AndsointotheroomintheeveningcameyoungEnoch'sfriends。Therewasnothingparticularlystrikingaboutthemexceptthattheywereartistsofthekindthattalk。Everyoneknowsofthetalkingartists。Throughoutalloftheknownhistoryoftheworldtheyhavegatheredinroomsandtalked。Theytalkofartandarepassionately，almostfeverishly，inearnestaboutit。T1heythinkitmattersmuchmorethanitdoes。
　　Andsothesepeoplegatheredandsmokedciga-
　　rettesandtalkedandEnochRobinson，theboyfromthefarmnearWinesburg，wasthere。Hestayedinacornerandforthemostpartsaidnothing。Howhisbigbluechildlikeeyesstaredabout!Onthewallswerepictureshehadmade，crudethings，halffin-
　　ished。Hisfriendstalkedofthese。Leaningbackintheirchairs，theytalkedandtalkedwiththeirheadsrockingfromsidetoside。Wordsweresaidaboutlineandvaluesandcomposition，lotsofwords，suchasarealwaysbeingsaid。
　　Enochwantedtotalktoobuthedidn'tknowhow。
　　Hewastooexcitedtotalkcoherently。Whenhetriedhesputteredandstammeredandhisvoicesoundedstrangeandsqueakytohim。Thatmadehimstoptalking。Heknewwhathewantedtosay，butheknewalsothathecouldneverbyanypossibilitysayit。Whenapicturehehadpaintedwasunderdiscussion，hewantedtoburstoutwithsomethinglikethis:"Youdon'tgetthepoint，"hewantedtoexplain；"thepictureyouseedoesn'tconsistofthethingsyouseeandsaywordsabout。Thereissome-
　　thingelse，somethingyoudon'tseeatall，somethingyouaren'tintendedtosee。Lookatthisoneoverhere，bythedoorhere，wherethelightfromthewindowfallsonit。Thedarkspotbytheroadthatyoumightnotnoticeatallis，yousee，thebeginningofeverything。ThereisaclumpofelderstheresuchasusedtogrowbesidetheroadbeforeourhousebackinWinesburg，Ohio，andinamongtheeldersthereissomethinghidden。Itisawoman，that'swhatitis。Shehasbeenthrownfromahorseandthehorsehasrunawayoutofsight。Doyounotseehowtheoldmanwhodrivesacartlooksanxiouslyabout？ThatisThadGraybackwhohasafarmuptheroad。HeistakingcorntoWinesburgtobegroundintomealatComstock'smill。Heknowsthereissomethingintheelders，somethinghiddenaway，andyethedoesn'tquiteknow。
　　"It'sawomanyousee，that'swhatitis!It'sawomanand，oh，sheislovely!Sheishurtandissufferingbutshemakesnosound。Don'tyouseehowitis？Sheliesquitestill，whiteandstill，andthebeautycomesoutfromherandspreadsovereverything。Itisintheskybackthereandallaroundeverywhere。Ididn'ttrytopaintthewoman，ofcourse。Sheistoobeautifultobepainted。Howdulltotalkofcompositionandsuchthings!WhydoyounotlookattheskyandthenrunawayasIusedtodowhenIwasaboybackthereinWinesburg，Ohio？"
　　ThatisthekindofthingyoungEnochRobinsontrembledtosaytotheguestswhocameintohisroomwhenhewasayoungfellowinNewYorkCity，buthealwaysendedbysayingnothing。Thenhebegantodoubthisownmind。Hewasafraidthethingshefeltwerenotgettingexpressedinthepictureshepainted。Inahalfindignantmoodhestoppedinvitingpeopleintohisroomandpresentlygotintothehabitoflockingthedoor。Hebegantothinkthatenoughpeoplehadvisitedhim，thathedidnotneedpeopleanymore。Withquickimagina-
　　tionhebegantoinventhisownpeopletowhomhecouldreallytalkandtowhomheexplainedthethingshehadbeenunabletoexplaintolivingpeo-
　　ple。Hisroombegantobeinhabitedbythespiritsofmenandwomenamongwhomhewent，inhisturnsayingwords。ItwasasthougheveryoneEnochRobinsonhadeverseenhadleftwithhimsomees-
　　senceofhimself，somethinghecouldmouldandchangetosuithisownfancy，somethingthatunder-
　　stoodallaboutsuchthingsasthewoundedwomanbehindtheeldersinthepictures。
　　Themild，blue-eyedyoungOhioboywasacom-
　　pleteegotist，asallchildrenareegotists。Hedidnotwantfriendsforthequitesimplereasonthatnochildwantsfriends。Hewantedmostofallthepeo-
　　pleofhisownmind，peoplewithwhomhecouldreallytalk，peoplehecouldharangueandscoldbythehour，servants，yousee，tohisfancy。Amongthesepeoplehewasalwaysself-confidentandbold。
　　Theymighttalk，tobesure，andevenhaveopinionsoftheirown，butalwayshetalkedlastandbest。Hewaslikeawriterbusyamongthefiguresofhisbrain，akindoftinyblue-eyedkinghewas，inasix-
　　dollarroomfacingWashingtonSquareinthecityofNewYork。
　　ThenEnochRobinsongotmarried。Hebegantogetlonelyandtowanttotouchactualflesh-and-
　　bonepeoplewithhishands。Dayspassedwhenhisroomseemedempty。Lustvisitedhisbodyandde-
　　siregrewinhismind。Atnightstrangefevers，burn-
　　ingwithin，kepthimawake。HemarriedagirlwhosatinachairnexttohisownintheartschoolandwenttoliveinanapartmenthouseinBrooklyn。Twochildrenwereborntothewomanhemarried，andEnochgotajobinaplacewhereillustrationsaremadeforadvertisements。
