l ast e v idence o f simplici ty and ,

so turned witho u t a w o rd to the hut The re w as replenished .

,

the m en l ay down b efore the door and in a few m inu tes were ,

asl eep .

Mr O akhurst was a light s l eeper Toward morn i ng h e

. .

awoke benumbed and co l d As he stirred the dying re th e

.
,

w ind which was n o w blowing strongly brought to his ch eek

, ,

that which caused the blood to leave it snow ! ,

He started to his feet with the intention of awakening th e

sleepers for there was no time to l ose But turni ng to where
, .

Uncle Billy h ad been lying he found hi m gone A suspicion

,
.

leaped t o his brain and a cu rse t o h is lips He ran to the s p o t .

 TH E OU TCA S T S OF P O K E R FLAT 1 99

where the mu l es h ad been teth ered ; they were n o longer there .

The tracks w ere already rapidly disappeari ng i n the sno w .

The mo m entary excitement brought Mr O akhurst back to .

the re with h is u sua l calm He did not w aken the sleepers . .

The Innocent S l umbered peacefully with a smile o n his good ,

humored freck l ed face ; the virgin Piney slept beside her frai l er
,

sisters as sweet ly as though attended by celestial guardians and ,

Mr O akhurst draw ing his b l anket over his shou l ders stroked
.
, ,

his mustaches and waited for the dawn I t came slowly in a .

whirl in g mist o f snow- ak e s that dazz l ed and confused the ,

eye W h at cou l d be seen o f the landscape appeared magically

.

changed H e l ooked over the valley and su m moned up t h e

.
,

present and future in tw o words snowed in !

,

A carefu l inventory of the provisions which fort u nate ly for , ,

the party had been stored within the hut and so escaped the
, ,

fel onious ngers of Uncl e Bi lly disclosed the fact that wit h c are ,

and pr u dence they m ight l ast ten days l onger That i s said .
,

Mr O akhurst s otto voce t o the Innocent if yo u re Wil ling t o

.
,

,

b o ard u s If you ain t and perhaps yo u d bette r n o t yo u

.

c an w a i t til l Unc l e Billy gets back with provisions

F o r some .

o c c u l t reason Mr O akhurst cou l d not bring himsel f to dis cl ose

,
.

Uncl e Bil ly s rascality and so offered the hypothesis that he had

,

wandered from the cam p and had accidentally stampeded the

animal s H e dropped a warning to the Duchess and M o ther
.

S hipton wh o o f c ourse knew the facts o f their asso c iate s de fe c

,

tion . They l l nd out t h e truth about u s a ll wh en they nd

out anything he added signicantly and there s no good
, , ,

frighten i ng them now .

Tom S imson not only put a ll his worl d ly store at the disposal
o f M r O akhurst
. but seemed to enj oy the prospect o f their
,

enforced seclusion We l l have a good camp fo r a week and

.

,

then the snow 11 me l t and w e 11 al l go back together T h e

,

.

c heerfu l gayety of the yo u ng man and Mr O ak hu rst s calm , .

200 S H OR T S T O R I E S

infected the others The Innocent with the aid of pine-bough s

.
, ,

extemporized a thatch fo r the rooess cabin and the Duchess ,

directed Piney in the rearrangement o f the interior wit h a taste

and tact that O pened the blue eyes o f that provincial maiden to
the i r ful l est extent I reckon now you re used to ne things
.

at Poker Flat said Piney The Duchess tu rned away s h arply

, .

to c o ncea l something that reddened her cheeks through its pro

f e ss io n al tint and Mother S hipton requested Piney not to
,

chatter But when Mr O akhurst returned from a weary

. .

sear ch fo r the trail h e heard the sound of happy laughter ech oed
,

fr om th e rocks He stopped in some a l arm and h is tho u gh ts

.
,

rst naturally reverted to the whiskey which he had p rudently ,

ca cb e.d And yet it don t somehow sound l ike whiskey said

,

the gamb l e r It was not until he cau ght sig h t o f the b l az ing
.

re t h rough the stil l bl inding stor m and the gr ou p around i t

that h e settl ed to the conviction that it was square fun
.

Whether Mr O akhurst had ca cb d his cards wit h t h e whiskey

.

as so m ething debarred the free access of the c o mmu nity I can ,

not say It was c ertain that in Mothe r Sh ipt o n s words h e

.
,

,

did n t say cards once during that even i ng Hap ly the ti m e

.

w as begu iled by an accordion produced so m ew h at ostentatiously ,

by Tom S imson fro m his pack Notwithstanding so m e dif cu l .

ties attending the m anipu l ation o f his instru m ent Piney Woods ,

m anaged to pluck severa l reluctant m el odies fro m i ts keys to ,

an acco m paniment by the I nnocent on a pair o f bone castanets .

But the crowning festivity o f the evening was reached in a rude

c amp-m eeting hymn wh ic h the l overs j oining hands sang w ith
, , ,

great earnestn ess and v o ciferation I fear that a c ertain deant .

tone and Covenanter s swing to its choru s rather than any

,

devotional qual ity cau sed i t speedily t o infe ct the others who
, ,

at l ast j o ined in the refrain :

I m p r ou d to li v e i n th e s e rv i ce o f th e L o rd

,

A n d I m b o un d to die in H is arm y

.
20 2 S H O R T S T OR I E S

Mothe r Sh ipton saw it and from a re m ote pinnacle o f he r ,

rocky fastness hurled in that direction a na l malediction It

.
,

w as her l ast vituperative attempt and perhaps f or that reason ,

w as in vested with a certain degree o f sublimity I t did her .

good s h e privately informed the Duchess

,

Just yo u go out .

there and c uss and see

S he then se t hersel f to the task of
,
.

am u sing the chi ld as s h e and the Duchess were p l eased to

,

cal l Piney Piney was no chicken but it was a soothing and

.
,

original theory o f the pair thus to account for the fact that
s h e did n t swear and w as n t improper

.

When night crept up again through the gorges the reedy ,

notes o f the accordion rose and fel l in tfu l spasm s and long
drawn gasps by the ickering camp- re But music failed to l l .

entire ly the aching void left by insu f cient food and a ne w ,

div ersion was proposed by Piney s to ry te llin g Neither M r ,

s
. .

O akhurst n o r his female companion s caring to rel ate the i r per .

sonal experiences this plan would have failed to o but for the
, , ,

Inno c ent S ome months before he had chanced upon a stray

.

copy o f Mr Pope s ingenious translation o f the Iliad He no w

.

.

prop o sed to narrate the principal incidents of that poe m

having thoro u gh ly mastered the argument and fairly forgotte n

the words I n the current vernacular o f S andy Bar A n d s o .

for the rest of that night the Homeric demigods again walked
the earth Troj an bully and w ily Greek wrestl ed in th e winds
.
,

and the great pines in the canon seemed to bow to the Wrath
o f the s o n o f Peleus Mr O akhurst l istened wit h quiet satis
. .

faction Most especially was h e interested in the fat e of

.

Ash hee l s as the Innocent persisted in denominating the

-
,

-
swift footed Achilles .

S o with small food and m uch of Homer and the accordion ,

a week passed over the heads o f the outcasts The s u n again .

forsook them and again from leaden s kie s th e snow-ak e s we re

,

sifted ove r the l and Day by day cl oser a round the m drew t h e
.
 TH E O U TCA S T S OF P O K E R FLAT 20 3

sn o wy circ l e unti l at l ast they l ooked from their prison o v er

,

dr i fted walls of dazzling white that towered twenty feet above ,

th e ir h e ads It became more and mo re difcult to replenish

.

their res e v en from the fallen trees beside the m now hal f
, ,

hidden in the dr i fts And yet no o n e comp l ained The lovers . .

turned from the dreary prospect and looked i nto each other s

e yes and were happy

,
Mr O akhurst settled himself coo lly to . .

th e losin g game before him The Duchess more cheerfu l than .

,

s h e had been assumed the care o f Piney O nly Mother Sh ipton

,
.

once the strongest o f the party seemed to sicken and fade .

At midnigh t o n the tenth day s h e cal l ed O akhurst to her side .

I m go i ng s h e said in a voice o f queru l ous weakness but

, , ,

don t s ay anything about it Don t waken the kids Take the

. .

b u nd l e fro m under my head and O pen it

Mr O akhurst did s o . . .

It contained Mother S hipton s rations for the l ast w eek u n

,

touched G i ve em to the child she said pointing to the sleep

.

, ,

ing Piney Yo u v e starved yourself said the ga m b l er That s

.

, .

what they cal l it said the woman queru l ous ly as s h e l ay do w n

, , ,

again and turning her face to the wa l l passed quietly aw ay

, , , .

The accordion and the bones were put aside that day and ,

Homer was forgotten When the body of Mother Sh ipton had .

be en committed to the snow Mr O akhurst took the Innocent , .

aside and S howed h im a pair o snow shoes w hich he had

(

,
f -
,

fashi o ned from the o ld pack saddle

-
There s o n e ch ance in a .

h undred t o save h er yet he said point i ng to Piney ; but i t s

, ,

there he added pointing towards Poke r F l at

,
If you can
,
.

reach there in two days she s safe

And yo u asked To m
.

S i mson I ll stay here was the c urt reply

.
, .

The l overs parted wit h a long embrace You are n o t going .

,

too ?
said the Duchess as she saw Mr O akhurst apparent ly , .

wait in g to accompany him As far as the ca non he rep lied .

, .

H e turned suddenly and kissed the Duchess leav ing her pallid , ,

face a am e and her trem b ling lim b s rigid with amazement

, .
204 S H OR T S T O R I E S

Night c ame but not Mr O ak h urst It brought th e st orm

,
. .

agai n an d th e wh irling sno w Then t h e Duchess feeding t h e

'

.
,

re fo un d that some o ne had quietly p iled beside the h u t en ou gh

,

fue l to l ast a fe w days l onger The tear s r o se t o h e r eyes b u t .

,

she h id t h e m fro m P i ney .

The w omen s l ept but li tt l e In t h e mo rning loo kin g i nt o .

,

each o ther s faces they r ead their fate Neithe r spoke ; but

, .

Piney a c cepting the posit i on of the stronger drew near and

, ,

placed h e r arm around the Duchess s w ai st T h ey kept thi s

.

attitu de fo r the rest of the day That n i ght the storm reached .

i ts gre atest fury and rend i ng as u nde r t h e protecting p ines

, , ,

invaded th e very hut .

T ow ard morning they fo u nd t h e m se l ves u nab l e to feed th e

re wh ich gradually died away As the embers s lowly black
,
.

ened t h e Duchess crept cl oser to P i ney and broke the silence

, ,

of m any h ours : Piney c an yo u pray ?

No dear said
,

, ,

Piney si m p ly The Duchess wi t h out kn owing exactly why

,
.
, ,

fel t re li eved and putting her h ead u p o n Piney s sho ul der sp o ke

, ,

,

n o mo re And s o reclining the yo u n ger and purer pillowing the

.
,

head of he r soiled sister u p o n h er virgin b re as t th ey fel l asleep

'

, .

T h e wi nd l u ll ed as if it feared t o w aken them F e ath e ry .

d rifts o f sno w shaken fro m the l ong pine-boughs ew l ike

, ,

white-w inged birds and settl ed ab o ut them as they slept The

,
.

m oon thr ou gh the rifted clou ds l ooked down upon w hat had been
the camp B u t al l h u m an stain all trace o f ea rthly travail w as
.
, ,

hidden beneath the spotl ess m antl e mercifully ung fro m ab o ve .

They slept al l that day and the next n o r did t h ey w aken ,

w he n v o ices and fo o tsteps broke the silence of th e c am p And .

w h en pitying ngers bru sh ed the sno w fro m thei r w an faces ,

o u could s c arce l y have told from the equa l peace t h at dwe l t

y
upon the m which was sh e that had sinned E ven the law of
, .

Poker Flat recognized this and tu rn ed a w ay l eaving the m s till , ,

l ocked i n each o ther s a rm s

.
 I! M A R K HE I M l
'

.
( 1 8 8 4)
BY RO B ERT L OU I S S TEV EN SO N ( 1 8 5 0 1 8 9 4)

[ S etti ng There i s no ner mode l for t h e study of setting than

this story affords It is three O clock in the afternoon o f a
.

foggy Christmas Day in London If M ark h e im s manner and .

the dimly l ighted interior o f the antique shop suggest m urder ,

the gar rul ous clocks the nodding shadows and the reecting, ,

m irrors seem almost to compel confession and surrender And .

stil l as he continued to l l his pockets his min d accused him , ,

w ith a sickening iteration o f the thousand faults of h is design , .

H e should h ave chosen a more quiet h our S o he should fo r .

the murder but for the self-confession which is S tevenson s

:

ul timate design no time o r p l ace could ha v e been better

, .

Plot There is l itt l e action in the plot A man commits a

. .

dastardly murder and then being alone and undetected begins , ,

to think think think It i s the turning point in h is l ife and he

, ,
.

knows it Instead o f se izing the treasure and escaping h e su b

.
,

mits his past caree r to a rigid scru tiny and review This brood .

ing over his past life and present outlook becomes so absorbing
that what bade fair to be a soliloquy becomes a dialogu e a dia ,

l ogue between the O ld self that committed the m urder and the
new self that begins to re v olt at it The o ld se l f bids him follow .

the line o f least resistance and go o n as he has begun the newly

awakened sel f bids him stop at once check the m omentum o f ,

other days take this last chance and be a man His better
, ,
.

nature wins M ark h eim nds that though his deeds ha v e been
.

uniformly e v i l h e can stil l conceive great deeds renunciations

, , ,

1 F ro m
Th e M e rry Men .

p
U s e d b y e rm is s io n o f C h arle s S c rib

ner s S on s , au th o riz e d A p
m e ric an u b lis h e rs o f S t e e n s o n s or s v W k .

20 6
 M A R KH E I M 2 07

martyrdoms Though the acti v e l o v e o f good seems too w eak

.

to be reckoned as an asset he s till has a hatred o f evil ; and
,

o n this twin foundation ability to think gre at t houghts a n d to

,

hate e v il deeds he builds at l ast his culm inating reso lv e

,
.

The story i s po w erfully and yet subt ly tol d It swee ps the .

who l e gamut O f the moral l aw Many st o ries de v e l op th e same

the m
.

e but none j ust like this S te v enson hi mself is drawn ag ai n

.

to the same problem a littl e l ater in D r Jekyll and Mr Hyde

. .
-
.

Hawthorne tried it in Howe s Masquerade i n w hich the

,

cl oaked gure is the phantom or reduplicati on o f Howe himself .

In Poe s William Wilson t o which S tevenson is p l ain ly ih

,

debted the evi l nature triumphs o ver the good But M ark
,
.

heim by touching more c hords and by soun ding lowe r depths

, ,

makes the triumph at the end seem like a pe rmanent vi c tory

for universal human nature .

Cb a ra a ers If the story is the study o f a given si tu ation

.
,

M ark h e im w h o is another type o f the deve l opin g c h arac te r is

, ,
.

the central factor in the situation We s e e and i nterpret the .

situation only through the personal ity o f M arkh e im himself .

Another m urderer might have acted di fferent ly even w ith those ,

cl amorous clocks and accusing m irrors around h im but not this ,

murderer There is nothing abnorma l about h imh owever as a

.
, ,

cri m inal He is thirty S ix years o ld and through s h eer weak nes s

.
-

h as gone stead i ly downward but h e h as n ever before done a

deed approaching this in horror or in the power o f sudden self

reve l ation H e sees himself now as h e never s aw himself before
.

and begins to take stock o f his mora l assets They are pitifu lly .

meager though his O pportunities for characte r building h ave

,

been good H e h as e v en had emoti onal r ev i va l s which did n o t

. .

, ,

however issue i n good deeds But w ith i t al l Markh eim ill us

, .
,

trates th e n 9 b ility o f h uman n ature rathe r than its es sential

_ .
k n a

dep ravity I do n o t doubt his comp l ete and p ermanent conver

.

sion When the terrib l e l ast q u estion is put to him o r w h en

.

he puts it to himsel f whether he is better now in any o n e

partic u l ar than he w as and when h e is fo rced to s ay
, ,
20 8 SH O RT ST O RI E S

n o ne ! I h ave gone down in all the mora l reso u rces of h u m an ,

natu re i tse l f see m to be exhausted But they are not I se e . .

cl early w hat remains for me said M arkh e im by way o f

, ,

du ty . This w ord not u sed before sounds a n e w challenge

, ,

and marks the crisis o f the story Duty can ght wi th out cal l .

ing i n reserves from the past and without the vision o f victory
in the future I don t w o nder that the features o f the visitant
.

softened w ith a tender triumph The visitant was neither .

the devi l as M ark h e im rst thought lhi m nor the S aviour

of men as a recent editor pronounces hi m H e is only Mark .

h eim s ol d sel f the se l f that entered the antique shop that with

, ,

fear and trembling c ommitted the deed and that now half , ,

conscious all the ti m e of inherent falseness u rges the o ld argu ,

m ents and tries to energize the o ld purposes It is this visitant .

that every m an meets and overthrows when he comes to him

se l f when he breaks sharply wi th the old l ife and enters reso
,

lu tely u pon the new ! .

Yes said the dealer o u r windfalls are o f variou s kinds

, , .

S ome customers are ignorant and then I touch a dividend o n ,

m y superior know l edge S ome are dishonest and here he .

,

h eld u p the c and l e s o that the l ight fel l strongly on his visitor
, ,

and in that c ase h e c ontinued I prot by m y virtu e

,

,
.

M ark h e im h ad b u t j u st entered fro m the day l ight streets ,

and his eyes h ad n o t yet gr o wn fa m iliar with the m ingl ed

shine and darkness in the shop At these pointed w o rds and .
,

before the nea r presence o f the ame h e blinked painfull y ,

and l ooked aside .

The deal e r ch u ck l ed Yo u come to me on Christmas-day

.
,

b e resumed w hen you know that I am al one in my h ouse

, ,

put up m y shutters and make a point o f refusing business

, .

Well you will have to pay fo r that ; you wil l have to pay fo r
,

m y l oss o f tim e w hen I sh ould be bal ancing my books ; you

,
 S H O RT S T O R I E S

a nice thing f o r a l ady he went t h is h l ass

n o w, on, -
and g
ftee n th cent ury warranted ; c o mes from a g oo d coll ecti o n
, ,

too ; b u t I reserve the name in the interests of m y cu st o mer , ,

w ho was j ust like yourself my dear s ir the nephew and so l e

, ,

heir of a rem arkab l e co l lect o r .