　　ThatbegananotherphaseofEnoch'slife。Hebegantoplayatanewgame。Forawhilehewasveryproudofhimselfintheroleofproducingciti-
　　zenoftheworld。Hedismissedtheessenceofthingsandplayedwithrealities。Inthefallhevotedatanelectionandhehadanewspaperthrownonhisporcheachmorning。Whenintheeveninghecamehomefromworkhegotoffastreetcarandwalkedsedatelyalongbehindsomebusinessman，strivingtolookverysubstantialandimportant。Asapayeroftaxeshethoughtheshouldposthimselfonhowthingsarerun。"I'mgettingtobeofsomemoment，arealpartofthings，ofthestateandthecityandallthat，"hetoldhimselfwithanamusingminiatureairofdignity。Once，cominghomefromPhiladel-
　　phia，hehadadiscussionwithamanmetonatrain。
　　Enochtalkedabouttheadvisabilityofthegovern-
　　ment'sowningandoperatingtherailroadsandthemangavehimacigar。ItwasEnoch'snotionthatsuchamoveonthepartofthegovernmentwouldbeagoodthing，andhegrewquiteexcitedashetalked。Laterherememberedhisownwordswithpleasure。"Igavehimsomethingtothinkabout，thatfellow，"hemutteredtohimselfasheclimbedthestairstohisBrooklynapartment。
　　Tobesure，Enoch'smarriagedidnotturnout。Hehimselfbroughtittoanend。Hebegantofeelchokedandwalledinbythelifeintheapartment，andtofeeltowardhiswifeandeventowardhischildrenashehadfeltconcerningthefriendswhooncecametovisithim。Hebegantotelllittleliesaboutbusinessengagementsthatwouldgivehimfreedomtowalkaloneinthestreetatnightand，thechanceoffering，hesecretlyre-rentedtheroomfac-
　　ingWashingtonSquare。ThenMrs。AlRobinsondiedonthefarmnearWinesburg，andhegoteightthousanddollarsfromthebankthatactedastrusteeofherestate。ThattookEnochoutoftheworldofmenaltogether。Hegavethemoneytohiswifeandtoldherhecouldnotliveintheapartmentanymore。Shecriedandwasangryandthreatened，butheonlystaredatherandwenthisownway。Inrealitythewifedidnotcaremuch。ShethoughtEnochslightlyinsaneandwasalittleafraidofhim。
　　Whenitwasquitesurethathewouldnevercomeback，shetookthetwochildrenandwenttoavillageinConnecticutwhereshehadlivedasagirl。Intheendshemarriedamanwhoboughtandsoldrealestateandwascontentedenough。
　　AndsoEnochRobinsonstayedintheNewYorkroomamongthepeopleofhisfancy，playingwiththem，talkingtothem，happyasachildishappy。
　　Theywereanoddlot，Enoch'speople。Theyweremade，Isuppose，outofrealpeoplehehadseenandwhohadforsomeobscurereasonmadeanappealtohim。Therewasawomanwithaswordinherhand，anoldmanwithalongwhitebeardwhowentaboutfollowedbyadog，ayounggirlwhosestock-
　　ingswerealwayscomingdownandhangingoverhershoetops。Theremusthavebeentwodozenoftheshadowpeople，inventedbythechild-mindofEnochRobinson，wholivedintheroomwithhim。
　　AndEnochwashappy。Intotheroomhewentandlockedthedoor。Withanabsurdairofimpor-
　　tancehetalkedaloud，givinginstructions，makingcommentsonlife。Hewashappyandsatisfiedtogoonmakinghislivingintheadvertisingplaceuntilsomethinghappened。Ofcoursesomethingdidhap-
　　pen。ThatiswhyhewentbacktoliveinWinesburgandwhyweknowabouthim。Thethingthathap-
　　penedwasawoman。Itwouldbethatway。Hewastoohappy。Somethinghadtocomeintohisworld。
　　SomethinghadtodrivehimoutoftheNewYorkroomtoliveouthislifeanobscure，jerkylittlefig-
　　ure，bobbingupanddownonthestreetsofanOhiotownateveningwhenthesunwasgoingdownbe-
　　hindtheroofofWesleyMoyer'sliverybarn。
　　Aboutthethingthathappened。EnochtoldGeorgeWillardaboutitonenight。Hewantedtotalktosomeone，andhechosetheyoungnewspaperre-
　　porterbecausethetwohappenedtobethrownto-
　　getheratatimewhentheyoungermanwasinamoodtounderstand。
　　Youthfulsadness，youngman'ssadness，thesad-
　　nessofagrowingboyinavillageattheyear'send，openedthelipsoftheoldman。ThesadnesswasintheheartofGeorgeWillardandwaswithoutmean-
　　ing，butitappealedtoEnochRobinson。
　　Itrainedontheeveningwhenthetwometandtalked，adrizzlywetOctoberrain。Thefruitionoftheyearhadcomeandthenightshouldhavebeenfinewithamoonintheskyandthecrispsharppromiseoffrostintheair，butitwasn'tthatway。
　　ItrainedandlittlepuddlesofwatershoneunderthestreetlampsonMainStreet。InthewoodsinthedarknessbeyondtheFairGroundwaterdrippedfromtheblacktrees。Beneaththetreeswetleaveswerepastedagainsttreerootsthatprotrudedfromtheground。IngardensbackofhousesinWinesburgdryshriveledpotatovineslaysprawlingontheground。Menwhohadfinishedtheeveningmealandwhohadplannedtogouptowntotalktheeve-
　　ningawaywithothermenatthebackofsomestorechangedtheirminds。GeorgeWillardtrampedaboutintherainandwasgladthatitrained。Hefeltthatway。HewaslikeEnochRobinsonontheeveningswhentheoldmancamedownoutofhisroomandwanderedaloneinthestreets。HewaslikethatonlythatGeorgeWillardhadbecomeatallyoungmananddidnotthinkitmanlytoweepandcarryon。
　　Foramonthhismotherhadbeenveryillandthathadsomethingtodowithhissadness，butnotmuch。Hethoughtabouthimselfandtotheyoungthatalwaysbringssadness。
　　EnochRobinsonandGeorgeWillardmetbeneathawoodenawningthatextendedoutovertheside-
　　walkbeforeVoight'swagonshoponMaumeeStreetjustoffthemainstreetofWinesburg。Theywenttogetherfromtherethroughtherain-washedstreetstotheolderman'sroomonthethirdflooroftheHeffnerBlock。Theyoungreporterwentwillinglyenough。EnochRobinsonaskedhimtogoafterthetwohadtalkedfortenminutes。Theboywasalittleafraidbuthadneverbeenmorecuriousinhislife。
　　Ahundredtimeshehadheardtheoldmanspokenofasalittleoffhisheadandhethoughthimselfratherbraveandmanlytogoatall。Fromtheverybeginning，inthestreetintherain，theoldmantalkedinaqueerway，tryingtotellthestoryoftheroominWashingtonSquareandofhislifeintheroom。"You'llunderstandifyoutryhardenough，"
　　hesaidconclusively。"IhavelookedatyouwhenyouwentpastmeonthestreetandIthinkyoucanunderstand。Itisn'thard。AllyouhavetodoistobelievewhatIsay，justlistenandbelieve，that'sallthereistoit。"
　　Itwaspasteleveno'clockthateveningwhenoldEnoch，talkingtoGeorgeWillardintheroomintheHeffnerBlock，cametothevitalthing，thestoryofthewomanandofwhatdrovehimoutofthecitytoliveouthislifealoneanddefeatedinWinesburg。
　　HesatonacotbythewindowwithhisheadinhishandandGeorgeWillardwasinachairbyatable。
　　Akerosenelampsatonthetableandtheroom，althoughalmostbareoffurniture，wasscrupulouslyclean。AsthemantalkedGeorgeWillardbegantofeelthathewouldliketogetoutofthechairandsitonthecotalso。Hewantedtoputhisarmsaboutthelittleoldman。Inthehalfdarknessthemantalkedandtheboylistened，filledwithsadness。
　　"Shegottocominginthereaftertherehadn'tbeenanyoneintheroomforyears，"saidEnochRobinson。"Shesawmeinthehallwayofthehouseandwegotacquainted。Idon'tknowjustwhatshedidinherownroom。Ineverwentthere。Ithinkshewasamusicianandplayedaviolin。EverynowandthenshecameandknockedatthedoorandI
　　openedit。Inshecameandsatdownbesideme，justsatandlookedaboutandsaidnothing。Anyway，shesaidnothingthatmattered。"
　　Theoldmanarosefromthecotandmovedabouttheroom。Theovercoatheworewaswetfromtherainanddropsofwaterkeptfallingwithasoftthumponthefloor。WhenheagainsatuponthecotGeorgeWillardgotoutofthechairandsatbesidehim。
　　"Ihadafeelingabouther。Shesatthereintheroomwithmeandshewastoobigfortheroom。I
　　feltthatshewasdrivingeverythingelseaway。Wejusttalkedoflittlethings，butIcouldn'tsitstill。I
　　wantedtotouchherwithmyfingersandtokissher。Herhandsweresostrongandherfacewassogoodandshelookedatmeallthetime。"
　　Thetremblingvoiceoftheoldmanbecamesilentandhisbodyshookasfromachill。"Iwasafraid，"
　　hewhispered。"Iwasterriblyafraid。Ididn'twanttolethercomeinwhensheknockedatthedoorbutIcouldn'tsitstill。'No，no，'Isaidtomyself，butIgotupandopenedthedoorjustthesame。Shewassogrownup，yousee。Shewasawoman。I
　　thoughtshewouldbebiggerthanIwasthereinthatroom。"
　　EnochRobinsonstaredatGeorgeWillard，hischildlikeblueeyesshininginthelamplight。Againheshivered。"IwantedherandallthetimeIdidn'twanther，"heexplained。"ThenIbegantotellheraboutmypeople，abouteverythingthatmeantany-
　　thingtome。Itriedtokeepquiet，tokeepmyselftomyself，butIcouldn't。IfeltjustasIdidaboutopen-
　　ingthedoor。SometimesIachedtohavehergoawayandnevercomebackanymore。"
　　Theoldmansprangtohisfeetandhisvoiceshookwithexcitement。"Onenightsomethinghap-
　　pened。IbecamemadtomakeherunderstandmeandtoknowwhatabigthingIwasinthatroom。I
　　wantedhertoseehowimportantIwas。Itoldheroverandover。Whenshetriedtogoaway，Iranandlockedthedoor。Ifollowedherabout。Italkedandtalkedandthenallofasuddenthingswenttosmash。AlookcameintohereyesandIknewshedidunderstand。Maybeshehadunderstoodallthetime。Iwasfurious。Icouldn'tstandit。Iwantedhertounderstandbut，don'tyousee，Icouldn'tletherunderstand。Ifeltthatthenshewouldknowevery-
　　thing，thatIwouldbesubmerged，drownedout，yousee。That'showitis。Idon'tknowwhy。"
　　Theoldmandroppedintoachairbythelampandtheboylistened，filledwithawe。"Goaway，boy，"saidtheman。"Don'tstayherewithmeanymore。Ithoughtitmightbeagoodthingtotellyoubutitisn't。Idon'twanttotalkanymore。Goaway。"