The dealer whil e h e thu s ran o n in h is dry and biting v o i c e

, ,

had stooped to take the obj ect from its place ; and as he had ,

done so a sh ock had passed through M ark h e im a start b o th

, ,

of hand and foot a sudden leap of many tumultuous passi o ns

,

to th e face It passed as swift l y as it came and l eft no trace

.
,

beyond a c ertain trembling of the hand t h at n ow re ceiv ed th e

'

A gl ass h e said hoarsely and th en paused and repeated

,

, , ,

it more cl early A gl ass ? For Ch rist m as ? S ure l y n o t

.

And w hy not ?
cried the dealer Why not a glass ?
.

M arkh e im w as l ooking upon him with an in de n able expres

sion. Yo u ask me wh y not ?
he said Why l ook here .
,

l o o k i n it l ook at yo u rsel f Do yo u l ike t o s ee it ? No ! n or

I nor any man .

The little m an had j u m ped ba ck when M ark h e im h ad so ,

sudden l y confronted him with the mirror ; but now per c ei v ing ,

there w as nothing worse o n hand he chuckled Y our future , .

l ady s ir mu st be pretty hard favored said he

, ,

,
.

I ask you said M arkh e im f o r a Christmas-present and

,

, ,

you gi ve me this this damned re m inder o f years and sins ,

and follies this handconscience ! Did yo u mean it ? Had

y o u a tho u ght in your mind ?
'

Tell m e It wil l be better for .

o u if you do Come tell me about yourself I hazard a guess

y .
,
.

now that you are in secr

,

et a ve ry charitable man ?

The deal er looked closely at his companion It w as very .

o dd M arkh e im did not appear to be laughing ; there was

,

something in his face like an eager sparkle o f hope b u t ,

.

no thin go f mi rth .
 M A R KH E I M 21 1

What are yo u driving at ? the dealer asked .

Not charitab l e ?
return e d the other gloomily Not chari , .

tab l e ; not pious ; not scrupulous ; unloving unbel o ved ; a hand ,

to get m oney a safe t o keep it I s t h at a ll ? Dear G o d man

,
.
, ,

is that al l ?

I w ill tel l you what it is began the deal er wit h some ,

,

sharpness and then broke o ff aga in into a chuckle

,
.
But I s ee .

this is a l ove m at c h o f yours and yo u have been drinkin g the ,

l ady s heal th

.

Ah ! cried M arkh e im w ith a st range curiosity ,

Ah .
v

have yo u been in love ? Te ll me about that

.

I cried the deal er

,
I in l o v e ! I never h ad the time
.

nor have I the time to d ay for al l th i s n o nsense Wil l yo u .

tak e t h e g l ass ?

Where is the hurry ?
returned M arkh e im It is very .

p l easant to stand here talking ; and life is s o S hort and insecure

th at I wou l d not hur ry away from any p leasure
.
no n o t even ,

from s o mi l d a o ne as this We should rather cl ing cling to .

,

w hat littl e we can get l ike a m an at a Cliff s edge Eve ry s e c

,

.

o nd is a cl iff if yo u think up o n it - a cliff a m i l e high h igh

,

en ough if we fall to dash us out o f every feature o f hu m anity

, ,
.

H ence i t is best to tal k p l easant ly Let us talk o f each other ; .

wh y should we w ear this mask ? Let u s be condential Wh o .

knows we might become friends ?
,

I have j ust o n e word to say to yo u said the deal er ,

.

E ither make yo ur purchase o r walk ou t of my shop ,

.

True true said M arkh e im

, ,
E nough fooling To busi .

ness S ho w me something else

. .

T h e deal er stooped once mor e this tim e to replace the glass ,

u p o n the shel f his thin blonde hair fal ling o v er his eyes as h e
,

"
did s o : M ark h e im moved a little nearer w ith o n e hand in the

p oc k et O f h is g r eat"
-coat
; he drew himself up and l led his

lu ngs ; a t the sa m e ti m e many d ifferent emotions were depicte d

212 S H O RT ST O R I E S

togethe r o n hi s face terror horror and resolve fascinat io n , , ,

and a physica l repul sion ; and through a haggard l ift o f h is

u pper lip his teeth l ooked o u t
, .

This perhaps may suit observed the dealer ; and th en

, ,

, ,

as he began to re-arise M arkh eim bounded fro m beh ind up o n

,

his victim The l ong skewer-l ike dagger ashed and fe ll The
.
, .

deal er stru ggl ed l ike a hen striking his temple o n the shelf , ,

and then tu m b l ed o n the oor in a heap .

Ti m e h ad so m e sc o re o f smal l voices in that s h op so m e ,

stately and s l ow as w as bec o ming to their great age ; others

garru lous and hurried Al l these to l d o u t the sec o nds in an
.

i ntri c ate chorus o f ti ckings Then the passage o f a l ad s feet

.

,

h eavily ru nning o n t h e pave m ent broke in u pon th ese small er ,

voices and startl ed M arkh e im int o the c o nscio u sness o f his

surro u nd ings H e l ooked about him awfully The cand l e stood
. .

o n the counter i ts a m e so l emn l y wagging in a draugh t ; and

,

by that i n c onsiderab l e m ove m ent the who l e roo m was lled ,

wit h n o ise l ess b u st l e and kept heaving l ike a s ea : the tall

shad o ws nodding the gr o ss b l ots o f darkness swe l ling and
,

dwind l ing as with respiration the faces o f the portraits and the ,

china gods changing and wavering l ike i m ages in water T h e .

inner door stood aj ar and peered into that l eaguer of shad ow s

,

th a l ong s l it o f day l ight l ike a pointing nger .

Fro m these fear-stricken rovings M ark h e im s eyes returned ,

to the body o f his victim where it l ay both humped and spraw l

,

ing in c redib ly smal l and strangely meaner t h an in l ife In th ese

,
.

p o or miserly cl othes in that ungainly attitude the dealer l ay

, , ,

l ike so much sawdust M arkh eim had feared to s ee it and 10 !

.
, ,

i t was noth ing And yet as he gaz ed this bundle o f o l d cl oth es

.
, ,

and poo l o f b l ood began to nd eloquent voices There it m u st .

l ie ; there was none to work the cunning hinges or direct the

m iracl e o f l ocomotion th ere it must l ie till it was found .

F ou nd ! ay and then ? Then would this dead esh l ift up a cry

,
z 14 S H OR T S T O R I E S

or he beheld in galloping dele the clock the pris o n the gall o w s

, , , , ,

and the black co fn .

Terro r o f the people in the street sat down before his mind
like a besiegi ng army It w as impossib l e he thought b u t that
.
, ,

s o me ru m or o f the stru ggl e must have reached their ears and

set o n edge thei r curiosity ; and now i n all the neighboring ,

h ouses he divined the m sitting m otionless and w ith u plifted ear

,

s oli tary peop l e condemned to spend Christmas dwelling

,

al one on memories of the past and now start l ingly recalled,

fro m that tender exercise ; h appy family parties struck into ,

si l ence round the table the m othe r stil l with raised nger
,

every degree and age and humor but all by their o wn hearths , , ,

p rying and hearkening and w eav in g the ro p e that w as to hang

him S ometimes it seemed t o him he co u ld not move too softly ;
.

the cl ink o f the tal l Bohemian gob l ets rang o u t l oudly l ike a
bell ; and al armed by the bignes s of t h e ticking h e w as tempted ,

to stop the cl ocks And then again w ith a swift transition of

.
, ,

his terrors the very S ilence o f the p l ace appeared a source of

,

peri l and a thing to strike and freeze the passer-by ; and he

,

w ould step more bold ly and bustle aloud among the contents
,

o f the shop and imitate w ith elaborate bravado the m ovements

, , ,

o f a busy m an at ease in his o wn house .

But h e was no w so pulled about by different alarms that ,

Wh il e o n e portion o f his mind was sti ll ale rt and cunning ,

another trembled o n the brink o f l unacy O ne hallucination in .

pa rt i cul ar took a strong hold on his credu l ity The neighb o r .

hearkening w ith w hite face beside his window th e passer-by ,

arrested by a h orrible surmise o n the pavement th ese cou l d

at w orst s u spe c t they could not know ; through the brick walls
,

and shuttered wi ndows only sounds co u ld penetrate But h ere .

,

wi thin th e house w as he al one ? He kne w h e was ; h e had

,

w atched the servant s et fo rth sweethearting in h er poor best , ,

o u t for the day

w ritten i n eve ry ribbon and smile Ye s he .
,
 M A R KH E I M 21 5

w as al one course ; and yet in the bu lk of empty hou se

,
of ,

above him he could surely hear a stir o f delicate footing h e

,

was surely conscious inexplicably conscious of som e presence

, .

Ay sure ly ; to every room and corner o f the house his imagina

,

tion followed it ; and now i t was a faceless thing and yet had ,

eyes to s e e with ; and again it was a S hadow o f himself ; and

yet again behold the image o f the dead dealer reinspired with ,

cunning and hatred .

At times with a strong effort he would gl ance at th e open

, ,

door which still seemed to repel his eyes The house was tall .
,

the skylight smal l and dirty the day blind with fog ; and th e
,

l ight that ltered down to the ground story was exceedingly

faint and showed dimly o n the thresho l d o f the shop And yet
,
.
,

in that strip of doubtful brightness did there n o t hang w ave ring ,

a S hadow ?
S udden ly from the street outside a very j ovial gentl eman
, ,

began to beat with a staff o n the shop-door accompanying his ,

blows with S houts and railleries in which the dealer was c o n

tinu ally ca l led u pon by name M ark h e im smitten i nto ice
.
, ,

glanced at the dead man But no ! he lay quite still ; h e w as

.

ed away far beyond earshot o f these b lows and shoutings ; he

w as sunk beneath seas o f silence ; and his name which would ,

once hav e caught his notice above the howling o f a storm h ad ,

become an empty sound And presently the j ovial gentle m an

.

desisted from his knocking and departed .

Here was a broad hint to hurry w hat remained to be done ,

to get fort h from this accusing neighborh ood to p l unge into a ,

bath of London multitude s and to reach o n the other side o f

, ,

day th at h aven o f safety and apparent innocence his bed O ne

,
.

visitor had come : at any moment another might follow and be

m ore obstinate To hav e done the deed and yet not to reap the
.
,

prot would b e too abhorrent a failure The money that was

,
.
,

now M ark h e im s concern ; and as a means to that the keys

, .
216 S H O R T S T OR I E S

H e gl anced over his S hou l der at the open doo r wh ere th e ,

s h adow was sti ll l ingering and S hivering ; and with no conscious

rep u gnance of the mind yet with a tremor o f the belly he dre w
, ,

near the body o f his victi m The human character had q u ite .

departed Like a s u it h alf -st u ffed with bran the l i m bs l ay s c at

.
,

te re d the trunk doubled on the oo r ; and yet t h e thing

, ,

repell ed him A l though so dingy and in considerable to the eye

.
,

he feared it might h ave more signi c ance to the touch H e .

t oo k the b o dy by the S hou l ders and t urned it o n its back It ,

.

w as strangely l igh t and supple and t h e l imbs a s if they had , ,

been br o ken fell into the oddest p o st ures The face was robbed
, .

o f al l expression ; but it was as pal e as wax and sho ck i ngly ,

s m eared w ith blood about o n e te m p l e That was for M arkh eim .

, ,

the o n e disp l easing circu m stance It c arried him back u pon .

,

the instant to a cer tain fair day in a sh er s village : a gray

,

day a piping wind a crowd u pon the street the blare of

, , ,

brasses the booming o f dru ms the nasal voice o f a ball ad

, ,

singer ; and a boy going to and fro b u ried o ver head in the c r o wd ,

and divided between interest and fear until coming o u t u pon t h e , ,

chief place o f conc o urse he beheld a boot h and a great screen

,

with p i ctures dismally designed garishly colored : Brownrigg

, ,

w ith her apprentice ; the Mannings wi th their m urdered gu est ;

Weare in the death-grip o f T h u rt ell ; and a score besides of
.

fam ous crimes The thing was as c lear as an il l usion ; h e was

.

on c e again that litt l e boy ; he was l ooking o nce again and w it h ,

the same sense o f physical revo l t at these vi l e pictures ; he ,

was sti ll stunned by the thumping o f the drums A bar of that .

day s m usi c returned upon his memo ry ; and at that fo r the

,

rst tim e a q u alm came over him a breat h o f nausea a s u d

, , ,

den w eakness o f the j oints which he m ust instantly resist ,

and conq u er .

H e j udged it more prudent to confront than to ee fro m

these co nsiderations ; looki ng the more hardily in th e dead
21 8 S H O RT S T O R I E S

m ingl e with th e patter the drops upon the c u po l a and the

of

gushing of the water in the pipes The sense that he was not .

alo ne gre w upon him to the verge o f madness O n eve ry side .

h e was haunted and begirt by presences He heard them .

m oving in the upper chambers ; f rom the s h Op he heard the ,

dead man getting to his l egs ; and as he began with a great

e ffort to m ount the stairs feet ed quietly before him and fo l ,

l owed stealthily behind If he were but deaf h e thought how

.
,

tranqui lly he wou l d possess his soul And then again and h eark .
,

en in gwith every fresh attention he b l essed himself for that u n re ,

sisting sense which h e l d the outposts and stood a trusty sentine l

u pon his l ife His head tu rned continually o n his neck ; his
.

eyes wh i ch seemed starting from their orbits scouted o n every

, ,

side and o n e v ery side were half-rewarded as w ith the tai l o f

,

s o mething nam eless vanish ing The four-and-t w enty step s t o .

th e rst oor were four and twenty agonies

- - .

O n that rst st o ry the door stood aj ar three o f the m l ike

, ,

three ambushes shaking h is nerves l ike the throats o f can non

, .

H e cou l d never again he fel t be su fciently imm u red and

, ,

fortied fro m men s observing eyes ; h e l onged to be h ome

,

girt in by walls buried am o ng bedcl othes and invisible to al l

, ,

but God And at that thought h e wondered a l ittl e recollecting

.
,

tales o f other mu rderers and the fear t h ey w ere said to enter

tain of heaven ly avengers It was not s o at l east with him .
, . .

He feared the l aws o f nature l est in their callous and imm u , ,

tab l e procedure they sho u ld preserve some damning evidence

,

o f his c rime H e feared tenfold m ore w ith a s l avish s u p e rs ti

.
, ,

ti o us terror some scission in the contin u ity of m an s experience

,

,

some willful ill egality o f nature H e p l ayed a game of skill . ,

depending o n the rules cal culating consequence from cau s e ;

,

and what if nature as the defeated tyrant overthrew the chess

,

board should break the mold o f their succession ? The like

,

h ad befall en N apo l eon ( so writers said) when the w inter chan ged
 M A R KH E I M 19

th e t im e o f i ts appearance The l ike m ight befall M ark h eim

.

t h e solid wa l ls might beco m e transparent and reveal his doings

l ike t h ose o f bees in a glass hive ; the stout p l anks might yie ld
u nder his foot like quicksands and detain him in their c lu tc h ;
a
y ,
and there were soberer a c cidents that mig h t destroy him :

if for instance the house shou l d fal l and imprison him beside
, ,

the b o dy of his victim ; the house next door shou l d y on re ,

and the remen invade him from a ll S ides These th i ngs h e .

feared ; and in a sense these things might be c a ll ed t h e h ands

, ,

o f God reached forth against sin But about God himself h e

.

was at ease ; his a c t was doubtless ex c eptional but so were ,

his ex cu ses which G o d knew ; it was there and not a mo ng

, ,

m en th at he fel t sure o f j ustice

,
.

When he h ad got safe into the drawing-roo m and sh u t the ,

d o or behind him he w as aw are o f a respite fro m a l arm s The

, .

roo m was quite dismantled uncarpeted besides and strewn , ,

w ith packing cases and incongruous fu rniture ; several great

p i er gl asses in which he beheld hi m se l f at various angl es like
-
, ,

an actor o n the stage ; many pictu res fram ed and u nfram ed , ,

standing wit h t h eir faces to the wal l ; a ne S heraton S ideb o ard ,

a cabinet o f m arqu etry and a great o ld bed w it h tapestry

, ,

hangi ngs The windows opened to the oor ; but by gr eat

.

good fortune the lower pa rt o f th e S hutters had been clo sed ,

and this conceal ed him from the neighb o rs H ere then Mark .
, ,

hei m drew in a packing case before the cabinet and began to ,

search among the keys It was a l ong business for there w ere
.
,

many ; and it was irksome besides ; for after al l there might

, , ,

be nothing in t h e cabinet and time w as on t h e wing But the

, .

cl oseness of the o c cu pation sobered h im With the tai l o f his .

eye h e s aw the door even gl an c ed at it from ti m e to ti m e

dire c tly l ike a besieged com m ander p l eased to verify t h e good
,

estate o f his defenses But in tru t h h e was at peace The rai n

. .

fa ll ing in th e street s ou nded natura l and p l easant Present ly .

,
2 20 S H O RT S T O R I E S

on t h e other s i de the notes of a piano were wakened t o th e

,

music o f a hymn and the voices o f many chi l dren took u p t h e

,

ai r and words How state l y h o w co m fo rtable was the me l ody !

.
,

H o w fresh the youthful voices ! M arkh e im gave ear to it smi l

ingly as he sorted o u t the keys ; and his mind was thronged
,

w i t h answerable ideas and images ; church -going chi l dren and

'

the peal ing o f the high organ ; children ae l d bathers by the ,

brook side ra m blers o n the bram bly co m mon kite-ye rs i n the

-
, ,

windy and clo u d-navigated s k y ; and th e n at another c adence ,

o f the hymn back again to church and the so m no l ence o f

, ,

summer S undays and the high gentee l voi c e o f the pars o n

,

( w h ich he smiled a l ittle to reca l l ) and the painted Jac o bean

to m bs and the di m l ettering of the Ten C o m m and m ents in
,

th e c hancel .

And as he s at thu s at once b u sy and absent he was sta rt l ed

, ,

to h is feet A ash of ice a ash o f re a b u rsting gu s h o f

.
, ,

b l ood went o ver him and then he st oo d transxed and th ri ll

, ,

ing A step m ounted the stair slowly and steadily and present ly
.
,

a hand was l aid upon t h e knob and the l ock clicked and t h e , ,

d oo r opened .

Fear he l d M arkh e im in a v i ce What to expe c t h e knew .

n o t whether the dead m an walking or the o fcia l ministe r s of

, ,

human j ustice or some chance witness b l indly stu mb ling in t o

,

consign him to the gall ows But when a face was thrust i nt o .

the ape rt u re glanced round the room l ooked at him nodded

, , ,

and smi l ed as if in friendly recognition and then withdrew ,

again and the door cl osed behind it his fear broke l oose fro m
, ,

his c o ntro l i n a h o arse cry At the s ou nd o f this the visi tant

.

returned .

Did y ou cal l me ? he asked p l easant ly and with th at h e

, ,

entered the room and cl osed the door behind hi m .

M ark h e im stood and gazed at him with al l his eyes Per .

h aps there w as a lm u pon h is sight bu t the outl ines o f th e ,

2 22 S H O RT S T O R I E S

fac es t h ey woul d be al together different they wo ul d shine out

, ,

fo r h e r oes and sai nts ! I a m worse than most ; my se l f is more

o verl aid ; m y excuse is kn o wn to me and God But h ad I th e .
,

time I co u l d disclo se myse l f

,

.

T o m e ? in q u ired the visitant

.

To y o u before a ll returned the murderer

,
I s u pp os ed .

yo u w ere inte l ligent I t ho ugh t

. since you ex i st you would
pr o ve a reader of the hea rt And yet yo u w o uld propose to
.

j u dge m e by my acts ! Think o f it ; my acts ! I was born and

I h ave l ived in a l and of giants ; gi ants hav e dragged m e by
the wrists S ince I was born out o f my mother the gi ants o f
circum stance And yo u w o u l d j udge m e by m y acts ! But can
.

y ou n o t l ook within Can yo u not u nderstand that evi l is hate

?

fu l to me ? Can yo u not s e e w ithin me the clear wri ting of

co ns cience never b l urred by any wil l fu l so phi st ry al though too
, ,

o ften disregarded ? Can yo u n o t read me for a thing that s u rely

m u st be c o mm on as h um anity the unwilling sinner ?

A ll this is very feel in gly e xpre s sed -was the reply

,
but ,

i t regards m e not These points o f consistency are beyond my

.

pr o vince and I care not in the l east by what compu l sion y ou

,

m ay h ave been dragged away so as yo u are but c arried in the

,

right d i rection But time ies ; the servant de l ays l ooking i n

.
,

the fa c es of the c rowd and at t h e pictures o n t h e h oardings ,

b u t sti ll sh e keeps mo v ing nearer ; and remember it i s as if ,

the gallo ws itse l f was striding toward yo u through the Christ

m as streets ! S hall I h el p you ; I wh o know al l ? S hall I tell
,

yo u where to nd the money ?

F or what price ? asked M arkh e im

.

I offer y ou the service for a Christmas gift returned t h e ,

other .

M ark h e im cou l d not refrain from smiling wit h a kind o f

bitter triumph No said he
.
,
I will take nothing at your
,

h ands ; if I w ere dying of thirst and it was your hand t h at put

,
 M A R KH E I M 223

the pitcher to my lips I should nd the courage to refuse It

,
.

m ay be credulous but I will do nothing to commit myself to evil

,
.

-
I have no obj ection to a death bed repentance observed ,

the visitant .

Because you disbelieve their e i c acy M arkh e im c ried .

I do not say s o returned the other ; but I l ook o n these

,

things from a different side and when the l ife is done my in

,

te re s t fal l s
. The man has lived to ser v e m e to S pread b l ack ,

l ooks under co l or o f religion o r to s o w tares in the wheat eld

,
-
,

as you do in a course of w eak compliance with desire Now

,
.

that he draws s o near to his deliverance h e can add but one ,

act o f ser v ice to repent to die smiling and thus to b u ild up

, ,

in condence and h Op e the more timorous o f my su rviving fo l

l owers I a m n o t so hard a master Try me Accept my hel p
. . . .

P l ease yourself in l ife as you have done h itherto ; please your

sel f more amply spread you r e l bows at the board ; and when
,

the night begins to fal l and t h e cu rtains to be drawn I tel l ,

you for your greater comfort that yo u wi ll nd it e v en easy

, ,

to compound your quarre l w it h your conscience and to m ake a ,

tru ckling peace with God I came but now from su ch a death
.

bed and the roo m was fu ll o f S in cere m ourners l istening t o t h e

, ,

man s l ast w ords : and when I l ooked into that face w hich h ad

,

been set as a int against mercy I found it smil ing with h Op e ,

.

And do yo u then suppose me such a creature
, ,
?
asked
M arkh e im . Do you think I have no more generous aspirations
than to S in and S in and sin and at last sneak into heaven ?
, , , , ,

My heart rises at the thought I s this then your experience o f .

, ,

mankind o r is it because you nd me w ith red hands that you

?

presume such baseness ? and is this crime o f murder indeed

s o impious as to dry up t h e very springs o f good ?

Murder is to me no S pecial category replied the oth er ,

.

All S ins are murder e v en as al l life is war I behold your

, .

race like sta rvi ng mariners o n a raft p luck i ng crusts o u t of

, ,
2 24 S H O RT S T O R I E S

the hands o f famine and feeding on each ot h er s l ives I follo w

.

sins beyond the moment of their acting ; I nd in all th at the

l ast co nseq u ence i s death ; and to my eyes the pretty maid ,

wh o t h warts her m o t h er w it h suc h taking graces o n a questio n

o f a ba ll dri ps no l ess visib ly w it h human go re than s u ch a
,

m urdere r as yo u rse l f Do I s ay that I fo ll ow sins ? I fo ll ow

.

vi rt u es a l so ; they differ not by the thickness of a nail they are ,

bot h scyt h es for the reap i ng ange l o f Deat h E vil fo r which I.

,

l ive co nsists n o t in action but in chara c ter The bad man i s

, .

dear t o me ; not the bad act whose fruits i f we cou l d fo l l o w

, ,

t h e m fa r en o ug h down the hurt l ing cataract of the ages m igh t ,

yet be found mo re b l essed than those of the rarest virt u es .

And i t i s not because y o u h ave killed a dealer but be c ause ,

yo u are M arkh e im th at I offered to fo rward your es c ape

,

.

I w i ll l ay m y h eart open to y o u answered M arkh eim

, .

This crim e on w h ich you nd m e i s my last O n my w ay to .

i t I h ave l earned m any l essons ; itself is a lesson a momentous ,

l esson Hitherto I have been driven with revo l t to what I w o ul d

.

not ; I was a bond-S l ave to poverty driven and scourged There

,
.

are robust virtues that c an stand i n these temptations ; mine was

-
not so : I had a thirst o pleasure But to day and o u t o f this
f .
,

deed I p l uck bot h w arning and ri ches both the power and a
,

fresh reso l ve to be m yself I become in al l things a free a c tor in

.

the world ; I begin to s e e m yse l f al l changed these hands the ,

agents of good this h eart at peace S omething comes over m e

, .

o u t of the past ; something o f what I h a v e dreamed on S abbat h

evenings to the sound o f the church organ o f what I forecast ,

when I shed tears over noble books o r talked an innocent child

, , ,

w ith m y m other There l ies my l ife ; I h ave wandered a fe w

.

years but n ow I see once m ore my city o f destination

,

.

Yo u are to use this money on the S tock Exchange I ,

t h ink ?
remarked the visitor ; and there if I mistake not , ,

y ou h ave a l ready l ost so m e th ou sands ?

2 26 S H OR T S T O R I E S

right to be s o ; and at any account it is the same with al l men , .

But granting that are yo u in any one particular however tri

, ,

ing more di fcult to please with your o wn conduct o r do you

, ,

go i n al l th ings w ith a l ooser rein ?

In any o n e ? repeated M ark h eim with an angui s h o f c o n

,

sideration No he added with despair in none ! I have
.
, , ,

gone down in al l t
.

Then said the visitor
,
content yourself with what you ,

are fo r yo u wil l never change ; and the !words o f your part o n

,

this stage are irrevocably w ritten down

.

M arkh e im stood for a long while silent and indeed it was ,

the visitor who rst broke the silence That being s o he

.
,

said
,
shall I S how yo u the money ?

And grace ? cried M arkh e im

.

Ha v e yo u not tried it ?
returned the oth er Two o r .

three years ago did I not s e e yo u o n the platform o f re v i v a l

,

meetings and was not your voice the l oudest in the hymn
,
?

It is true said M ark h e im ; and I s e e cl early what re

,

m ain s for me by way o f duty I thank you for these l essons .

fro m m y sou l : m y eyes are O pened and I behold myself at ,

l ast for what I am

.

At this moment the sharp note of the door-bel l rung through

,

the house ; and the vi s itant as though this were some concerted ,

signal fo r which h e h ad been waiting changed at once in his ,

demeanor .

The maid ! he cried S he has returned as I forewarned

.
,

you and there is n o w before you one more di f cu l t pa s s age

,
.

Her master you must s ay is ill ; you must l et her in with an

, , ,

assure d but rathe r serious countenance no smi l es no over ,

acti ng and I promise you succes s ! O nce the girl within and
, ,

th e door cl osed the same dexterity that has already rid you o f
,

the dealer w ill relieve you o f this last danger in your path .

Then c efo rw ard yo u have the who l e evening t h e who le night ,

 M A R KH E I M 227

i f needfu l to ransack the treasures o f the house and to make

good your safety This is help that comes to you with the mask
.

o f danger Up !
.

he cried : up friend ; your l ife hangs ,

trembling in the scal es ; up and ac t !

,

M arkh e im steadily regarded his counse l lor If I be co n .

dem ne d to evi l acts h e said there is stil l o n e door o f free

, ,

do m open I can cease from action If my l ife be an ill thing .

,

I can l ay it down Though I be as you s ay tru ly at the beck

.
, ,

o f eve ry small temptation I c an yet by one decisive gesture

, , ,

place myse l f beyond the reach o f al l My l ove o f good is .

damned to barrenness ; it may and let it be ! But I have still ,

my hatred o f evi l ; and from that to your gall ing disappoint ,

m ent yo u shall s e e that I c an draw both energy and courage

,
.

The features o f the visito r began to u ndergo a wonderfu l

and lovely change ; they brightened and softened w ith a tender
triumph ; and even as they brightened faded and dislimned
, , .

But M arkh e im did not pause to watch o r u nderstand the trans

formation He O pened the door and went down-stairs very
.

S l ow ly thinking to himself His past went soberly before him

, .

h e beheld it as it was ugly and strenu o us like a dream rando m

, ,

as chance-medley a scene o f defeat Life as he thus reviewed .

,

it tempted h i m no l onger but o n the further side he perceived

,

a quiet haven for his bark He paused i n the passage and .

,

l ooked into the shop w h ere t h e cand l e sti ll burned by the dead
,

body It was strange ly S i l ent Th o ughts o f the dealer swarmed

. .

into h is mind as he stood gazing And then the bel l once more
,
.

broke o u t into impatient clamor .

H e confronted the m aid upon the thresh ol d w it h something

l ike a smile .

Yo u had better go f o r the police said he : I h ave kill ed ,

y our m aster
.
 ! . T H E N E C KL A C E 1
( 1 8 8 5 )
BY GU Y DE M A U PA SS ANT ( 1 8 5 0 1 8 9 3 )

[ S wing The st ory i s s et in a Par i s at m osphe r e o f s oci al

aspirati o n and discontent The backgr ound is o ne o f st u died
.

co ntrasts co ntrasts betw een the stolid contentm ent o f a hu s

,

band and the w ould-b e lu xuri ou sness o f a wife be t ween wh at ,

Madame Loise l had and what she w anted bet w een wh at she ,

w as and what sh e thought she coul d be between h er brief ,

m oment o f tri u mph and the l ong years o f h er u ndo ing between ,

the trivial ness o f wh at s h e did and t h e h eaviness of her punis h

m ent These c ontrasts are developed n o t by reas o n ing but by
.

action each acti o n p l unging Madame Loise l deeper and deepe r

,

i nt o m ise ry The author s attitu de toward his w o rk form s a l so

.

a part of th e rea l background Maupassant sh o ws ne i ther sym .

pathy nor i ndignation He writes as if he w ere the stenographer

.

of impersonal and piti l ess fate .

Plot Mada m e Loisel a po o r b u t bea u tifu l and a m bitious

.
,

wom an b o rrows and l oses a diamond necklace val u ed at $ 7 2 0 0

, .

That at l east is w hat Madame Loise l thought for ten te rrib l e

, ,

years and that is what the reader thinks ti l l he c omes to the

,

l ast w ords o f th e story The p l ot belongs therefore to that.

, ,

l arge group known as hoax plots In most of these stories o n e .

pers o n p l ays a j oke o n anoth er In this story a gri m fate is .

m ade t o p l ay th e j oke In fact the current phrase the irony

.
, ,

o f fate nds h ere perfect illustration We use the exp ressi o n

,
.

n o t s o mu ch o f a great misfortune as o f a misfo rtune that see m s

bro u ght ab ou t by a peculiarly m alignant train o f c ir cum stances .

T h e i nj ury in this case not only w as irremediab l e but t u rned

1 La p aru re f ro m C o n te s e t n ou v e lle s .

2 28
2 30 SH ORT ST ORI E S

stories that he is interested not so much in the free p l ay or t h e

ful l reaction o f personali ty as in the enslavement o f persona l ity
through passion o r chance He saw life without order becau se .

without center without reward because without desert ; and his

,

characters are made to s ee it through the same l ens and to

experience i t o n the same le v el They either do not react o r do
.

not react nobly Had Madame Loise l and her hus b and been
.

shaped to t int o a less mechanical scheme o f things they would ,

have recognized in their ten years trial the cal l to something

h igher They could have used their testing as a m eans o f

.

u nderstanding with keener sympathy the lifelong testing o f

others They could hav e attained a self de v elO p m e n t that would
.
~

have bro u ght a happiness undreamed o f before the fateful

January 1 8 But this is Browning s way not M au pas s an t s
.

,

.

The l atter prefers to make M adame Loisel and her husband

chiey o f putty so that they m ay illustrate the blind thru sts o f
accident rather than the power o f personal ity to turn stumbling
b loc ks i nto stepping-stone s !

Sh e was of those pretty and charming girls w ho as i f by

o ne ,

a mistake o f destiny are born in a family o f employees S he

, .

had no dowry no expectations no m eans o f becoming known

, , ,

understood loved wedded by any rich and distinguished man ;

, ,

and so s h e let herself be married to a petty clerk in the Bureau

o f Public Instruction .

S he was S imple in her dress because s h e could not be elabo

rate but s h e was as unhappy as i f sh e had fallen from a higher
,

rank for w ith women there is no inherited distinction of higher

,

and l ower Their beauty their grace and their natural charm
.
, ,

ll the p l ace o f birth and fami ly Natural de l icacy instinctive .

,

e l egance a l ively wit are the ruling forces in the s o cial realm
, , ,

and these m ake the daughters o f the common people the equal s
o f the nest ladies .
 T H E N E C KLA C E 23 1

Sh e su ffered intense ly feel ing hersel f b o rn fo r all th e re ne

,

m ents and l uxuries of life S he su ffered fro m the p o verty o f

.

her ho m e as s h e l ooked at the dirty wal ls the w o rn-o u t chairs , ,

the u g ly cu rtains A ll those things o f which anot h er w o m an o f

.

her statio n wou l d have been quite u n c ons c ious tortured her and
made h er indignant The sight o f the c o u ntry gir l who was
.

maid-o f-a ll-work in her h um b l e h o u se h o l d l l ed her a lm ost with

desperation S he dreamed o f ech o ing halls hu ng w ith O riental
.

draperies and l ighted by tal l br o nze c andel abra wh i l e two tal l ,

footmen in knee-bree ches drowsed in great armchairs by reason

o f the heating sto v e s oppressive war m th S he dreamed o f

.

sp l endid parl ors furnished in rare old silks o f ca rved cabinets ,

l oaded with priceless b ric-a-bra c and of entran c ing l ittl e bou ,

do irs j ust right for aftern oo n chats with boso m friends men
fa m ous and sought after the envy and the desire o f all th e
,

other wo m en .

When s h e sat down to dinner at a l ittl e tab l e covered with

a cl oth three days old and l o o ked across at her hu sband
,

as he u n c overed t h e so u p and exclai m ed w i t h an air of rapt

ure ,
O h the de l i c ious stew ! I kno w nothing better than
,

t h at ,
she drea m ed of dain ty dinners of shining si lve rw are , ,

of tapestries whi ch peopled the wal ls wit h antique gures and

strange birds in fairy forests ; she dreamed o f de l icious viands
served in wonderfu l dishes o f whispered gallantries heard with,

a S phinx-l ike smile as you eat the pink esh o f a trout o r the
wing o f a quai l .

S he had no dresses no j ewel s nothing ; and S he l oved noth

, ,

ing e l se S he felt made fo r that alone S h e was l l ed with a

. .

desire to please to be envied to be bewitching and sought after

, , .

S he had a rich friend a former schoolmate at the convent who m

, ,

she no l onger wished to visit because she su ffered s o much when

she came home F o r w hole days at a time s h e wept witho u t
.

ce asing in bitterness and hopeless mise ry .

2 32 S H O RT ST O R I E S

Now o n e even i ng her husband came home with a triump h ant

,

aI r ho l ding in his hand a l arge enve l ope

,
.

There said h e there is something fo r yo u

, , .

S he quick ly tore open the paper and drew o u t a printed c ard ,

bearing these w ords

The Minister o f P ublic Instru ction and Mme Georges R am .

u request the honor o f M and Mme o is e l s company

p o u ne a L . .

at the pal ace o f the Ministry Monday evening January 1 8 th , , .

Instead o f being overcome with delight as her husband ,

expected she threw the invitation o n the table w ith disdai n

, ,

m urmuring
What do yo u wis h me to do w ith that ?
Why my dear I thought you would be pleased Yo u never
, ,
.

g o out and
,
this is such a ne opportunity ! I had awfu l trouble
in getting it E very o n e wants to go ; it is very sel ect and they
.
,

are no t giving many invitations to cl erks Yo u will s ee a ll th e .

o f cial w orld .