　　GeorgeWillardshookhisheadandanoteofcom-
　　mandcameintohisvoice。"Don'tstopnow。Tellmetherestofit，"hecommandedsharply。"Whathappened？Tellmetherestofthestory。"
　　EnochRobinsonsprangtohisfeetandrantothewindowthatlookeddownintothedesertedmainstreetofWinesburg。GeorgeWillardfollowed。Bythewindowthetwostood，thetallawkwardboy-
　　manandthelittlewrinkledman-boy。Thechildish，eagervoicecarriedforwardthetale。"Isworeather，"heexplained。"Isaidvilewords。Iorderedhertogoawayandnottocomeback。Oh，Isaidterriblethings。AtfirstshepretendednottounderstandbutIkeptatit。Iscreamedandstampedonthefloor。I
　　madethehouseringwithmycurses。Ididn'twantevertoseeheragainandIknew，aftersomeofthethingsIsaid，thatIneverwouldseeheragain。"
　　Theoldman'svoicebrokeandheshookhishead。
　　"Thingswenttosmash，"hesaidquietlyandsadly。
　　"Outshewentthroughthedoorandallthelifetherehadbeenintheroomfollowedherout。Shetookallofmypeopleaway。Theyallwentoutthroughthedoorafterher。That'sthewayitwas。"
　　GeorgeWillardturnedandwentoutofEnochRobinson'sroom。Inthedarknessbythewindow，ashewentthroughthedoor，hecouldhearthethinoldvoicewhimperingandcomplaining。"I'malone，allalonehere，"saidthevoice。"ItwaswarmandfriendlyinmyroombutnowI'mallalone。"
　　ANAWAKENING
　　BELLECARPENTERhadadarkskin，greyeyes，andthicklips。Shewastallandstrong。Whenblackthoughtsvisitedhershegrewangryandwishedshewereamanandcouldfightsomeonewithherfists。
　　SheworkedinthemillineryshopkeptbyMrs。KateMcHughandduringthedaysattrimminghatsbyawindowattherearofthestore。Shewasthedaugh-
　　terofHenryCarpenter，bookkeeperintheFirstNa-
　　tionalBankofWinesburg，andlivedwithhiminagloomyoldhousefaroutattheendofBuckeyeStreet。Thehousewassurroundedbypinetreesandtherewasnograssbeneaththetrees。Arustytineaves-troughhadslippedfromitsfasteningsatthebackofthehouseandwhenthewindblewitbeatagainsttheroofofasmallshed，makingadismaldrummingnoisethatsometimespersistedallthroughthenight。
　　WhenshewasayounggirlHenryCarpentermadelifealmostunbearableforBelle，butassheemergedfromgirlhoodintowomanhoodhelosthispoweroverher。Thebookkeeper'slifewasmadeupofinnumerablelittlepettinesses。Whenhewenttothebankinthemorninghesteppedintoaclosetandputonablackalpacacoatthathadbecomeshabbywithage。Atnightwhenhereturnedtohishomehedonnedanotherblackalpacacoat。Everyeveninghepressedtheclothesworninthestreets。
　　Hehadinventedanarrangementofboardsforthepurpose。Thetrouserstohisstreetsuitwereplacedbetweentheboardsandtheboardswereclampedtogetherwithheavyscrews。Inthemorninghewipedtheboardswithadampclothandstoodthemuprightbehindthediningroomdoor。Iftheyweremovedduringthedayhewasspeechlesswithangeranddidnotrecoverhisequilibriumforaweek。
　　Thebankcashierwasalittlebullyandwasafraidofhisdaughter。She，herealized，knewthestoryofhisbrutaltreatmentofhermotherandhatedhimforit。Onedayshewenthomeatnoonandcarriedahandfulofsoftmud，takenfromtheroad，intothehouse。Withthemudshesmearedthefaceoftheboardsusedforthepressingoftrousersandthenwentbacktoherworkfeelingrelievedandhappy。
　　BelleCarpenteroccasionallywalkedoutintheeveningwithGeorgeWillard。Secretlyshelovedan-
　　otherman，butherloveaffair，aboutwhichnooneknew，causedhermuchanxiety。ShewasinlovewithEdHandby，bartenderinEdGriffith'sSaloon，andwentaboutwiththeyoungreporterasakindofrelieftoherfeelings。ShedidnotthinkthatherstationinlifewouldpermithertobeseeninthecompanyofthebartenderandwalkedaboutunderthetreeswithGeorgeWillardandlethimkisshertorelievealongingthatwasveryinsistentinhernature。Shefeltthatshecouldkeeptheyoungermanwithinbounds。AboutEdHandbyshewassomewhatuncertain。
　　Handby，thebartender，wasatall，broad-shoulderedmanofthirtywholivedinaroomupstairsaboveGriffith'ssaloon。Hisfistswerelargeandhiseyesunusuallysmall，buthisvoice，asthoughstrivingtoconcealthepowerbackofhisfists，wassoftandquiet。
　　Attwenty-fivethebartenderhadinheritedalargefarmfromanuncleinIndiana。Whensold，thefarmbroughtineightthousanddollars，whichEdspentinsixmonths。GoingtoSandusky，onLakeErie，hebegananorgyofdissipation，thestoryofwhichafterwardfilledhishometownwithawe。Hereandtherehewentthrowingthemoneyabout，drivingcarriagesthroughthestreets，givingwinepartiestocrowdsofmenandwomen，playingcardsforhighstakesandkeepingmistresseswhosewardrobescosthimhundredsofdollars。OnenightataresortcalledCedarPoint，hegotintoafightandranamucklikeawildthing。WithhisfisthebrokealargemirrorinthewashroomofahotelandlaterwentaboutsmashingwindowsandbreakingchairsindancehallsforthejoyofhearingtheglassrattleonthefloorandseeingtheterrorintheeyesofclerkswhohadcomefromSanduskytospendtheeveningattheresortwiththeirsweethearts。