S he l ooked at him with irritation and said im patiently , ,

What do yo u expect m e to put o n my back if I go ?

He had not thought o f that H e stammered .

Why the dress yo u go to the theatre in It seems al l righ t

,
.

to me .

He stopped s tu p e e d distracted on seeing that his wife was

, , ,

crying Two great tears descended slowly from the corners o f

.

her eyes toward the co rners of her mouth H e stuttered : .

What s the matter ? What s the matter

By a violent effort she subdued her feelings and replied in a

calm voice as she wiped h er wet cheeks :
,

Nothing O n ly I have no dress and consequently I cannot

.

go to this ball Give your invitation to some friend whose w ife

.

has better clothes than I .

H e was in despair but began again ,

Let u s s e e Mathilde How much would it cost a suitab le

,
.
,
2 34 S H OR T S T OR I E S

B u t h e r h u sband cried
How st u pid you are ! Go and nd yo u r friend Madame
Fo r estie r and ask h er to l end y o u so m e j e w e l s Yo u are
- .

intim ate eno u gh w ith h e r fo r th at

.

Sh e u ttered a c ry o f j oy .

O f co u rse I had not thought o f that

. .

T h e next day she went to h er friend s house and to l d

h e r distress .

Madam e F o restier went to he r h andso m e wardrobe took ,

o u t a l arge casket br ought it back opened i t and said to

, , ,

Mada m e Loise l :

C h oose my dear
,
.

Sh e saw rst o f all so m e bra c e l ets th en a pear l neck l ace , ,

t h en a Venetian c ross o f gol d se t with precious stones Of w on

derfu l workmans h ip Sh e tried on th e orna m ents befo re the
.

g l ass,
hesitated c o ul d not,
m ake up he r m ind to pa r t wi t h t h em ,

t o gi ve t h e m back S he kept asking.

Y ou h ave n o thing e l se ?

W hy yes But I do n o t kn ow w hat w ill p l ease you

,
. .

A ll at o n c e sh e d i s co vered in a b l a ck satin box a sp l endid

, ,

diam ond neck l a c e and h er h eart began to beat w it h b ou nd l ess

,

desire Her hands tremb l ed as S h e took i t S he fastened it

. .

ar ou nd h er thr o at o ver her high-necked dress and stoo d lo st

, ,

in e c stasy as s h e l ooked at herse l f .

Then sh e asked h esitating fu ll Of anx i ety

, ,

Wo ul d y ou l end m e that on ly that ?

,

Why yes c ertain ly

, ,
.

Sh e sp rang u p o n the neck o f h e r fri end e m b r ac ed her ,

rapt u rou s ly then ed w ith h e r treasur e

,
.

T h e day o f t h e ball arrived Mada m e Lo i se l w as a s ucc ess . .

S he was prettier than all the others el egant gracious smil ing , , , ,

and c razy with j oy Al l the m en stared at h er asked h er nam e

.
, ,
 THE N E C KLA C E 2 35

tried to be introduced All the cabinet o c ials wished to waltz

.

with her The minister noticed her

. .

S he danced with delight with passion intoxicated with , ,

p l easure forgetting all in the triumph of her beauty in the

, ,

glo ry o f her success in a sort of mist o f happiness the result

, ,

of al l this homage all this admiration al l these awakened

, ,

desires this victory so complete and so sweet to the heart

,

o f woman .

S he left about four o clock in the morning Her husband h ad

.

been dozing since midnight in a little deserted anteroom wit h

three other gentlemen whose w i v es were hav ing a good time ,
.

H e threw about her shoulders the wraps whic h h e h ad

brought for her to go out in the modest wraps o f common ,

l ife whose po v erty contrasted sharply with the elegance o f the

,

bal l dress S he felt this and wished to escape that s h e migh t

.
,

not be noticed by the other women who w ere w rapping

themse l ves in costly furs .

Loisel held her back .

Wait here you will catch c o l d outside I wi ll go and nd

,
.

a cab .

But s h e wo u ld not listen to him and rapidly descended the ,

stairs When they were at last in the street they could nd

.
,

no carriage and began to look fo r o n e hailing the cabmen

, ,

they s aw passing at a distance .

They walked down toward the S eine in despair shi v ering ,

with the cold At l ast they found on the quay o ne of those

.

ancient nocturnal cabs that o n e sees in P aris on ly after dark ,

as if they were ashamed to display their wretchedness du ri ng

the day .

They were put down at their door in the R ue des Martyrs ,

and sad ly mounted the steps to their apartm ents It was all .

over fo r her And as for hi m he ree c ted that h e mu st be at

,
.
,

h is O f ce at ten o clock
.
2 36 S H O R T S T OR I E S

S he t ook O ff the wraps which covered her shoulders before ,

the mirror so as to take a na l look at herse l f in all her

,

gl ory B u t sudden ly she uttered a c ry S he no l onger h ad the

. .

neck l ace abo u t her neck !

H er husband al ready hal f undressed inqu i red
, ,

What is the matter ?
Sh e turned madly toward him .

I hav e I have I no longer have Madame F o restier s

necklace .

He stood up distracted ,
.

What how it is impossible !

They l ooked in the folds of her dress in the fo l ds o f her ,

cloak in the pockets everywhere They could not nd a

, ,
.

trace of it .

He asked
You are sure yo u stil l had it when you l eft the ball
Yes I fe l t it o n m e in the vestibu l e at the pal ace
. .

But if yo u had l ost it in the street we should have h eard

it fall I t must be in the cab
. .

Yes That s probable Did you ta k e the number ?

.

.

No And you you did not notice it

.
,

N0 .

They looked at each other thunderstruck At l ast Loisel .

put on his clothes again .

I am going back said he o v er every foot o f the w ay w e

, ,

came to se e if I cannot nd it
, .

S o he sta rted S he remained in her b all dress without strength

.

to go to bed sitting o n a chair with no re her mind a blank

, , , .

H er hus band returned about seven o c lo ck He had found

.

nothing .

He went to police headquarters to the newspapers to offer ,

a reward to the c ab companies e v erywhere in sh o rt w here

, , , ,

a trace of hope l ed hi m .
2 38 S H O RT ST O R I E S

ru ino u s engage m ents dealt with usurers with all th e tribe o f

, ,

money l enders He compromised the rest o f his life risked his

- .
,

signat u re without knowing if he might not be in v ol v ing his honor ,

and terried by the anguish yet to come by the black misery

, ,

about to fal l u pon him by the prospect o f e v e r

,
y physical priva
tion and every mental torture he went to get the new necklace , ,

and l aid down o n the dealer s counter thirty-six thousand francs

.

When Madame Loise l took the neck lace back to Madame

Forestier the latter said coldly
,

You should h ave ret u rned i t sooner for I might have ,

needed it .

S he did not O pen the case to the relief o f her friend If she , .

had detected the substitution what would s h e hav e thought ? ,

What wo ul d sh e h ave said ? Would s h e have taken her friend

f o r a thief ?

M adam e L o ise l now knew the horrib l e l ife o f the needy .

But sh e took her part heroically They must pay this frightfu l .

debt S he would pay it They dismissed their maid ; they gav e

. .

up their room ; they rented another under the roof ,

.

S he came to know the drudgery of housework the odiou s ,

l abors of the kitchen S he washed the dishes staining her rosy

.
,

nails on the greasy pots and the bottoms of the saucepans .

S he washed the dirty linen the shirts and the dishcloths which , ,

s h e hung to dry on a line ; s h e carried the garbage down to

the street every morning and carried up the water stopping , ,

at each landing to rest And dressed l ike a woman o f the.

,

pe o ple sh e went to the fruiterer s the grocer s the butcher s

,

,

,

,

1
her basket o n her arm bargaining abusing defending s o u by
, , ,

sou her miserab l e money .

E ach month they had t o pay so m e notes renew o thers , ,

obtain more time .

1 A s ou , o r v e -c e n t im e pi ece, is e q u al to o ne c e nt of our mone y .

 TH E N E C KLA C E 2 39

T h e h usband worked eve ry evening nea tly fo o t i ng u p th e ,

account books o f some tradesman and O ften far int o t h e night ,

he s at copy i ng manuscript at v e so u s a page .

And this l ife lasted ten years .

At the end of ten years they had paid everything every ,

thing with the exactions o f usury and the accum ul ations of

,

c ompound interest .

M ada m e Loisel seemed aged now S he had become the .

woman o f impo v erished ho u seholds strong and h ard and ,

rough With hair half combed with skirts awry and reddened
.
, ,

hands s h e talked loud as S he washed the oor with great

'

swishes o f water But sometimes when h er husband was at

.
,

the o fce sh e s at down near the window and thought o f that

,

evening at the ball s o l ong ago when s h e had been s o beau tiful ,

and so admired .

What w o u l d h ave happened if s h e h ad not l ost that neck

l ace ? Who kn o ws wh o knows ? How strange l ife is ho w
, ,

changefu l ! How l itt l e a thing is needed for u s t o be l ost or

to be saved !

But o n e S unday as s h e was going for a walk in the Champs

,

Elys ees to refresh herself after the labors o f the week al l at

once Sh e saw a woman walking with a child It w as Madame .

F o re s tie r stil l young still beautiful stil l charming

, , , .

Madame Loise l w as agitated S hould s h e S peak to her ? .

Why o f co u rse And n o w that sh e had paid S he would tel l

,
.
,

h er all Why not ?

.

Sh e drew near .

Good morning Jeanne ,

.

The other astonished to be addressed so familiarly by this

,

wo m an o f the people did not recognize her S he stammered

,
.
:

But madame I do not know you Yo u must have .

m ade a m istake
.
2 40 SH O RT ST O R I E S

N o I a m Math i l de Loise l
,
.

Her friend u ttered a cry .

O h ! my po o r Math ilde h o w changed you are !

,

Yes I have had days hard enough since I s aw yo u days

, ,

wretched enough and a ll be c ause o f you !

M e How s o
?

You re m ember that neck l ace of diamonds that yo u l ent

m e to wear to the min isteria l ball ?

Yes We ll
.
?

We ll I l ost it
, .

How can that be ? You returned i t to me .

I ret u rned to you another exactly like it These ten years .

we v e been paying for it You know it was not easy f o r us

.
,

wh o had n o thing At last it is over and I a m ve ry gl ad

.
,

.

Madame F o re s tie r was stunned .

Yo u s ay that you bought a dia m ond neck l a c e to replace

m ine ?

Yes ; you did not notice it then ? They were j ust alike .

And she smiled with a proud and nai v e pleasure .

Madame Forestier deeply mo v ed took both her hands

, ,
.

O h m y poor Mathilde ! Why my ne ck l a c e was paste It

, ,
.

w as wo rth ve hu ndred fran c s at mo st

.
242 S H OR T S T O R I E S

This is u nusual w i th Kip l ing and with al l other mo de rn st o ry

writers The in trod u ction j usties itself however in th is case
.
, ,

because since a half-crazed man with weakening memory is to

te ll the rea l tal e his narrative would have to be supplemented
,

by exp l anations o n nearly every page unless the i ntroducto ry

part c ould be taken fo r granted Notice h o w O ften in reading .

C arn eh an s broken story you supply what he omits and inter

pret w hat h e only fragm entarily says by reference to what has

gone before .

Kipling has d o ne m ore i n this story than to present a char

a cter of lim itless audacity He has impressed again o n e o f his
.

favorite teachings There is he holds a barrier between E ast

.
, ,

and West that c an never be crossed The West c an go so far .

with the E ast b u t no farther Brave men o f the West may .

conq u er the E ast and rule it but to take liberties wi th it is to ,

u ncover a vast real m o f the unknown and to invite disaster In .

The R eturn O f Imray a good-natured E nglish m an pats the

,

h ead o f Bahadu r Khan s child and is killed for it An o ther

.

E ngl ishman in Beyond the Pale thought that he underst o od

,

,

t h e heart o f India and h ere is his epitaph : He took to o deep

,

an interest in native life but he will never do s o again
,
Dravot .

c ould play king and even god in Ka ristan but when he exposed ,

himself ignorantly to an o ld racial superstition he m et i nstant

and inevitable destruction .

Ck a m a ers Carnehan tells the story but Dravot is the ener

.
,

iz in character Captain James Cook the discoverer o f the

g g .
,

S andwich I slands is plainly the original o f Dravot R ead the

,
.

thirtieth chapter o f the second volume o f Mark Twain s R ough

ing It ( I S 7 2 ) an d you will nd K ip l ing s story clearly O ut

l ined O ne cannot withhold a measure o f admiration fo r this

.

type o f u ncontrolled audacity Dravot was not bad at heart he .

,

was on ly boundless a type o f the adventurer that has given

,

many a fascinating chapter to history as w ell as to literature .

In.

The R esearch Magnicent by Mr H G We ll s the

,
. . .
,

h ero Benham says

, ,
I t hi nk what I w ant is to be k i ng o f t h e
 TH E MA N WH O W O U LD BE KI N G 24 3

w orl d . It is the very core o f me I mean to be a king .

in this earth Ki ng I m n o t mad His m o tiv e h o we v e r is
. . .
, , ,

very di fferent from D rav o t s I see the world he continues
.
, ,

staggering from misery to misery and there is little wisdom , ,

l ess rule folly prej udice l imitation

, ,
and it is my world and ,

I am responsible As soon as your kingship is plain to you

.
,

there is no more rest no peace no delight except in work in , , , ,

servi ce I n utmost e ffort
,
The three weaknesses to be over .

come are Fear Indulgence and Jealousy Both Dravot and

, ,
.

Benham fail and the comment o f each on his o wn failure is an

autobiography Benham : I can fee l that greater world I
.

shall ne v er s e e as o ne feels the dawn com ing through the last

darkness
Dravot : We v e had a dashed ne r u n for o u r

.

money What s co mi ng next ?

.

B ro th e r to a P rince an d f ll w t a b eggar i f he b found worth y

e o o e .

The Law as quoted l ays down a fair conduct o f l ife and

, , ,

one not easy to follow I hav e been fellow to a beggar again .

and again under circu mstances which pre v ented either o f us

nding o u t W hether the other was worthy I hav e stil l to be .

brother to a Prince though I once came near to kinship w ith ,

what might have been a veritable King and was promised the
reversion of a K ingdom army l aw-courts revenue and policy , ,

all complete But to d ay I greatly fear that my King is dead

.
, , ,

and if I want a crown I must go hunt it f o r myself .

The beginning o f e v erything was in a railway train upon the

road to Mhow from A jm ir There had been a Decit in the .

Budget which necessitated travelling not S econd-class which is

, , ,

only half as dear as First-class but by Intermediate which , ,

is very awful indeed There are no cushions in the Intermediate.

class and the population are either Intermediate which is

, ,

E urasian o r native w h i ch for a long night j o u rney i s na sty o r

, , ,
2 44 S H O RT ST O R I E S

Loafer which i s amusing though in toxicated Intermediates do

, .

not buy from refreshment-rooms They carry their food in .

bund l es and p o ts and b uy sweets fro m the native sweetmeat

,

se ll ers and d rin k the roadside water That is why in hot

, .

weather Inter mediates are taken o u t o f the carriages dead and ,

in all weathers are most properly looked down upon .

My particular Intermediate happened to be emp ty till I

reached Nasirabad when a big bla ck -browed gentleman in
,
E
-
shirt sleeves entered and following the c u s to m o f Inte rmedi
, ,

ates passed the tim e O f day H e was a wanderer and a vaga

,
.

bond l ike myself but with an educated taste for whiskey He

, .

to l d tal es o f things he had seen and done of out-o f-the-way ,

corners o f the Empire into which he had penetrated and o f ,

adventures in which he risked his life for a few days food

.

If India was lled with m en like you and me not know ,

ing more than the crows where they d get their next day s

rations it is n t seventy millions o f revenue the l and would

,

be paying it s seven hundred millions said he ; and as

,

I l ooked at his m outh and chin I was disposed to agree

with him .

We talked po l itics the politics o f Loaferdom that sees

t h in gs fro m the underside where the lath and plaster is not
smoothed o ff and we talked postal arrangements because my
friend wanted to send a telegram back from the next station to
Ajm ir the turning-off place from the Bombay to the Mhow
,

l ine as yo u travel westward My friend had no money beyond .

eight annas which he wanted for dinner and I had no m oney ,

at all owing to the hitch in the Budget before mentioned

,
.

Further I was going into a wilderness where though I should

, ,

resume touch with the Treasury there were no telegraph o ff ices ,

.

I was therefore unab le to help him in any way

, ,
.

We might threaten a S tation-master and make him send ,

a wi re o n ti ck said m y f ri end

,
b u t that d m ean enqui rie s ,

246 S H O RT S T O R I E S

windo w and s ay : H e has gone S outh for the week and h e ll ,

'

tumble It s only cutting your time o f stay in those parts by
.

two days I ask you as a stranger
.
!

going to the West he ,

said w ith emphasis .

Where have you come from ? said I .

Fro m the E ast said he and I am h Op ing that you Wil l

, ,

give him th e message o n the S quare for the sake o f m y

Mother as wel l as your o wn

.

E nglis h men are not u sually softened liy appeals to the mem
o ry Of their I no the rs ; but for certain reasons w hich w il l be ,

f ully apparent I saw t to agree ,

I t s more than a l itt l e matter

said he and that s wh y , ,

I asked yo u to do it ,
and n o w I know that I can depend o n
you doing it A S econd-cl ass carriage at Marwar Junction and
.
,

a red h aired man asleep in it You 11 be sure to remember I

- .

.

ge t o u t at the next station and I m ust h old on there till he ,

c o m es or sends me what I want .

I ll give the message if I c at ch h i m I said an d f o r t h e

, ,

sak e o f your M o ther as well as m ine I l l give yo u a w o rd o f

advi c e D o n t try t o ru n the Central India S tates j ust now as

.

the c orrespondent Of the B arb i e/002197724 72 There s a real On e .

knocking about here and it m ight lead to trouble

,
.

Thank you said he simply and when w ill the sw i ne be

, , ,

go ne ? I can t starve because he s ruining my work I w anted

.

to get h old of the D egu m b er R aj ah down here about his father s

w idow and give him a j ump

, .

What did he do to his father s widow then
,

F illed her up with red pepper and slippered her to death

asl s h e hung from a beam I found that out myself and I m the
.

Only man that would dare going into the S tate to get hush ;

money for it They 11 try to poison me sam e as they did in

.

,

C h o rtu m na when I went on the l oot there But yo u 11 give th e

.

n at Mar w a r J u nction m y m essage

ma ?
 TH E MAN W H O W OU L D BE KI N G 24 7

H e g o t o u t at a l ittl e roadside station and I reected I had , .

heard more than once of men pers o nating correspondents o f

, ,

newspapers and bleeding small Native S tates with threats o f

exposure but I had never met any o f the caste before They
, .

l ead ahard life and generally die with great suddenness The
, .

Native S tates have a wholesome horror o f E nglish newspapers ,

which may thro w light on their peculiar methods o f govern

ment and do their best to choke correspondents w ith cha m
,

p agne or driv e them out of their m ind with four-in-hand

,

barouches They do not u nderstand that nobody cares a straw

.

for the internal administration o f Native S tates s o long as

O ppression and crime are kept within decent limits and the ,

ruler is not drugged drunk o r diseased from On e end o f the

, ,

year to the other They are the dark places of the earth ful l
.
,

o f unimaginab l e cruelty touching the R ailway and the Tele

,

graph o n o n e S ide and o n the other the days of Harun-al

, , ,

R aschid When I left the train I did business with divers

.

Kings and in eight days passed throug h many changes o f l ife

, .

S ometimes I w ore dress clothes and consorted with Princes an d

-

Po liticals drinking from crystal and eating from sil v er S o m e

, .

times I lay o u t upon the ground and de v oured w hat I could get ,

from a plate made of lea v es and drank the running water and , ,

S lept under the same rug as my servant I t w as al l in the day s .

work .

Then I headed for t h e Great Indian Desert u pon the proper

date as I had promised and the n igh t M ail s e t me down at

, ,

Mar war Junction where a funny little happy-go -lu cky native
, , ,

managed railway runs to Jo dh po re The Bombay Mai l fro m .

Delhi m akes a s h o rt h alt at Marw ar S he arrived as I got in .

,

and I had j ust time t o hurry to her p l atform and go down the
ca rriages There was o n ly on e S econd-clas s o n the train I
. .

S lipped th e w indow and looked down upon a am ing red beard ,

h al f co ve red by a rai lw ay rug That was m y m an fast asl eep .

, ,
248 S H O R T S T O RIE S

and I dug him gently in the ribs H e woke with a gr u nt and .

I s aw his face in the light of the l amps It was a great and .

shining fa ce .

Tickets again ?
said h e .

No said I
,
I am to tel l you that he is gone S out h fo r
.

the w eek He has gone S outh for the w eek !

.

The train had begun to mo v e out The red man ru bbed his .

eyes . H e has gone S outh for the w eek he repeated

N OW , .

that s j ust like his im pide n ce Did he Say that I w as t o give

.

you anything Cause I won t
?
.

He did n t I said and dropped away and w atched th e

, ,

red lights die o u t in the dark I t was horribly cold because the
.

wind was blowing o ff the sands I climbed into my o wn train .

not an Intermediate carriage this ti m e and went to s l eep .

If the man with the beard had g iv en me a rupee I should

have kept it as a m emento of a rather curi ou s affair But the .

c o nsciousness o f having done my duty w as my only re w ard .

Late r on I reected that two gent l emen like my friends cou l d

not do any good if they forgathered and personated correspond
ents o f newspapers and might if they blackmailed on e o f the
, ,

littl e rat-trap states o f Central India or S outhern R aj putana ,

get the m selves into serious di fculties I therefore took some .

tro u b l e to describe them as accurately as I could remember to

peop l e wh o would be interested in deporting them : and s u c
c e e de d so I was l ater informed in ha v ing them headed b ack
, ,

from the D e gu m b e r borders .

Then I became respectable and returned to an O ice where
there were no K ings and no incidents outside the daily manu
facture o f a newspaper A newspaper o ff ice seems to attract
.

every concei v able s ort o f person to the prej udice o f discipline

,
.

Zenana-m is s I o n ladies arriv e and beg that the E ditor wil l

,

instantly abandon all his duties to describe a Christian prize

giving in a back-s l um o f a perfectly inaccessible village ;
2 50 SH O RT ST O R I E S

d own and wr i te : A s l ight increase of s i ckness is reported

fro m the Kh u da Janta Khan District The outbreak is pu relv .

sp o radic in its nature and thanks to the energetic e fforts o f

, ,

the District authorities is now al most at an end It is h o wever

,
.
, ,

w ith deep regret w e record the death etc

,
.

Then the S ickness really breaks out and the less re c o rding ,

and reporting the better for the peace of the subscribers But .

the Empires and the Kings continue to di v ert themse lves as

selshly as before and the Foreman thinks that a daily paper
,

rea lly ought to come out once in twenty-four hours and all the ,

peop l e at the Hill stations in the middle o f their amusements

-

sa :
y Good gracious Why can t the paper be sparkling

? I m

sure there s p l enty going on up here

.

T h at is t h e dark half o f the moon and as the ad v ertise m ents

, ,

s ay ,
must be experienced to be appreciated

It was in that season and a remarkably e v il season that the

, ,

paper began r u nning the l ast issue o f the week o n S aturday

night which is to s ay S unday morning after the custom of
, ,

a Lond o n paper This was a great convenience for immediately

.
,

after the paper w as put to bed the dawn would lower the ther
,

m o m e te r from 9 6 to almost 8 4 for half an hour and in that ,

chill yo u h ave no idea how cold is 8 4 o n the grass until you

begi n to pray for it -a very tired man c ould get o ff to sleep

ere the he at ro u sed him .

O ne S at u rday night it was my p l easant duty to put the

paper to bed a l one A King o r co u rtier o r a c ou rtesan o r a
.

Community was going to die o r get a new Constitution o r do ,

so m ething that was important on the other side o f the world ,

and the paper was to be he l d O pen till the l atest p o ssib l e

m inute in order t o c atch the te l egram .

I t was a pitchy black night as stiing as a June n ight can

,

be and the 100 the red-hot W ind from the wes tward w as boom
, , ,

i ng among the tinder-dry trees and pretending that the ra i n

 TH E MAN W H O W O U L D BE KI N G 251

w as o n its heel s Now and again a spot

. almost boi l ing water of

would fall on the dust with the op of a frog but all o u r weary ,

worl d knew that w as only pretence It was a shade coo l er in .

the press-room than the o fce s o I s at there wh ile the type , ,

ticked and c l icked and the night-j ars hooted at the windows
, ,

and the all but naked compositors wiped the sweat from the ir
foreheads and called for water The thing that was keeping
,
.

u s back whatever it was would not come o ff though the loo

, , ,

dropped an d the last type was s e t and the who l e rou nd earth ,

stood still in the choking heat with its nger o n its lip to wait
, ,

the e v ent I drowsed and wondered whether the telegraph was

.
,

a b l essing and whether this dying man o r struggling people

, , ,

might be aware o f the inconvenience the delay was causing .

There was no special reason beyond the heat and worry to

make tension but as the clock -hands crept up to three o cl ock
, ,

and the machin es sp u n their y-wheels two and three ti m es to

see that a ll was in order before I said the w ord that wo u l d s e t
,

them off I co u ld hav e shrieked aloud

,
.

Then the roar and rattl e o f the whee l s shivered the q u ie t

into l ittl e bits I rose t o go away but two men in white c l othes
.
,

stood in front o f me The rst o n e said : I t s him !
. The

second said : S o it is !
And they both laughed a lm ost as
l oud ly as the m achine ry roared and mopped their foreheads , .

We seed there was a l ight burning across the road and we

were sleeping in that ditch there fo r coolness and I said to my ,

friend here The o fce is O pen Let s come a l ong and speak to
,
.

him as turned us back from the D egu m b e r State s aid the ,

s m all er o f the two H e was the man I h a. d met in the M ho w

train and his fell o w was the red-bearded man o f Marw a r Junc
,

tion There was no mistaki ng the eyebrows o f the o ne o r the

.

h eard o f the othe r .

I w as not p l eased be c au se I wished to go to s l e ep not to

, ,

squabbl e with loafers What do yo u want ?

.I asked .
252 S H O RT STO R I E S

Hal f an h o u r s talk with yo u c o o l and co m fo rtab l e i n t h e

, ,

o ffi c e said the red bearded m an

,
-
We d like some drink .

the C on track d o es n t begin yet Peachey s o you need n t l ook

, ,

bu t what w e real ly w ant is advice We don t w ant money .

.

We ask y ou as a fav o r because we fo und o u t y ou did u s a bad ,

t urn ab ou t D egu mb e r S tate

.

I l ed fr om t h e press-r oo m to the stiing o i ce w i t h the

m aps o n the wall s and the red haired m an rubbed h is hands
-
, .

T h at S s om ethi n g like said he

This w as the proper shop , .

to c o m e to Now S ir let m e introd u ce to yo u Brother Peachey

.
, ,

Carneh an t h at s h i m and Brother Danie l Dravot that is me

,

, , ,

and the l ess said about o u r professions the better for we hav e ,

been m ost things in o u r time S o l dier sailor compositor photog .

, , ,

rap e h r pr oo f-reader
,
street preac h er and correspondents o f the
-
, ,

B ackwoods ma n when w e thought the paper w anted o ne Carne .

h an i s s o ber and s o a m I L oo k at u S rst and s ee that s

,
.
,

s u re It w i ll save you cutting into my talk We ll take o ne o f

. .

y ou r cigars apiece and you shal l s e e us ligh t up ,

.

I wat ched the test The m en were abso lu te ly s o ber so I .

,

gave t h e m each a tepid w hiskey and soda .

We ll a n d go o d said Carnehan o f the eyebr o ws wiping

, ,

the fro th fr om his m o u stach e Let m e tal k no w Dan We .

, .

have been al l over India m o stly o n fo ot We have been boiler ,

.

tte s engine drivers petty c o ntra c tors and al l that and w e

r ,
-
, , ,

h ave de c ided that India is n t big enough fo r s u ch as u s

.

They c ertain ly were t oo big for the o fce D rav o t s beard .

see m ed t o ll hal f the r o o m and C arn eh an s S h oul ders the other

h al f as th ey sat o n the big tab l e Carnehan c o ntinued : T h e

,
.

cou nt ry i s n t half worked o u t because th ey that go verns it

won t l et you to u ch it They spend al l their blessed time in

.

governing it and you can t lift a spade nor chip a rock n o r

,

, ,

loo k for Oil nor anything like that without al l the Government
,

saying Leave i t a l one and l et us govern Therefore suc h ,

.

,
25 4 S H O RT ST O RI E S

T h at s m ore l ike said Carnehan

If y ou c oul d think us
,
.

a l itt l e more mad we would be more pleased We have come to .

o u to kn o w abo u t this country to read a book ab o ut it and

y , ,

to be sh o wn m ap s We want yo u to te ll u s that we are f ools

.

and to S how u s yo u r books

He turned to the bo o k -c ases . .

Are yo u at al l in earnest ?
I said .

A littl e said Dravot sweet ly

, A S big a map as yo u have ,
.

g t e ven if it S a ll blank where K aris tan is and any boo k s

o, ,

O

y u v e go t We c an read though we are n t very educated
.
,

.

I uncased the big thirty-two-miles -to-the -inch map o f India ,

and two smaller Frontier maps hau l ed down volume I NF KAN ,

O f the E n cyclop wd z a B rz mn m a z and the men consulted the m

' '

'

, .

S ee here ! said Dravot his thumb o n the map

Up to , .

J g
a d a llak Peachey and m e know the road We was there with
, .

R o b e rts s Army We 11 have to turn o ff to the right at Jagdallak

.

thro ugh Lagh m an n territory Then we get among the hills .

fourteen thousand feet fte en thousand it w il l be cold

w ork there but it don t l ook very far o n the map
,

.

I handed h im Wood on the S ou rces of Me Ox u s Carnehan .

was deep in the

They re a mixed lot said Dravot re e c tiv ely ; and it , ,

w o n t hel p u s to know t h e names o f their tribes The m or e

'

tribes the mo re they ll gh t and the bette r for us From

,
.

Jagdallak to As h ang H mm !

.

But al l the information abo u t the cou ntry i s as S ket chy and
inaccu rate as c an be I protested

No o ne knows anything
, .

abo u t it really Here s the le o f the Um led Sez u res

' '

.

R ead what Be ll ew says .

B l ow Bellew said Carnehan D an they re a s tinkin .

,

lo t o f heath ens but this bo o k here says they think they re

,

r el ated t o u s Engl ish .

I smoked whil e the men pored o ve r R a verzfy Wood the

, ,

m aps and the E nqydopwdz a

,
.
 TH E MAN W H O WO U LD BE KI N G 255

T h ere is no use yo u r waiting said Dravot po l ite ly It s , ,

.

about four o clo c k n o w We ll go before s ix o clock if you

.

want to s l eep and we w on t stea l any of the papers Don t

,

.

y o u s it u p We re two harm l ess lunatics and if you come

.

,

to-m orrow evening d o wn t o the S erai we 11 say good -bye

t o yo u
.

Yo u a re two foo l s Yo u ll be turned back

I answered ,
.

at the Frontier o r c u t up the minute yo u s e t foot in Afghani

stan Do you want any money o r a recommendation d o wn
.

country ? I c an he l p you to the chance o f work next week

Next w ee k we shall be hard at work ou rselves thank you , ,

said Drav ot It is n t s o easy being a K ing as it l ooks When

.

.

we v e go t o u r Kingdom in going order we 11 l et yo u kn o w and

,

o u c an come up and he l p us to govern it

y .

Would two l unatics make a Co n track l ike that ?

said
Carnehan w ith subdued pride showing m e a greasy hal f-sheet
, ,

o f notepaper on which was w ritten the fo llow ing I copied it .

,

then and there as a cu riosity ,

Tnis Co n tra ct oet w een m e an d

you pers u i ng w i tn es s etlt i n th e
na m e o f Go d A m en a n d s o f o rt/z .

O Tli at me an d w i ll s ett le t/z i s m a tt er togeth er; i

( ne
) y o u . e .
,

to ao K i ngs of K a ris ta n .

Tw o ) Tli a t y o u a n d m e w i ll n o t , w ai lo tni s m a tter i s bei ng

(
s ettled, loo k a t a ny L i u o r, n o r a ny Wo m a n ola ek ,
q
w li i te, or bro w n , s o as to get m ix ed p w i th
u on e or

tae o tlz er na rmf u l .

( Tli ree
) Tnat w e c o n du ct o u rs elv es w i t/i D ign i ty an d D is cre
ti on , an d i f on e o f us gets i n to tro u ole t/z e o tlz er w ill
s tay o
y h i m .

S ign ed by y o u a n d m e tnis day .

Pea t /t oy Ta li af erro Ca rn eli a n .

D a n i el D ra v o t .

B otn Gen tlem en at L a rge .

2 56 S H ORT S T O R I E S
There w as n o need fo r the l ast article said Ca rne h an , ,

b lu shing modestly ; but it l ooks regular Now you know the .

sort o f men that loafers are w e a re l oafers Dan until we , ,

get o u t of India and do yo u think that we would S ign a Con

track like that unless we w as in earnest ? We have kept away
from the two things that make life worth hav ing
.

Yo u won t enj oy your lives much longer if you are going

to try this idiotic ad v enture Don t s e t the O i c e o n re I

.

,

said and go away before nine O clock

,

.

I l eft them stil l poring o v er the maps and making notes o n

the back o f the C o n track Be sure to come down to the
.

S erai to -morrow were their parting words

,
.

The K u m h ars e n S erai is the great four-square sink of human

ity w here the strings o f camels and h orses from the North
load and unload All the nationalities o f Centra l Asia may be
.

found there and most o f the folk o f India proper Balkh and
, .

Bokhara there meet Bengal and Bom b ay and try to dra w eye ,

teeth You can buy ponies turquoises Persian pussy-cats

.
, , ,

saddle-bags fat-tailed sheep and musk in the K u m h ars e n S erai

, , ,

and get many strange things for nothing I n the afternoon I .

went do wn to se e whether my friends intended to keep their

word or were lying there drunk .

A pr 1est attired in fragments o f ribbons and rags stalked up

to me gravely twisting a child s paper W hirligig Behind him
,

.

was his servant bending under the load o f a crate o f mud to y s .

The two were l oading up two camels and the inhabitants of the ,

S erai watched the m with shrieks of laughter .

The priest is m ad said a horse-dealer to me
,
He is .

going u p to Kabu l to sel l toys to the Amir H e will either be .

raised to honor o r hav e his head cut o ff H e came in here th is .

m orning and has been b eh av m g madly ever since

.

The witless are under the protection o f God stammered a ,

-
at cheeked Usbeg in broken Hindi They foretell future e v ents
.

.
258 S H O R T S T OR I E S .

What d yo u think 0 that ? said h e in English

Carn eh an
.

can t talk their patter s o I ve made him my servant He

,

makes a h ands o m e se rvant T is n t for nothing that I v e been .

kn ocking abo u t the c o untry f o r fourteen years Did n t I d o .

that talk neat ? We 11 hit ch on to a caravan at Pes h awar til l we

get t o Jagdallak and then w e ll s e e if we can get donkeys for

,

o u r c amels and strike int o Ka ris tan

,
Whirl igigs for the A m ir .
,

O Lor ! Put y our hand u nder the came l-bags and tell m e wh at
yo u fee l .

I felt t h e b u tt of a Martini and an o ther and another ,

.

Twenty o f e m said Dravot p l a c idly

Twenty o f e m
, ,
.

and amm u n i tion to correspond under the W hirl igigs and the ,

m ud do ll s
.

Heaven hel p yo u if y o u are caught with those things ! I

A Martini is wo r th her weight in silver among the

said .

Pathans .

Fifteen h u ndred rupees o f c apital every r u pee w e c ou l d

beg b o rr o w or steal are invested on these tw o c ame l s said
, ,

Dravot We w o n t get c aught We re going thro ugh the Kh ai ber

.

.

with a regu l ar caravan Who d t o uch a poor m ad p riest ?

.

Have yo u got eve ryth ing y ou want ?

I asked ove rcom e ,

w ith astonish m ent .

N o t yet b u t we shall soon G ive u s a m e m ent o of yo u r

, .

kindness B rotner You did m e a se rvice yesterday and that

,
.
, ,

ti m e in Marwar Hal f my Kingdom shall yo u hav e as the

.
,

saying is
I s l ipped a smal l char m co m pass from my watc h
.

chain and handed it up to the priest .