　　TheaffairbetweenEdHandbyandBelleCarpen-
　　teronthesurfaceamountedtonothing。Hehadsuc-
　　ceededinspendingbutoneeveninginhercompany。
　　OnthateveninghehiredahorseandbuggyatWes-
　　leyMoyer'sliverybarnandtookherforadrive。
　　Theconvictionthatshewasthewomanhisnaturedemandedandthathemustgethersettleduponhimandhetoldherofhisdesires。Thebartenderwasreadytomarryandtobegintryingtoearnmoneyforthesupportofhiswife，butsosimplewashisnaturethathefounditdifficulttoexplainhisintentions。Hisbodyachedwithphysicallongingandwithhisbodyheexpressedhimself。Takingthemillinerintohisarmsandholdinghertightlyinspiteofherstruggles，hekissedheruntilshebecamehelpless。Thenhebroughtherbacktotownandletheroutofthebuggy。"WhenIgetholdofyouagainI'llnotletyougo。Youcan'tplaywithme，"hede-
　　claredasheturnedtodriveaway。Then，jumpingoutofthebuggy，hegrippedhershoulderswithhisstronghands。"I'llkeepyouforgoodthenexttime，"
　　hesaid。"Youmightaswellmakeupyourmindtothat。It'syouandmeforitandI'mgoingtohaveyoubeforeIgetthrough。"
　　OnenightinJanuarywhentherewasanewmoonGeorgeWillard，whowasinEdHandby'smindtheonlyobstacletohisgettingBelleCarpenter，wentforawalk。EarlythateveningGeorgewentintoRansomSurbeck'spoolroomwithSethRichmondandArtWilson，sonofthetownbutcher。SethRichmondstoodwithhisbackagainstthewallandremainedsilent，butGeorgeWillardtalked。ThepoolroomwasfilledwithWinesburgboysandtheytalkedofwomen。Theyoungreportergotintothatvein。Hesaidthatwomenshouldlookoutforthemselves，thatthefellowwhowentoutwithagirlwasnotresponsibleforwhathappened。Ashetalkedhelookedabout，eagerforattention。HeheldthefloorforfiveminutesandthenArtWilsonbegantotalk。
　　Artwaslearningthebarber'stradeinCalProuse'sshopandalreadybegantoconsiderhimselfanau-
　　thorityinsuchmattersasbaseball，horseracing，drinking，andgoingaboutwithwomen。HebegantotellofanightwhenhewithtwomenfromWines-
　　burgwentintoahouseofprostitutionatthecountyseat。Thebutcher'ssonheldacigarinthesideofhismouthandashetalkedspatonthefloor。"Thewomenintheplacecouldn'tembarrassmealthoughtheytriedhardenough，"heboasted。"Oneofthegirlsinthehousetriedtogetfresh，butIfooledher。
　　AssoonasshebegantotalkIwentandsatinherlap。EveryoneintheroomlaughedwhenIkissedher。Itaughthertoletmealone。"
　　GeorgeWillardwentoutofthepoolroomandintoMainStreet。FordaystheweatherhadbeenbittercoldwithahighwindblowingdownonthetownfromLakeErie，eighteenmilestothenorth，butonthatnightthewindhaddiedawayandanewmoonmadethenightunusuallylovely。With-
　　outthinkingwherehewasgoingorwhathewantedtodo，GeorgewentoutofMainStreetandbeganwalkingindimlylightedstreetsfilledwithframehouses。
　　Outofdoorsundertheblackskyfilledwithstarsheforgothiscompanionsofthepoolroom。Becauseitwasdarkandhewasalonehebegantotalkaloud。
　　Inaspiritofplayhereeledalongthestreetimitatingadrunkenmanandthenimaginedhimselfasoldiercladinshiningbootsthatreachedtothekneesandwearingaswordthatjingledashewalked。Asasoldierhepicturedhimselfasaninspector，passingbeforealonglineofmenwhostoodatattention。
　　Hebegantoexaminetheaccoutrementsofthemen。
　　Beforeatreehestoppedandbegantoscold。"Yourpackisnotinorder，"hesaidsharply。"HowmanytimeswillIhavetospeakofthismatter？Everythingmustbeinorderhere。Wehaveadifficulttaskbe-
　　foreusandnodifficulttaskcanbedonewithoutorder。"
　　Hypnotizedbyhisownwords，theyoungmanstumbledalongtheboardsidewalksayingmorewords。"Thereisalawforarmiesandformentoo，"
　　hemuttered，lostinreflection。"Thelawbeginswithlittlethingsandspreadsoutuntilitcoversevery-
　　thing。Ineverylittlethingtheremustbeorder，intheplacewheremenwork，intheirclothes，intheirthoughts。Imyselfmustbeorderly。Imustlearnthatlaw。Imustgetmyselfintotouchwithsomethingorderlyandbigthatswingsthroughthenightlikeastar。InmylittlewayImustbegintolearnsome-
　　thing，togiveandswingandworkwithlife，withthelaw。"
　　GeorgeWillardstoppedbyapicketfencenearastreetlampandhisbodybegantotremble。Hehadneverbeforethoughtsuchthoughtsashadjustcomeintohisheadandhewonderedwheretheyhadcomefrom。Forthemomentitseemedtohimthatsomevoiceoutsideofhimselfhadbeentalkingashewalked。Hewasamazedanddelightedwithhisownmindandwhenhewalkedonagainspokeofthematterwithfervor。"TocomeoutofRansomSurbeck'spoolroomandthinkthingslikethat，"hewhispered。"Itisbettertobealone。IfItalkedlikeArtWilsontheboyswouldunderstandmebuttheywouldn'tunderstandwhatI'vebeenthinkingdownhere。"