Go o d bye said Dravot giving me h and cautiously

-
, It s , .

the l ast time we l l S hake hands with an E ngl ishman these man y

days S hake hands with him Carnehan he cried as the second

.
, , ,

c amel passed me .

Carnehan l eaned d o wn and S hook hands Then the cam e l s .

passed away al o ng the d u sty r o ad and I w as l eft alo ne to ,

 THE MA N WH O WO U L D BE KI N G 2 59

w onder My eye could detect no fail ure in the disguises The

. .

scene in the S erai proved that they w ere complete to the native
m ind There w as j ust the chance therefore that Carneh an and
.
, ,

Dravot w o uld be able to wander through Afghanistan witho u t

dete c ti o n B u t beyond they w o ul d nd death
.
,
certai n and
,

awfu l deat h .

Ten days l ater a native corresp o ndent giving m e the new s

o f th e day fro m Peshawar w ou nd u p h is l etter w it h : There ,

h as been much l au gh ter here o n account o f a c ertain m ad p riest

wh o 1 s go i ng in his esti m ati o n t o se ll petty ga u ds and in sign i
c ant tr inkets which he ascribes as gr eat c har m s to H H the . .

Amir o f Bokhara H e passed through Peshawa r and associ ated

.

hi m se l f to the S e cond S ummer c aravan t h at go es t o Kab ul .

The m er ch ants are p l eased becau se thro u gh s u perstitio n th ey

i m agi ne that s uch mad fe llows bring good-f o rt u ne .

The two then were beyond th e Border I wo ul d have prayed

, ,
.

for them but that night a real Ki ng d i ed i n Eu r o pe and

, , , ,

de m anded an o b i t u ary n o t ic e .

The wh ee l of t h e w o r l d sw i ngs t hrou gh th e sa m e p h ases

agaI n and again Summ er passed and winte r thereafter and
.
,

c am e and passed again The dai ly paper co nt in u ed and I .

with I t and upon the third sum mer there fe ll a h o t night a

, ,

night-iss u e and a strained w aiting fo r s o mething to be te l e

,

graphed from the other S ide of the worl d exactly as had hap ,

pened before A few great men had died in the past two years

.
,

the ma c hines worked with m ore c l atter and some o f the trees ,

in the O f c e garden were a fe w feet tal l er But that was all

'

'

I pa sse d Overt o
the press r o om and w ent th ro u gh just s uch -

a scene as I h ave al ready des c ribed The nerv ou s tension was

-
.

s t ronger th an it had been two years before and I fe l t t h e heat ,

mOre a cu te ly At three o clock I c ri ed Print Off and tu rned

.

, ,
26 0 S H O RT S T O R I E S

to go w h en t h ere crept to my ch air w h at was l eft O f a m an

, .

H e was bent into a circle his head was sunk between his shou l
,

ders and he moved his feet o n e o v er the o ther l ike a bear I

, .

could hard ly se e whether he walked o r crawled this rag

wrapped whining cripp l e wh o addressed m e by name crying
, ,

that he w as c o me back
Can yo u gi ve m e a drink ? he
.

w himpered
For the Lord s sake gi ve m e a drink !
.

,

I went back to the o fce the man fo llo wing w ith groans o f ,

pain and I turned u p the l amp

, .

Don t y o u kn o w me

?
he gasped dr o pp ing into a chai r , ,

and he turned his drawn face surmounted by a sh ock o f gray ,

h air to the light

, .

I l ooked at him intently O nce before h ad I seen eyebro w s

.

that met over the nose in an inch-br o ad b l a ck band b u t fo r the ,

li fe o f me I c o uld not tell where .

I don t kno w y o u
I said h and i ng h im the whiskey
, , .

What c an I d o f o r yo u ?

H e took a gul p o f the S pirit raw and shivered in sp i te o f the ,

s u ffo c ating heat .

I ve come back he repeated ; and I w as the K i ng o f

,

K a ris tan me and Dravot crowned Kin gs we was ! In

this o c e we settled t
ffi i
y o u se tting there and g i ving u s the
b o oks I am Peachey Peachey Taliaferro Carneh an and
.
,

y o u ve been setting here ever since

O Lord !

I was m ore than a l ittle astonished and expressed m y fee l ,

i ngs accordingly .

It s true said Carnehan with a dry c ack l e n u rsing his

, , ,

feet w hich w ere wrapped I n rags

,
True as gospel Kings w e . .

were with crowns upon o u r heads

,
m e and Dravot p oo r

Dan o h p o or poor Dan that w o u ld never take adv ic e n o t

, , , ,

though I begged o f hi m !

Take the whiskey I said and take yo u r own time Te ll

, ,
.

m e all you can recollect o f everything fro m beginning to end .

26 2 S H ORT S TO RI E S

m e w ear outrageous things to look like a heathen T h at w as .

in a m ost m o u n tain eo u s country and o u r camels cou l d n t go ,

along any mo re because of the mountains They w ere tal l and .

bla ck and c o m ing h ome I s aw the m ght l ike w il d goats

,

there are l ots of g o ats in Karis tan And these mountains .

,

they never keep s till no m o re than the goats A lw ays ghting

,
.

they are and don t l et you s l eep at night

,

.

Take some m ore w hiskey I said very slow ly W h at did ,

, .

y ou and Danie l Dravot do w hen the c am els c ou l d go no further

because o f the r ou gh roads that l ed int o Ka ris tan
What did which do ? There w as a par ty call ed Pea ch ey
Tal iaferr o Carnehan that w as w i th Dravot S hal l I tel l yo u ~
.

about him ? H e died o u t there in the c old S lap fr om the .

bridge fel l Old Peachey turning and t w isting in the air like a
,

penny Whirligig that you c an sel l t o the Amir No ; they was .

two for three h a p e n ce those W hirligigs o r I a m m u ch mistaken

, ,

and w o eful sore And then these c ame l s w ere no use and
.
,

Peachey said to Dravot For the Lord s sake l et s get out

o f this before o u r heads are chopped o ff and w ith that they ,

ki ll ed the c amels al l among the m ountains not h av 1n g anything ,

in particu l ar to eat but rst they took o ff the boxes wit h the
,

guns and the ammunition till two m en came along driving fo u r,

mu les Dravot up and dances in front o f the m singing

. S ell ,

me four mules S ays the rst m an

.

If yo u a r e ri ch eno u gh
to buy you are ric h enough to rob ; but before ever h e could
,

put his hand to his knife Dravot breaks his neck over his ,

knee and th e other party runs away S o Carnehan l oaded the

,
.

m ul es with the ries that was taken o ff the came l s and together ,

w e starts forward into those bitter cold m o u n tain eo u s pa rts ,

and never a road br o ader than the back o f your hand

.

H e pau sed for a moment whi l e I asked him if he c ou l d ,

re m ember the natu re of the co unt ry thr o ugh which he had

j ou rneyed .
 THE MAN W H O W O U LD BE KI N G 26 3

I am telling yo u as straight as I c an bu t m y head is n t as ,

good as it might be They drove nails through it to make m e

.

hear better how Dravot died The country w as m o u n tain e o u s

.

and the mu l es w ere m ost contrary and t h e inhabitants was ,

dispersed and so l itary They went up and up and down and

.
,

do wn and t h at other party Carnehan was imp l oring o f Dravot

, , ,

not to sing and w histle s o l oud for fear of br inging down the,

tre m e n ju s avalanches But Dravot says that if a King cou l d n t

.

S ing it was n t worth being King and whacked the m u l es o ver

,

the rump and never took no heed for ten cold days We came
, .

to a big leve l val l ey al l among the mountains and the m ules w ere ,

near dead so we killed the m not having anything in special

, ,

for them or u s to eat We sat upon the boxes and p l ayed O dd

.
,

and e v en with the c artridges that was j olted o u t .

Then ten m en with bows and arrows ran down th at vall ey ,

chasing twenty men wit h bows and arrows and t h e r o w w as ,

trem e nju s .They w as fair men fa i rer than yo u o r m e

with yellow h air and re m arkable we ll bui l t S ays Dravot u n .
,

packing the guns This i s the beginning of the business

.

We ll ght for the ten men and with that he res t w o ries

,

at the twen ty men and drops o n e o f the m at two hundred

,

yards from the rock where h e was sitting The other m en .

began to run but Carnehan and Dravot sits o n the boxes

,

pickin g them o ff at all ranges up and down the valley Then ,

.

we goes up to the ten m en that had run across the snow too ,

and they res a foo ty little arrow at us Dravot h e shoots

above their heads and they al l fa ll s do wn at Then h e wa lks .

over them and kick s them and then he l ifts the m up and
,

s hakes hands al l round to make the m friendly l ike H e ca ll s .

them an d gi v es them the boxes t o c arry and w aves his h and ,

for all the world as though he was King al ready They takes .

the boxes and him across the valley and up the hil l into a pine
wood o n the top where there was half a dozen big stone ido l s
, .
26 4 S H O RT S T O R I E S

Dravot he goes to the biggest a fe l lo w they call I mb ra

and lays a rie and a cartridge at his feet rubbing h is nose ,

respectfu l w ith his own nose patting him o n the head and , ,

sal uting i n front o f it H e turns round to the men and nods

.

his head and says ,

That s al l right I m in the know too

.

,

and all these o l d j im j ams are my friends Then he opens his

- .

m outh and points down it and when the rst man brings him
,

food he says
,
No and when the second man brings hi m
food h e says
,
No ; but when o n e o f the o ld priests and

t h e b o ss of the vill age brings him food he says Yes ve ry , ,

hau gh ty and eats it slow That was h o w we came to o u r rst

,
.

vi ll age w i t h o u t any trouble j ust as though we had tumbled

, ,

fro m the skies But we t u mbled fro m o ne of those damned

.

rope-b ridges you s ee and y ou co ul d n t expect a man t o

, ,

l augh m u ch after that ?

Take some m ore w h iskey and go on I said That was ,

.

the rst vill age yo u came into How did yo u get to be King .

I was n t King said Carnehan

,
Dravot he was the .
,

King and a handsome man he lo oked with the go l d crown o n

,

his head and a l l Him and the o ther party stayed in that v il
.

l age and every morning Dravot s at by the side o f O ld I mb ra

, ,

and the peop l e came and worshipped That was D rav o t s .

order Then a l ot o f men came into the valley and Carnehan

.
,

and Drav o t pi cks them o ff w i th the ries before they kne w

where they w as and runs down into the val l ey and up again
,

the other side an d nds an other village same as the rst o n e , ,

and the pe o p l e all falls do wn at on their faces and Dravot ,

says No w what is th e tr o u ble be t ween you two vi l lages ?

and the peop l e points t o a wom an as fair as yo u o r m e that , ,

was carried Off and D rav o t takes her back to the rst village
,

and counts up the dead eight there was For each dead .

man Dravot po u rs a l ittl e milk o n the ground and waves his

arm s l ike a W hir l igig and That s al l right says he Then h e
,

.
26 6 S H O RT S T O R I E S

m atch l ocks We makes friends with the priest and I stays

.

there al one with two o f the Army teaching the men h o w to ,

dril l and a thundering big Chief comes across the snow w ith
,

kettle-drums and horns twanging because he heard there w as ,

a new God kicking about Carnehan sights fo r the brown o f .

the men hal f a mi l e across the snow and wings one o f them .

Then he sends a message to the Chief that unless he wished ,

to be ki lled he must come and shake han ds with me and l ea v e

,

his arms behind The Chief comes alone rst and Carnehan
.
,

shakes hands with him and whirls his arms about same as ,

Dravot u sed and very much surprised that Chief was and
, ,

strokes my eyebrows Then Carnehan goes alone to the Chief

.
,

and asks him in dumb S ho w if he had an enemy he hated I .

h av e says the Chief S O Carnehan weeds o u t the pick of h is

,

.

m en and sets t h e two o f the Army to S how them dri ll and at

,

the end o f two w eeks the men can manoe u vre ab ou t as we ll

as Volunteers S o he marches with the Chief to a great big
.

plain on the top o f a mountain and the Chief s men ru shes ,

into a vi ll age and takes it ; w e three Martinis ring into the

brown o f the enemy S O we took that village too and I gives
.
,

the Chief a rag fro m my coat and says O ccupy til l I come ; ,

which w as scriptural By way o f a reminder when m e and

.
,

the Army was eighteen hundred yards away I drops a bu l let ,

near him standing o n the snow and all the people falls at on ,

their faces Then I sends a l etter to Dravot wherever he be

.

by l and or by se a .

At the risk o f throwing the creature o u t o f train I interrupted

Ho w could yo u write a letter up yonder ?

The l etter ? O h The l etter ! K eep l ooking at m e

between the eyes p l ease It w as a string talk letter that we d
,
- .
,

l earned th e way o f it fro m a blind beggar in the Punj ab .

I remember that there had once come to the O i ce a blind man
with a knotted twi g and a piece o f string w hi ch he wou nd rou nd
 THE MAN W H O W O U LD BE KI N G 26 7

the t wig according to some cipher o f his o wn He co u ld after the .

,

l apse of days or hours repeat the sentence which he had reeled

,

up He had reduced the alphabet to eleven primitive sounds ;

.

an d tried to teac h m e his method but I could not understand , .

I sent that l etter to Dravot said Carnehan ; and told ,

h i m t o c o m e back because this Kingdom was growing too big

for m e to handle and then I struck for the rst valley to s e e
, ,

h ow the priests were working They called the vil l age we took .

along with the Chief B as h k ai and the rst village w e took Er

, , ,

Heb The priests at ErHeb was doing al l right but they had
.
,

a lo t of pending c ases about land to S how me and som e men ,

from another vi ll age had been ring arrows at night I went .

o ut and looked for that village and red four rounds at it ,

from a t h ousand yards That used al l the c artridges I cared to

.

spend and I waited fo r Dravot wh o had been away two or

, ,

three months and I kept my people quiet

,
.

O ne morning I heard the devi l s own noise o f drums and

h orns and Dan Dravot marc h es down the hill with his Army
,

and a tai l of hundreds o f men and which was the most amaz , ,

ing a great go l d crown o n his head

,
My G o rd Carnehan .
, ,

says Daniel this is a tre m enju s business and we v e got the

, ,

who l e count ry as far as it s worth having I am the son o f

.

Alexander by Queen S emiramis and you re my younger

,

brother and a God too ! It s the biggest thing we ve ever

seen I v e been marching and ghting fo r s ix weeks with the

.

Army and every footy little vi ll age fo r fty miles has come in
,
r

rej oicefu l ; and more than that I v e got the key of the whole ,

S how as you ll s ee and I ve go t a crown for you ! I told e m

,

,

to make two o f e m at a p l ace cal led S h u w here the gold lies in

,

the rock like suet in m utton Gold I v e seen and t urquoise .

,

I v e kicked out o f the cli ffs and there s garnets in the sands

,

o f the ri v er and here s a c h u nk o f amber that a man br ou g h t

,

m e Ca ll up all the priests and here take y o u r crow n

.
, , .

26 8 S H O RT S T O R I E S

O ne o f the men O pens a black hair bag and I slips the ,

cro w n on It was too small and too heav y but I wore it for
.
,

th e glory H ammered gold it was v e pound weight like a

.
,

h o op o f a barre l .

Peachey says Dra v ot w e don t w ant to ght no more

,

,

.

The Craft s the trick s o help me ! and he brings forward

,

that same Chief that I left at B ashk ai Billy Fish w e called

hi m after w ards because he was so like Billy Fish that drove
,

the big tank -engine at Mach o n the Bolan in the O ld days .

S hake hands with him says Dravot and I shook hands and ,

,

near ly dropped f o r Billy Fish gav e me the Grip I said noth

, .

ing but tried him with the Fello w Craft Grip H e answers
,
.
,

all right and I tried the Master s Grip but that was a s l ip
,
A
, .

Fel low Craft he is I says to Dan Does he kno w the word .

H e does says Dan and all the priests know It S a
,

,
.

miracle ! The Chiefs and the priests c an w ork a Fellow Craft

Lodge i n a way that s very l ike ours and they ve cut the
,

mark s on the rocks but they don t know the Third Degree , ,

and they v e come to nd o u t I t s Gord s Truth I v e known

.

.

these long years th at t h e Afghans knew up to the Fellow Craft

Degree but this is a miracle A God and a Grand-Master o f
,
.

the Craft am I and a Lodge in the Third Degree I will open

, ,

and w e ll raise the head priests and the Chiefs o f the villages

.

It s against al l the law I says holding a Lodge without

,

,

warrant from any one ; and yo u know w e never held o fce in

any Lodge .

It S a master-stroke o policy s ays Dravot

It means
,

.

running the country as easy as a four-wheeled bogie o n a down

grade We can t stop to inquire now or they 11 turn again st us
.

,

.

I v e forty Chiefs at my hee l and passed and raised according

,

to their merit they shall b e Billet these men on the villages .

,

and see that we run up a Lodge o f some kind The temple o f .

m will do for the Lodge -room The women must make

I b ra .
270 S H O RT S T O R I E S

it to cl ear away t h e black dirt and presently he sho w s all th e ,

o ther priests the Master s Mark same as was o n D rav o t s

,

apron cut i nto the stone N o t e v en the priests of the temp l e

,
.

o f I m b ra knew it w as there The Old chap falls at on his face .

at D rav o t s feet and kisses em

Luck again says Dravot .
,

,

acr o ss the Lodge to m e t h ey s ay it s the missing Mark that

,

no o ne cou l d understand the why o f We re more than safe .

'

now Then he b an gs th e butt o f h is gu n for a gav e l and says

.

x

By vi rtue of the authority vested in me by my o wn right hand

and the he l p o f Peachey I declare myself Grand-Master o f al l
,

Freemasonry in K a ris tan in this the Mother Lodge 0 the

co u ntry and King of K a ris tan equally with Peachey

,
At
that he puts o n his crown and I puts o n mine I was doing
S enior Warden and we O pens the Lodge in most amp l e
form It was a amazing miracle ! The priests moved in Lodge
.

through the rst two degrees almost without telling as if the ,

memory was coming back to them After that Peachey and .

,

Dravot raised such as was w orthy h igh priests and Chiefs of

far-Off V illages Billy Fish was the rst and I can tel l you we
.
,

s c ared the so ul out o f hi m It was not in any way according to.

R itual but it se rved o u r turn We did n t raise more than ten

,
.

o f the biggest men because we did n t want to make t h e

,

Degree common And they was clamoring to be raised

. .

In another s ix months says Dravot we 11 hold another ,

,

Communication and s ee how yo u are working Then he asks

,
.

them about their villages and l earns that they w as ghting o n e

,

against the other and were sick and tired o f it And when they
, .

was n t doing that they was ghting with the Mohammedans

.

Yo u can ght those when they come into o u r count ry says

,

Dravot Tel l o ff every tenth man o f your tribes for a Frontier

.

gu ard and send two hundred at a time to this val l ey to be

,

drilled Nobody is going t o be shot o r speared any more s o

.

lo ng as h e d o es w e ll and I know that yo u wo n t cheat me

,
'

,
 TH E MAN W H O W O U LD BE KI N G 27 1

because you re white people sons of Alexander and n o t

like common black Mohammedan s Yo u are my people and by

,
.
,

G o d says he running o ff into English at the end I 11 make

, ,

a damned ne Nation o f you o r I ll die in the m aking ! ,

I can t tell al l we did for the next s ix months be c ause

,

Dravot did a l ot I could n t s e e the hang o f and he l earned

,

their l ingo in a way I never could My work was to h elp the .

peop l e plough and now and again g o o u t w ith som e o f the

,

Army and se e what the other villages were doing and make ,

em throw rope-bridges across the ravines which c u t up the

country horrid Dra v ot was very kind to me but when he
.
,

walked up and down in the pine wood pulling that b l oody red
beard o f his with both sts I knew he was thinking plans I
could not advise about and I just waited fo r orders
, .

But Dravot never showed me disrespect before the people .

They were afraid o f me and the Army but they l oved Dan , .

H e was the best o f friends with the priests and the Chiefs ; but
any o n e could come across the hills with a comp l aint and ,

Dravot wou l d hear him o u t fair and cal l four priests together ,

and say what was to be done H e u sed to call in Billy Fish .

from Bashk ai and Pikk y Kergan fro m S hu and an Ol d Chief

, ,

we cal l K afu z elu m it was l ike enough to his rea l name

and ho l d counci l s with em when there was any ghting t o be

done in smal l villages That was his Council of War and the
.
,

four priests of Bash k ai S hu Khawak and Madora was his

, , ,

P ri v y Council Between the l ot Of em they sent me with forty

.

,

men and twenty ries and S ixty men carrying turquoises into
, ,

-
the Ghorband country to buy those hand made Martini ries ,

that come o u t of the Amir s workshops at Kabul from o n e o f

,

the Amir s Herati regiments th at would hav e sold the very

teeth o u t o f their mouths for turquoises .

I stayed in Ghorband a month and gav e the Go v erno r ,

there the pi ck o f my baskets for h u sh-m oney and bribed the ,

27 2 S H O RT STO R I E S

Colone l o f the regiment some more and between the tw o and , ,

the tribes-people w e got more than a hundred hand-made

,

Martinis a h undred good Kohat Jezails that 11 throw to s ix

,

-
hundred yards and forty man loads o f very bad ammunition fo r
,
.

the ries I came back with what I had and distributed em

.

,

among the men that the Chiefs sent in to me to drill Drav o t .

was too busy to attend to those things but the o ld Army that ,

w e rst made helped me and we turned o u t v e h u ndred m en ,

that cou l d drill and two hundred that knew how to hold arms
,

pretty straight E ven those cork-screwed hand-made guns was

.
,

a miracle to them Dravot talked big about powder-shops and

.

factories w al king up and down in the pine w ood when the

,

winter was coming on .

I w on t make a Nation says he

I 11 make an Empire ! ,

.

These men are n t niggers ; they re E nglish ! Look at their

eyes l ook at their mouths Look at the way they stand up . .

They s it o n chairs in their own houses They re the Lost .

Tribes o r something li k e it and they v e grown to be E nglish

, ,

.

I ll take a census in th e spring if the priests don t get fright

ened There must be a fair two million o f em in these h i ll s

.

.

The villages are ful l 0 l ittle children Two milli o n people

.

tw o hundred and fty thousand ghting men and al l English

They only want the ries and a little drilling Two hundred .

and fty thousand men ready to c u t in on R ussia s right ank ,

when s h e tries for India ! Peachey man he says chewing his , ,

,

beard in great hunks we s hall be Emperors Emperors o f

,

the E arth ! R aj ah Brooke wil l be a suckling to us I ll treat .

with the Viceroy on equal terms I ll ask him to send me .

twel v e picked E nglish twel v e that I kno w o f to help us

govern a bit There s M ack ray S ergeant-pensioner at S ego wli
.

,

many s the good dinner he S given me and his wife a pair

,

o f trousers There s Donkin the Warder o f T o u n gh o o Jai l ;

.

,

there s hundreds tha t I could l ay my hand o n if I was in India

.
27 4 S H O RT S T O R I E S

the right thing to do and I hav e n t time for all I want to do,

,

and here s the w inter coming o n and all H e put half his

.

beard int o his m outh all red like the gold o f h is crown , .

I m sorry Danie l says I

I v e done all I co uld I v e
, ,

.

.

dril l ed the men and shown the people how to stack their o ats
better ; and I v e bro u ght in those tinware ries from Ghorband

-but I know what you re driving at I take it Kings a l ways

.

fee l oppressed that way .

There s another thing too says Dravot wa lkin g u p and

,

,

do w n The winter s coming and these people w on t be giving

.

mu ch tro u b l e and if they do w e can t m ove about I want a

,

.

w ife .

F o r G o rd s sake l eave the w om en al one ! I says We v e

.

b o t h got all the work we c an though I a m a foo l R emember , .

the C o n track and keep cl ear 0 w o men

,

.

The C o n track only l asted till such time as w e was Kings ;

and Kings we h ave been these months past says Dravot ,

,

weighing his crown in his hand Yo u go get a wife too .
,

Peachey a nice s trappin plump gir l that 11 keep yo u war m

,

,

i n the winter They re prettier than English girl s and we can

.

,

take the pick o f em B o i l e m o nce or twice in h o t water and

.

,

t h ey ll come o u t l ike chicken and ham

.

Don t tempt me ! I says

I w il l not have any deal ings
.

w ith a woman not til l we are a dam side more settl ed than we

are n ow I v e been doing the work 0 two men and you v e

.

,

been d o ing the work 0 three Let s lie o ff a bit and see if
.

,

we c an get some better tobacc o from Afghan country and r u n

in s om e good l iquor ; but no wo m en .

Wh o s talking 0 w omen ? says Dravot

I said w ife

.

a Queen to breed a King s s o n for the King A Queen o u t of

.

the strongest tribe that l make them your blood brothers and
l -
, ,

that 11 h e by your side and tell yo u all the peop l e thinks ab ou t

y ou and their ow n affairs That s w h at I w ant .

.

 THE MAN W H O W O U L D BE KI N G 27 5

you remember that Bengali woman I kept at Mogul

DO
S erai when I w as a plate-layer ? says I A fat lot 0 good
.

s h e was to me S he taught me the lingo and o n e o r two oth er

.

things ; but what happened ? S he ran away with the S tation

Master s servant and half my month s pay Then she t u rned

.

up at D adu r Junction in tow of a half-caste and had the im ,

p id e n c e to say I was her husband al l among t h e drivers i n

the ru nning-shed too !

We ve done wit h that says Dravot t h ese wom e ri are

,

,

whiter than yo u o r me and a Queen I will have for the winter

,

months .

For the l ast ti m e 0 asking Dan d o n ot I says

It l l , , ,

.

only bring u s harm The Bible says that Kings ain t t o waste
.

their strength o n women special ly when they ve g o t a ne w ,

raw Kingdom to work over .

For the last time o f answering I wi ll said Dravot and ,

,

h e went away through the pine-trees l ooking l ike a big red

devi l the sun being o n his crown and beard and all
, .

But getting a wife was n o t as easy as Dan thought H e .

put it before the Council and there was no answer till Bi l ly ,

Fish said that he d better ask the girls Dravot damned them

.

all round What s wrong with me ? he shouts standing by

.

,

the ido l I m b ra Am I a dog o r am I not enough of a man

.

for your wenches ? Have n t I put the shadow o f m y hand

over this country ? Who stopped the last Afghan raid ? It

was me really but Drav ot was to o ang ry to remember Who

,
.

bought your guns Who repaired the bridges Who s the
? ?

Grand-Master o f the sign cu t in the stone ? says he and he ,

thu m ped his hand on the block that he used to sit o n in Lodge ,

and at Council which opened like Lodge always Bil ly Fis h

,
.

said nothing and no more did the others K eep yo u r hair o n .

,

Dan said I ; and as k the girls That s how it s done at
,

.

Home and these people are quite E ngl ish

,
.

27 6 S H O RT S T O R I ES

T h e m arriage o f the King is a matter o f S tate says Dan ,

,

i n a w hite-hot rage fo r he could feel I hope that he was going

, , ,

against his better mind H e wal ked o u t o f the Council-ro om .

,

and the o thers sat still loo king at the ground , .

Bi l ly Fish says I to the Chief o f Bas hk ai what s th e

,

,

di fcu l ty here ? A straight answer to a true friend .

Yo u kno w says Bi l ly Fish ,

H o w shou l d a man te ll you

.

w ho knows eve rything H o w can dau ghters o f men marry

?

G o d s or D evils ? I t s not proper

'

I remembered something like that in the Bib l e ; but if ,

after seeing u s as l ong as they had they still be l ieved w e were ,

G o ds it w as n t for me t o undeceive the m

,

.

A G o d c an d o anything says I If the King i s fond of ,

.

a gir l he 11 not l et h er die

S he 11 h ave to said Billy Fish .

,

.

There are al l sorts o f G o ds and Devi l s in these mountains ,

and now and again a gir l m arries o n e o f them and is n t seen

any mo re Besides yo u two know the Mark c ut in the st o ne

.
, .

O n ly the Gods know that We tho u ght you were men til l yo u .

showed the sign o f the Master .

I wished then that we had explained about the loss o f the

genuine se c rets o f a Master-Mason at the rst go -o ff but I
said nothing A l l that night there was a b l owing o f horns in
.

a l ittl e dark te m ple half way down the hi ll and I h eard a girl
-
,

crying t to die O ne o f the priests told us that s h e was being

.

prepared t o marry the King .

I l l have no nonsense of that kind says Dan

I don t ,

.

w ant to interfere with your customs but I 11 take my o wn ,

w ife .

The girl s a litt l e bit afraid says the priest

S he .

.

thinks s h e s going to die and th ey are a-h eartening of her up

,

d o wn i n the temp l e .

Hearten her very tender then says Drav o t o r I ll , ,

,

h earten yo u with the butt Of a gun s o yo u 11 never want to be

h ea rtened again He licked his l ips did Dan and stayed u p

.

, ,
27 8 S H O RT S T O R I E S

Ca ll u p al l the Chiefs and p ri ests and l et the Em pe ror s ee ,

i f h is wife suits him .

There was no need t o c al l any o ne They w ere a ll t h ere .

l eanin g o n their gu ns and spears round the cl earing in the

c entre o f th e pine wo o d A lo t O f priests went down to th e .

l ittl e temp l e to bring up th e girl and the h o rns b l ew t to ,

w ake the dead Billy Fis h saunters ro u nd and gets as cl ose

.

t o Danie l as he could and behind him stood his twenty m en ,

wi th matchl o cks N o t a man o f the m u nder S ix feet I was

. .

next t o Dravot and behind m e was twenty men of the regul ar

,

Arm y Up co m es the girl and a strapping w en ch s h e was

.
, ,

c overed w ith si lver and turqu o ises but white as death and ,

lo oking back every m inute at the priests .

S he ll do said Dan l ooking her ove r What s to be

,

, .

afraid o f lass ? Come and kiss me H e p u ts h is ar m round

,
.

h er S he shuts her eyes gi ves a bit o f a squeak and d o wn goes

.
, ,

her fa c e in the side o f Dan s aming red beard

.

The s lu t s bitten m e ! says he cl apping hi s h and to his

,

neck and sure enough his hand w as red with blo o d Billy Fish
, , ,
.

and tw o o f his m atchlock-men cat ches h ol d o f Dan by the

sh o u l ders and drags hi m into the Bashk ai l ot w hi l e the priests ,

howl s I n their l ingo Neither G o d n o r Devi l b u t a man !

,

I w as al l taken aback fo r a priest cut at m e i n front and t h e

, ,

Ar m y behind began ring into the Bash k ai m en .

G o d A m igh ty !

says Dan What is t h e m ean i ng 0

.

C om e back ! C om e away ! says Bil ly Fis h R u in and

.

Muti ny is the m atter We 11 break for Bash k ai i f w e c an

.

.

I t ri ed to gi ve some so rt o f orders to my m en the m en

0 the regu l a r Ar m y but it was no u se so I red into the

,

br o wn of em w it h an E ngl ish Martin i and d ri ll ed th ree beggars

i n a l ine The v all ey was fu ll o f s h o u tin g h owling c reatu re s

.
, ,

and e ve ry s oul w as sh riek i ng N o t a God n o r a Dev il b u t on ly ,

 THE MAN W H O W OU LD BE KI N G 279

a m an ! The B ashk ai tr oo ps st u ck to Bil ly Fis h a ll they were

wo rth b u t thei r m atch locks was n t hal f as g o od as the Kabu l

,

bree ch lo aders an d fo u r o f the m dropped Dan w as be ll owing

-
,
.

l ike a b ull fo r h e was ve ry w rathy ; and Billy Fish had a hard

,

j o b t o prevent him ru nning o u t at the c r o wd .

We c an t stand says Billy Fish

Make a ru n f o r i t down ,

.

t h e vall ey ! The wh ol e pla c e is agai nst u s T h e m at chl o ck men

- .

ran and we w ent down t h e val ley in spite o f Drav o t He was

,
.

s w ea rin g ho rrib l e and cryi ng ou t h e was a King T h e priests .

r oll ed great st o nes o n u s and the regul ar Arm y r ed hard and , ,

there w as n t more than six m en n o t cou nting Dan Billy Fish

, , ,

and M e that came down to the bott om of t h e va ll ey al ive

,
.

T h en they stopped ring and the horns in the te m p l e b l ew

again Come away fo r G o rd s sake c ome a w ay ! says Bil ly
.

Fish T h ey ll send ru nners out to a ll t h e vil l ages before e v er

.

we get to Bashk ai I c an prote c t you th ere but I c an t do .

,

anything n ow .

My o wn notion is th at Dan began t o g o m ad in hi s head

fro m t h at hour He stared u p and do wn l ike a stuck p i g Then
. .

he was all f o r walking ba ck al one and killi ng the priests with

hi s bare hands which he c o u ld have d o ne An Emperor am .

I says Daniel and next year I shall be a Knight o f the Queen

,

,
.

A ll right Dan says I but c om e al ong n ow whi l e t h ere s

, ,

It s yo u r fa ul t says h e fo r n o t loo kin g afte r you r Army

,

,

better There was m u tiny in the m idst and yo u did n t know

.
,

you da m ned engi ne- driving p l ate-l aying missionary s-pass

, ,

hu nting hound ! He s at u pon a r o ck and c all ed m e eve ry f o u l

n ame he c oul d l ay tongu e to I w as t o o h eart-si ck t o care .

,

th ou gh it was al l his fo o lishness th at br o ught the s m as h .

I m sorry Dan says I but there s no ac c o u nting for

, ,

,

nati ves This b u siness is o ur F if ty-S even Maybe we ll m ake

. .

s om ething ou t o f i t yet wh en w e v e g o t to Bashk ai

, .
280 S H O RT ST O R I E S

Let s get t o B ashk ai then says Dan and by God when

, ,

, , ,

I come ba ck here again I ll sweep the val l ey so there i s n t a

b u g i n a blanket left !
We walked al l t h at day and a ll t h at nigh t Dan was stu m p ,

i ng up and down o n the sno w ch ewing his beard and muttering ,

to himse l f .

There s n o h Op e 0 getting c l ear said Bil ly Fish

The
,

.

priests will have sent runners to the villages to say that you are
o n ly m en Why did n t you stick on as Gods till things was more
.

settled ? I m a dead man says Billy Fish and he throws hi m

,

,

sel f down on the snow and begins to pray to his G o ds

Next morning w e was in a cruel bad c ountry all up and
down no le v el ground at all and no food either The s ix Bash
, , .

kai men looked at Billy Fish h u n gryway as if they w anted to

a sk something but they said ne v er a word
,
At noon we came .

t o the to p Of a at m ountain all co v ered with snow and when ,

w e climbed up into it beh o ld there was an Army in position , ,

waiting in the middle !

The runners have been ve ry quick says Bi lly Fish with ,

,

a l ittle bit o f a laugh They are waiting for us . .

Three o r four men began to re from the ene my s S ide and

,

a chance shot took Danie l in the calf o f the l eg That brought .

h im to his senses He l ooks across the snow at the Army and

.
,

sees the ries that we had brought into the country .

We re done fo r says he

They are Engl ishmen these

,

.
,

people and it s my b l asted nonsense that has brought yo u

,

to this Get back Bil ly Fish and take your men away ; you v e
.
, ,

done what you cou l d and now c ut for it Carnehan says he , .

,

,

S hake hands with m e and go al ong with Billy Maybe they .

won t kill yo u I 11 go and meet e m alo ne It s m e that did it

.

.

.

Me the K ing !
,

says I G o to Hell Dan I am with you here

.
, . .

Billy Fish you clea r o u t and we two will meet th o se fo lk

, ,
.

28 2 S H O RT S T O R I E S

Pea ch ey t h at w as cryi ng l ike a ch i ld I v e brou gh t y ou t o t hi s .

,

Peachey says h e ,
Bro u gh t y ou ou t o f yo u r h appy life t o be

.

k ille d in Karis tan w here yo u / was l ate C om mander-in-C hi ef o f

,

the Em peror s f o rces S ay y ou f o rgive m e Peachey

. I do ,
.

,

says Peach ey F ul ly and free ly do I f o rgi ve y o u Dan

.
, .

Sh ake hands Peach ey says he I m going n ow O u t he

, ,

.