　　InWinesburg，asinallOhiotownsoftwentyyearsago，therewasasectioninwhichliveddaylaborers。Asthetimeoffactorieshadnotyetcome，thelaborersworkedinthefieldsorweresectionhandsontherailroads。Theyworkedtwelvehoursadayandreceivedonedollarforthelongdayoftoil。Thehousesinwhichtheylivedweresmallcheaplyconstructedwoodenaffairswithagardenattheback。Themorecomfortableamongthemkeptcowsandperhapsapig，housedinalittleshedattherearofthegarden。
　　Withhisheadfilledwithresoundingthoughts，GeorgeWillardwalkedintosuchastreetontheclearJanuarynight。Thestreetwasdimlylightedandinplacestherewasnosidewalk。Inthescenethatlayabouthimtherewassomethingthatexcitedhisal-
　　readyarousedfancy。Forayearhehadbeendevot-
　　ingallofhisoddmomentstothereadingofbooksandnowsometalehehadreadconcerningfifeinoldworldtownsofthemiddleagescamesharplybacktohismindsothathestumbledforwardwiththecuriousfeelingofonerevisitingaplacethathadbeenapartofsomeformerexistence。Onanimpulseheturnedoutofthestreetandwentintoalittledarkalleywaybehindtheshedsinwhichlivedthecowsandpigs。
　　Forahalfhourhestayedinthealleyway，smellingthestrongsmellofanimalstoocloselyhousedandlettinghismindplaywiththestrangenewthoughtsthatcametohim。Theveryranknessofthesmellofmanureintheclearsweetairawokesomethingheadyinhisbrain。Thepoorlittlehouseslightedbykerosenelamps，thesmokefromthechimneysmountingstraightupintotheclearair，thegruntingofpigs，thewomencladincheapcalicodressesandwashingdishesinthekitchens，thefootstepsofmencomingoutofthehousesandgoingofftothestoresandsaloonsofMainStreet，thedogsbarkingandthechildrencrying——allofthesethingsmadehimseem，ashelurkedinthedarkness，oddlydetachedandapartfromalllife。
　　Theexcitedyoungman，unabletobeartheweightofhisownthoughts，begantomovecautiouslyalongthealleyway。Adogattackedhimandhadtobedrivenawaywithstones，andamanappearedatthedoorofoneofthehousesandsworeatthedog。
　　Georgewentintoavacantlotandthrowingbackhisheadlookedupatthesky。Hefeltunutterablybigandremadebythesimpleexperiencethroughwhichhehadbeenpassingandinakindoffervorofemo-
　　tionputuphishands，thrustingthemintothedark-
　　nessabovehisheadandmutteringwords。Thedesiretosaywordsovercamehimandhesaidwordswithoutmeaning，rollingthemoveronhistongueandsayingthembecausetheywerebravewords，fullofmeaning。"Death，"hemuttered，night，thesea，fear，loveliness。"
　　GeorgeWillardcameoutofthevacantlotandstoodagainonthesidewalkfacingthehouses。Hefeltthatallofthepeopleinthelittlestreetmustbebrothersandsisterstohimandhewishedhehadthecouragetocallthemoutoftheirhousesandtoshaketheirhands。"IftherewereonlyawomanhereIwouldtakeholdofherhandandwewouldrununtilwewerebothtiredout，"hethought。"Thatwouldmakemefeelbetter。"WiththethoughtofawomaninhismindhewalkedoutofthestreetandwenttowardthehousewhereBelleCarpenterlived。
　　Hethoughtshewouldunderstandhismoodandthathecouldachieveinherpresenceapositionhehadlongbeenwantingtoachieve。Inthepastwhenhehadbeenwithherandhadkissedherlipshehadcomeawayfilledwithangerathimself。Hehadfeltlikeonebeingusedforsomeobscurepurposeandhadnotenjoyedthefeeling。Nowhethoughthehadsuddenlybecometoobigtobeused。
　　WhenGeorgegottoBelleCarpenter'shousetherehadalreadybeenavisitortherebeforehim。EdHandbyhadcometothedoorandcallingBelleoutofthehousehadtriedtotalktoher。Hehadwantedtoaskthewomantocomeawaywithhimandtobehiswife，butwhenshecameandstoodbythedoorhelosthisself-assuranceandbecamesullen。"Youstayawayfromthatkid，"hegrowled，thinkingofGeorgeWillard，andthen，notknowingwhatelsetosay，turnedtogoaway。"IfIcatchyoutogetherI
　　willbreakyourbonesandhistoo，"headded。Thebartenderhadcometowoo，nottothreaten，andwasangrywithhimselfbecauseofhisfailure。
　　WhenherloverhaddepartedBellewentindoorsandranhurriedlyupstairs。FromawindowattheupperpartofthehouseshesawEdHandbycrossthestreetandsitdownonahorseblockbeforethehouseofaneighbor。Inthedimlightthemansatmotionlessholdinghisheadinhishands。Shewasmadehappybythesight，andwhenGeorgeWillardcametothedoorshegreetedhimeffusivelyandhurriedlyputonherhat。Shethoughtthat，asshewalkedthroughthestreetswithyoungWillard，EdHandbywouldfollowandshewantedtomakehimsuffer。