.

g o es lo oking neither righ t nor l eft and when he w as p l u m b in

, ,

the m iddle o f those dizzy dan c ing ropes C u t y ou beggars , , ,

he s h o u ts ; and they cut and ol d Dan fe l l t urn i ng r o und and , ,

r o und and round twenty thousand miles f o r he took hal f an

, ,

hour to fall t ill he str u ck t h e water and I co ul d s ee his b o dy ,

c au ght o n a ro ck with the go l d crown close beside .

B u t do yo u kn o w what they did to Peachey betw e en t wo

pine-trees ? They cru cied him S ir as Pe ach ey s hand will show , ,

.

They used woo den pegs fo r his hands and his feet ; and h e
did n t die He hung there and screamed and they took hi m

.
,

down next day and said it w as a mira c le that he was n t dead

,

.

They took him down poor O ld Peachey that had n t done

the m any harm that had n t done the m any

H e rocked t o and fro and wept bitterly wiping his eyes with ,

the back of h is scarred hands and moaning l ike a child for some
ten minutes .

They was c ru e l enough to feed hi m up in the te m p l e ,

because they said he was more o f a God than Ol d Danie l that

was a m an Then they turned him o u t o n the snow and to l d
.
,

him to go h o m e and Peachey came home in about a yea r , ,

begging al ong t h e roads quite safe ; fo r Daniel Dravot he w alked

be fore and said : Come a l ong Peachey It s a big thing we re

.
,

doing The m ountains they dan c ed at night and the m o u ntains

.

,

they t ried t o fal l on Pe ach ey s head but Dan h e hel d u p his

,

h and and Peachey c a m e al ong bent d o ub l e He never l et go of

,
.

D an s h and and he never l et g o o f Dan s head They gave it t o

,

.

h im as a present in the te m p l e t o re mi nd him n o t t o com e aga in , ,

 THE MAN W H O W OU LD BE KI N G 283

an d thou gh t h e crow n w as p u re g ol d and Pea ch ey w as sta rving

, ,

neve r woul d Pea ch ey sel l the sam e Yo u knew Drav o t S i r ! Yo u

.
,

kne w Ri gh t W o rs h ipful Bro t h er Drav o t ! L o ok at hi m now !

H e fum b l ed in t h e m ass o f rags rou nd his bent w aist ; br o ught
out a b l ack hor sehair bag e m br o idered w i t h si l ver thread ; and
sh oo k therefrom on t o m y tab l e the d ried w ithered h ead o f ,

Danie l Drav o t ! The m orning s u n t h at h ad l ong been pal ing the

l am ps struck t h e red beard and b l ind s u nken eyes ; st ruck too , ,

a h eavy c ir cl et of go l d st u dded w ith ra w t u rquo ises t h at Ca m e ,

h an pla c ed tenderly o n the battered tem p l es .

Yo u b e o ld n o w said Carne h an th e Em peror in h is

, ,

ab i t as he l ived the King o f Ka ris tan w it h his c r ow n u p o n

h i s head P oor ol d Danie l that was a mo nar ch on c e !
.

I sh u ddered for i n spite o f deface m ents m anifo l d I re cog

, , ,

n iz e d t h e h ead Of t h e m an o f Marw ar J u nction Carne h an r o se .

t o go I atte m pted to stop him H e w as n o t t to wal k abroad

. .

Let m e take away the whiskey and give m e a littl e money , ,

h e gasped I was a Ki ng on c e I 11 go to t h e Dep u ty Co m

. .

mi ssione r and ask to s e t i n the P o or hou se till I get m y h eal th .

No t h ank y ou I c an t w a i t till vo u get a carriage fo r m e I v e

, ,

.

u rgent p ri vate a ffa i rs in the s o uth

at Marwar .

H e shamb l ed o u t o f the o f c e and depa rted in t h e direct io n

o f the Dep u ty Co mm issioner s h o use That day at no o n I h ad

.

oc casio n t o go down th e b l inding h ot Mall and I s aw a c ro oked ,

m an crawling alo ng th e white d u st o f the roadside h is h at in ,

his h and qu ave ri ng do l orous ly after t h e fashion o f street

,

singers at Ho m e T h ere was n o t a s oul i n sigh t and he was

.
,

o u t o f a ll possib l e e a r s ho t o f t h e hou ses And he sang thro u gh

h is n o se turn ing h is h ead fro m righ t to l eft

,

T he Son M an g oes fo rth to war

of ,

A g o l de n crown to g ain ;
H is b l o o d-e d b ann e r stre am s af ar
r

Wh o f ollo ws in h is train ?
2 84 S H O RT S T O R I E S

I w aited to hear no mo re b u t p u t the p o o r w ret ch int o m y

,

c arriage and drove h i m o ff to the nearest m issionary for e v en

t u al transfer to the Asy lu m H e r epeated the hym n twi c e w hil e
.

h e was with m e wh om h e d i d no t i n the l east re cogniz e and I ,

l eft h i m singing it t o the mi ssionary .

T w o days l ater I i nq u ired afte r hi s w e l far e o f t h e S u p erin

tendent o f the Asylum .

H e was admitted suffer i ng fr om s u n-str oke H e died earl y

yesterday m o rning said the S uperintendent

, . I s i t t ru e that
h e was half an hour bare-headed in the s un at m idday
Yes said I but do y o u h appen to know i f h e h ad any
,

,

thing u pon hi m by any chan c e when h e died ?

Not to m y knowledge sa i d th e Su pe rintendent

, .

And t h ere the m atte r r ests .

286 S H O RT ST O R I E S

C/z a ra eters De ll a and Ji m h ave been said to il lu str ate

.

the st o ry Of c ross-pu rposes But the phrase is not we ll

.

used Thei r purposes were one ; only their methods cr o ssed

. .

O H en ry rare l y comments o n his characters but he has here

.
,

picked o u t one quality o f these two foolish c h ildren in a at

for u nrese rved praise : O f all wh o gi v e gifts these t wo were

the wisest O f al l wh o give and receive gifts su ch as they are
.
,

wisest Eve rywhere they are wisest They are the magi
. If . .

the magi as O Henry says invented the art o f givingChrist

,

,

mas presents Della and Jim rediscovered it We have had no

,
.

two characters in whose comp any it is better to l eave ou r st u dy

o f the s h o rt sto ry !

O ne d oll ar and eigh ty-seven c ents T h at w as a ll And S ixty . .

cents o f it w as in pennies Pennies saved one and two at a

.

time by bull d o zing the gro c er and the vegetable m an and the
b u t c her u nti l one s cheeks burned w it h the silent imp u tati o n

o f parsimony that such close dea l ing i m plied Three ti m es .

Della c o u nted it O ne do ll ar and eighty-seven c ents And

. .

the next day w ou l d be Christmas .

There w as c l early nothi ng to do but o p do w n o n the shabby

l ittl e c ouch and h ow l S O Della did it Which instigates the
. .

m ora l ree c ti o n that l ife is m ade up o f sobs s nife s an d , ,

smi l es w ith s n if e s predominating

, .

Whil e the mistress o f the h o me is gradually subsiding fro m

the rst stage to the se cond take a l ook at the home A , .

furnished at at $ 8 per w eek I t did not exactly begga r .

description but it ce rtainly had t h at word o n the l ook o ut fo r

,

t h e m endicancy squad .

In the vestibule below was a l etter-b o x into w hic h no l ette r

wo uld go and an electric button from which no mo rta l nger
,

could c oax a ring A l so appertaining thereunto w as a c ard

.

b ea ri ng th e n am e M r J am e s Di ll in gh a m Yo u ng
. .
 TH E G I FT OF TH E M A GI 28 7

T h e D il l ingha m h ad been u ng t o th e b r eeze du ri ng a

f o rm e r period o f pr o sperity when i ts p o ssesso r W as being paid

$ 3 0 per week Now when the in com e w as sh r unk to $ 2 0

.
, ,

the l etters O f Dillingha m l ooked b lu rred as tho u gh t h ey ,

w ere think i ng seri ou sly o f c o ntracting to a mo dest and unas

s u m i ng D . B u t w h eneve r Mr James Dillingham Young came .

ho me and reached his at ab o ve he was c a ll ed Jim and

greatly hugged by Mrs James Dillingh a m Y o ung al ready

.
,

introdu c ed to yo u as Del l a Whi ch is all very good . .

De ll a n i shed her c ry and attended t o her ch eeks w ith the

p o wder rag S he st oo d by the w ind ow and lo oked o u t dully
.

at a grey c at wal king a grey fence in a grey backyard To .

morrow wou l d be Chr i st m as Day and s h e h ad on ly $ I S 7 , .

w ith which t o buy Jim a present S he had been saving every .

penny S h e c ou l d f o r m o nths with this result Twenty do ll ars

,
.

a week does n t go far Expenses had been greater than s he

.

h ad cal culated They a l ways are O n ly

. to buy a present .

for Ji m Her Ji m Many a h appy ho ur sh e h ad spent p l anning

. .

fo r so m ething ni c e for hi m Som eth i ng ne and rare and .

sterling something j u st a l itt l e bit near t o being worthy o f

the hon o ur of being owned by Ji m .

There w as a pier glass between the windows of the r o om

- .

Perh aps you h ave seen a pier-glass in an $ 8 at A very thin .

and very agi l e person m ay by observing his reection in a rapid

,

seq u ence o f l ongi tudinal strips obtain a fairly accurate co n ce p ,

tion o f h is l o o ks Della being S le n de r h ad mastered the art

.
, , \
.

S uddenly she whirl ed fro m the window and st o od befo re

the glass Her eyes w ere shining brilliant ly but he r fa c e h ad
.
,

l ost its colou r within twenty seconds R api dly sh e pull ed d o wn .

h e r hair and l et it fal l to its fu ll l ength .

N ow there were two possessions of the Ja m es Dillingham

,
.

Youngs in which they b o th t o ok a m igh ty pri de O ne was Jim s .

gold w at ch t h at h ad been h is fat her s an d hi s gr andfath er s

.
288 S H OR T ST ORI E S
The o th e r w as Dell a s h ai r Had the Qu een o f Sh eba li ved

.

in the at across th e airshaft De ll a wo uld have l et he r ha i r ,

h ang o u t the windo w some day to dry just to depre ciate he r

Maj esty s j ewels and gifts Had King S o lomon been the j anitor

.
,

w ith a ll h is treas u res pi l ed u p i n the basement Ji m w ould ,

h ave pu ll ed o u t h is w atch every time h e passed j ust to s ee ,

him p luck at his beard fro m envy .

So now Della s bea u tifu l hair fel l ab o ut her ri ppling and

,

shining l ike a c ascade o f bro w n waters I t reached be l o w he r .

knee and made i tse l f al most a garment fo r her And then s h e .

did i t u p again ne rv o us ly and quick ly O nce s h e fal tered fo r .

a mi nute and st oo d stil l w hi l e a tear o r two splas h ed o n t h e

wo rn red c arpet .

O n w ent her ol d br o wn j acket ; on went h er o ld br ow n hat .

Wit h a whir l of ski rts and with the brilliant sparkle still in h e r
eyes she u ttered o u t the door and d o wn the stairs to the street
, .

Where sh e st o pped the S ign read : Mme S o fro n ie Hai r . .

Goods o f al l Ki nds
O ne ight up Della ran and co l lected
.
,

h er sel f pant i ng Madam e l arge to o white c hi lly h ardly l o o ked

, .
, , , ,

the S o fron ie .

Wil l you buy m y h air ? asked Della

.

I b u y h ai r said Madame

, Take yer hat o ff and l et s .

h ave a sight at the l ooks o f it .

D ow n ri ppled the brown cas c ade .

Twenty do l lars said Madam e l ifting the m ass w ith a

, ,

pra ctised hand .

Give it to m e qui ck said Del la , .

O h and the next two h ours tripped by o n rosy w ings F o r

, .

g t h e hashed m etap hor S he was ransacking the st o res fo r

e t .

Ji m s present

.

S he fou nd it at l ast It surely had been m ade for Ji m an d

.

n o o ne e l se There was no other l ike it in any o f the stores

.
,

and S he h ad t u rned a ll o f the m inside out It w as a p l at i num .

29 0 S H O RT ST O R I E S

T h e d oo r O pe ne d and Ji m stepped i n and clo sed it H e .

loo ked th in and ve ry se ri ou s Po o r fel lo w h e w as on ly twenty.

,

two and t o be b u rdened wi t h a fam ily ! H e needed a ne w

o ver co at and he w as w ith ou t glo ves .

J im st o pped i nside the door as i mmo vab l e as a setter at the ,

s c ent of q u ail His eyes were xed u p o n Dell a and th ere w as

.
,

an expressi o n in t h em that s h e cou ld n o t read and i t terried ,

h er I t was n o t anger n o r s u rprise n o r disappro val nor h o rror

.
, , , ,

n or any of the senti m ents that s h e h ad been prepared fo r H e .

si m ply stared at her xedly with that pe cul iar expressi o n o n

h is fa c e .

D e ll a wriggl ed o ff th e tab l e and w ent f o r him .

J im dar l ing sh e cried
,

,

d o n t l ook at m e t h at w ay I
,

.

had m y h air c ut off and so l d it be c ause I c o ul d n t have l ived

thr ou gh Christ m as with o ut gi v i ng you a present It 11 gr ow .

ou t again you won t m ind wil l yo u ? I j ust had to d o i t

, .

My h ai r gro ws awfully fast S ay M erry Christm as . Jim and ,

l et s be happy Y ou d o n t kn ow wh at a ni c e wh at a beautiful

.


,

ni c e gift I v e got for yo u

.

Y ou ve cu t off y o ur h air

?
asked Ji m l ab o ri o u sl y as i f , ,

he had n o t ar ri ved at that patent fa c t yet even afte r t h e h ardest

menta l l abo ur .

C u t i t Off and s ol d i t sai d Dell a D o n t y ou like me

,
.

j u st as well anyh ow I m me witho u t m y h air ain t I ?

,
?
,

Ji m lo oked ab ou t th e r oom c uri o u s ly .

Y ou say y ou r h ai r i s gone ? h e said wi t h an air a lmo s t

,

Of idio cy .

Y ou need n t lo ok f o r i t said De ll a

It s so l d I te l l
, .

,

y ou s ol d and g o ne t oo It s Ch ristm as E ve b oy Be good

,
.

,
.

to m e for it w ent fo r y ou Maybe th e hairs of my head wer e

,
.

numbered s h e went o n with a sudden serious sweetness b u t

, ,

nobody c ould ever cou nt my lo ve f o r y ou Sh all I p u t th e .

ch ops o n Ji m ?
,

 TH E GI FT OF TH E MAGI 29 1

O u t o f hi s t r an c e Ji m see m ed quick ly t o w ake He en .

f ol ded h is D e ll a F o r ten sec o nds l et us regard w ith dis c reet

.

scru tiny s o me in co nse qu ential o bj e c t in the o th er directio n .

E ight dol lars a w eek o r a m i lli o n a year what is the

differen c e ? A m athe m ati c ian o r a w it woul d give y o u the
w rong answer The m agi bro u ght valu ab l e gifts but that
.
,

w as not arno ng the m T h is dark asse rt io n wi ll be ill u m inated

.

l ater on .

Jim dre w a pac kage fr om his o ver co at p ocket and t h re w i t

upon the tab l e .

D o n t make any m istake De ll h e sai d ab ou t m e I

, , , .

don t think there s anyth ing in th e way O f a hai r cu t o r a shave

o r a s h amp o o that c ould m ake m e l ike m y gi r l any l ess But if .

you ll u nwrap that pa ckage y o u m ay see why y ou h ad m e g oi ng

a whi l e at rst .

White ngers and n im bl e t o re at the strin g and pape r And .

then an ecstati c s c rea m o f j oy ; and t h en a l as ! a qu ic k femi,

nine change t o hysteri c a l tears and w ails ne c ess itating the ,

immediate e m p lo yment o f a ll t h e com fo rt i ng p ow ers o f t h e lo rd

o f the at .

For there l ay The Co m bs the set of com bs side and back , ,

th at Dell a had wo rs h ipped fo r l ong i n a Broadway w ind o w .

Beautifu l co mbs p u re t ort o ise she ll with j ewe ll ed rims j u s t

, ,

the shade to wear in the beautifu l vanished hair They w ere .

expensive co m bs sh e knew and her heart h ad S i m p ly c raved

, ,

and yearned over the m witho ut the l e ast h Ope o f possession .

And now they w ere h ers b u t th e tresses that sh oul d have

, ,

adorned the c o veted ad o rn m ents were g o ne .

But sh e h u gged t h e m t o he r b o s o m and at l ength sh e was

,

ab l e t o loo k u p w i t h di m eyes and a s m i l e and s ay : My h a ir

gro ws so fast Ji m !
,

And then De lla le aped u p like a litt l e s inged c at and cri ed ,

O h oh ,
29 2 S H O RT S T O R I E S

J im h ad n o t yet seen his beau tiful present Sh e h e l d it o u t .

t o hi m eagerly upon h er open palm The du ll precio u s meta l .

see m ed to ash with a reection of her bright and ardent spirit .

I s n t it a dandy Jim ? I hunted all over town t o nd it

, .

Yo u l l have t o l ook at the time a h u ndred times a day now

.

Gi v e me your watch I want to s ee ho w it lo oks on it

.

.

Instead o f obeying Jim tumbled down o n the cou ch and put

,

his hands under the back o f his head and s m iled

Dell said .
,

he l et s put o u r Christm as presents away and keep e m a

,

while T h ey re too nice to u s e j ust at present I sold the

.

.

watch to get the money to buy your com bs And now s u ppose .

yo u p u t the chops o n
.

The m agi as you know w ere w ise m en w onderfully wise

, ,

m en wh o bro ught gifts to the Babe in the manger They .

invented the art o f giv ing Ch ristmas presents Being wise .

,

their gifts were no doubt wise ones p o ssib ly bearing the privi
,

l ege o f exchange in case of duplication And here I have la m ely .

related to you the uneventfu l chronicl e o f two foo l ish children

in a at wh o most unwisely sacriced fo r each o ther the great
est treas u res o f their house But in a l ast word to the wise o f
.

these days l et it be said that o f al l who give gifts these tw o were

the wisest O f all who give and receive gifts such as they are
.
,

w isest Eve rywhere they are wisest T h ey are the m agi

. . .

an) : g t b c n aw m B u ss

G INN
A N D CO M PA Y N
PR O
PR I ET O R S B OS T O N
U S A . . .