　　ForanhourBelleCarpenterandtheyoungre-
　　porterwalkedaboutunderthetreesinthesweetnightair。GeorgeWillardwasfullofbigwords。Thesenseofpowerthathadcometohimduringthehourinthedarknessinthealleywayremainedwithhimandhetalkedboldly，swaggeringalongandswinginghisarmsabout。HewantedtomakeBelleCarpenterrealizethathewasawareofhisformerweaknessandthathehadchanged。"You'llfindmedifferent，"hedeclared，thrustinghishandsintohispocketsandlookingboldlyintohereyes。"Idon'tknowwhybutitisso。You'vegottotakemeforamanorletmealone。That'showitis。"
　　Upanddownthequietstreetsunderthenewmoonwentthewomanandtheboy。WhenGeorgehadfinishedtalkingtheyturneddownasidestreetandwentacrossabridgeintoapaththatranupthesideofahill。ThehillbeganatWaterworksPondandclimbedupwardtotheWinesburgFairGrounds。Onthehillsidegrewdensebushesandsmalltreesandamongthebusheswerelittleopenspacescarpetedwithlonggrass，nowstiffandfrozen。
　　AshewalkedbehindthewomanupthehillGeorgeWillard'sheartbegantobeatrapidlyandhisshouldersstraightened。SuddenlyhedecidedthatBelleCarpenterwasabouttosurrenderherselftohim。Thenewforcethathadmanifesteditselfinhimhad，hefelt，beenatworkuponherandhadledtoherconquest。Thethoughtmadehimhalfdrunkwiththesenseofmasculinepower。Althoughhehadbeenannoyedthatastheywalkedaboutshehadnotseemedtobelisteningtohiswords，thefactthatshehadaccompaniedhimtothisplacetookallhisdoubtsaway。"Itisdifferent。Everythinghasbecomedifferent，"hethoughtandtakingholdofhershoulderturnedheraboutandstoodlookingather，hiseyesshiningwithpride。
　　BelleCarpenterdidnotresist。Whenhekissedheruponthelipssheleanedheavilyagainsthimandlookedoverhisshoulderintothedarkness。Inherwholeattitudetherewasasuggestionofwaiting。
　　Again，asinthealleyway，GeorgeWillard'smindranoffintowordsand，holdingthewomantightlyhewhisperedthewordsintothestillnight。"Lust，"
　　hewhispered，"lustandnightandwomen。"
　　GeorgeWillarddidnotunderstandwhathap-
　　penedtohimthatnightonthehillside。Later，whenhegottohisownroom，hewantedtoweepandthengrewhalfinsanewithangerandhate。HehatedBelleCarpenterandwassurethatallhislifehewouldcontinuetohateher。Onthehillsidehehadledthewomantooneofthelittleopenspacesamongthebushesandhaddroppedtohiskneesbesideher。Asinthevacantlot，bythelaborers'
　　houses，hehadputuphishandsingratitudeforthenewpowerinhimselfandwaswaitingforthewomantospeakwhenEdHandbyappeared。
　　Thebartenderdidnotwanttobeattheboy，whohethoughthadtriedtotakehiswomanaway。Heknewthatbeatingwasunnecessary，thathehadpowerwithinhimselftoaccomplishhispurposewithoutusinghisfists。GrippingGeorgebytheshoulderandpullinghimtohisfeet，heheldhimwithonehandwhilehelookedatBelleCarpenterseatedonthegrass。Thenwithaquickwidemove-
　　mentofhisarmhesenttheyoungermansprawlingawayintothebushesandbegantobullythewoman，whohadrisentoherfeet。"You'renogood，"hesaidroughly。"I'vehalfamindnottobotherwithyou。I'dletyoualoneifIdidn'twantyousomuch。"
　　OnhishandsandkneesinthebushesGeorgeWillardstaredatthescenebeforehimandtriedhardtothink。Hepreparedtospringatthemanwhohadhumiliatedhim。Tobebeatenseemedtobeinfinitelybetterthantobethushurledignominiouslyaside。
　　ThreetimestheyoungreportersprangatEdHandbyandeachtimethebartender，catchinghimbytheshoulder，hurledhimbackintothebushes。
　　TheoldermanseemedpreparedtokeeptheexercisegoingindefinitelybutGeorgeWillard'sheadstrucktherootofatreeandhelaystill。ThenEdHandbytookBelleCarpenterbythearmandmarchedheraway。
　　Georgeheardthemanandwomanmakingtheirwaythroughthebushes。Ashecreptdownthehill-
　　sidehisheartwassickwithinhim。Hehatedhimselfandhehatedthefatethathadbroughtabouthishumiliation。Whenhismindwentbacktothehouraloneinthealleywayhewaspuzzledandstoppinginthedarknesslistened，hopingtohearagainthevoiceoutsidehimselfthathadsoshortatimebeforeputnewcourageintohisheart。Whenhiswayhomewardledhimagainintothestreetofframehouseshecouldnotbearthesightandbegantorun，wantingtogetquicklyoutoftheneighborhoodthatnowseemedtohimutterlysqualidandcommonplace。
　　"QUEER"
　　FROMHISSEATonaboxintheroughboardshedthatstucklikeaburrontherearofCowley&Son'sstoreinWinesburg，ElmerCowley，thejuniormemberofthefirm，couldseethroughadirtywindowintotheprintshopoftheWinesburgEagle。Elmerwasputtingnewshoelacesinhisshoes。Theydidnotgoinreadilyandhehadtotaketheshoesoff。Withtheshoesinhishandhesatlookingatalargeholeintheheelofoneofhisstockings。ThenlookingquicklyuphesawGeorgeWillard，theonlynewspa-
　　perreporterinWinesburg，standingatthebackdooroftheEagleprintshopandstaringabsentmindedlyabout。"Well，well，whatnext!"exclaimedtheyoungmanwiththeshoesinhishand，jumpingtohisfeetandcreepingawayfromthewindow。
　　AflushcreptintoElmerCowley'sfaceandhishandsbegantotremble。InCowley&Son'sstoreaJewishtravelingsalesmanstoodbythecountertalk-
　　ingtohisfather。Heimaginedthereportercouldhearwhatwasbeingsaidandthethoughtmadehimfurious。Withoneoftheshoesstillheldinhishandhestoodinacorneroftheshedandstampedwithastockingedfootupontheboardfloor。
　　Cowley&Son'sstoredidnotfacethemainstreetofWinesburg。ThefrontwasonMaumeeStreetandbeyonditwasVoight'swagonshopandashedfortheshelteringoffarmers'horses。Besidethestoreanalleywayranbehindthemainstreetstoresandalldaydraysanddeliverywagons，intentonbringinginandtakingoutgoods，passedupanddown。Thestoreitselfwasindescribable。WillHendersononcesaidofitthatitsoldeverythingandnothing。InthewindowfacingMaumeeStreetstoodachunkofcoalaslargeasanapplebarrel，toindicatethatordersforcoalweretaken，andbesidetheblackmassofthecoalstoodthreecombsofhoneygrownbrownanddirtyintheirwoodenframes。
　　Thehoneyhadstoodinthestorewindowforsixmonths。Itwasforsaleaswerealsothecoathang-
　　ers，patentsuspenderbuttons，cansofroofpaint，bottlesofrheumatismcure，andasubstituteforcof-
　　feethatcompanionedthehoneyinitspatientwill-
　　ingnesstoservethepublic。
　　EbenezerCowley，themanwhostoodinthestorelisteningtotheeagerpatterofwordsthatfellfromthelipsofthetravelingman，wastallandleanandlookedunwashed。Onhisscrawnyneckwasalargewenpartiallycoveredbyagreybeard。HeworealongPrinceAlbertcoat。Thecoathadbeenpur-
　　chasedtoserveasaweddinggarment。BeforehebecameamerchantEbenezerwasafarmerandafterhismarriageheworethePrinceAlbertcoattochurchonSundaysandonSaturdayafternoonswhenhecameintotowntotrade。Whenhesoldthefarmtobecomeamerchantheworethecoatconstantly。Ithadbecomebrownwithageandwascoveredwithgreasespots，butinitEbenezeralwaysfeltdressedupandreadyforthedayintown。
　　AsamerchantEbenezerwasnothappilyplacedinlifeandhehadnotbeenhappilyplacedasafarmer。Stillheexisted。Hisfamily，consistingofadaughternamedMabelandtheson，livedwithhiminroomsabovethestoreanditdidnotcostthemmuchtolive。Histroubleswerenotfinancial。Hisunhappinessasamerchantlayinthefactthatwhenatravelingmanwithwarestobesoldcameinatthefrontdoorhewasafraid。Behindthecounterhestoodshakinghishead。Hewasafraid，firstthathewouldstubbornlyrefusetobuyandthuslosetheopportunitytosellagain；secondthathewouldnotbestubbornenoughandwouldinamomentofweaknessbuywhatcouldnotbesold。
　　InthestoreonthemorningwhenElmerCowleysawGeorgeWillardstandingandapparentlylis-
　　teningatthebackdooroftheEagleprintshop，asituationhadarisenthatalwaysstirredtheson'swrath。ThetravelingmantalkedandEbenezerlis-
　　tened，hiswholefigureexpressinguncertainty。"Youseehowquicklyitisdone，"saidthetravelingman，whohadforsaleasmallflatmetalsubstituteforcollarbuttons。Withonehandhequicklyunfastenedacollarfromhisshirtandthenfasteneditonagain。
　　Heassumedaflatteringwheedlingtone。"Itellyouwhat，menhavecometotheendofallthisfoolingwithcollarbuttonsandyouarethemantomakemoneyoutofthechangethatiscoming。Iamoffer-
　　ingyoutheexclusiveagencyforthistown。TaketwentydozenofthesefastenersandI'llnotvisitanyotherstore。I'llleavethefieldtoyou。"
　　ThetravelingmanleanedoverthecounterandtappedwithhisfingeronEbenezer'sbreast。"It'sanopportunityandIwantyoutotakeit，"heurged。
　　"Afriendofminetoldmeaboutyou。'SeethatmanCowley，'hesaid。'He'saliveone。'"
　　Thetravelingmanpausedandwaited。Takingabookfromhispockethebeganwritingouttheorder。StillholdingtheshoeinhishandElmerCow-
　　leywentthroughthestore，pastthetwoabsorbedmen，toaglassshowcasenearthefrontdoor。Hetookacheaprevolverfromthecaseandbegantowaveitabout。"Yougetoutofhere!"heshrieked。
　　"Wedon'twantanycollarfastenershere。"Anideacametohim。"Mind，I'mnotmakinganythreat，"
　　headded。"Idon'tsayI'llshoot。MaybeIjusttookthisgunoutofthecasetolookatit。Butyoubettergetout。Yessir，I'llsaythat。Youbettergrabupyourthingsandgetout。"
　　Theyoungstorekeeper'svoicerosetoascreamandgoingbehindthecounterhebegantoadvanceuponthetwomen。"We'rethroughbeingfoolshere!"hecried。"Weain'tgoingtobuyanymorestuffuntilwebegintosell。Weain'tgoingtokeeponbeingqueerandhavefolksstaringandlistening。