Attheendoftwo,hewasdrinkingandinopenrebellion。
Hehadlearnedtodetesthiswife。Herwastefulnessandcrueltyrevoltedhim。Theignoranceandthefatuouscon—
ceitwhichlaybehindhergrimacingmaskofslangandridiculehumiliatedhimsodeeplythathebecameabsolutelyreckless。Hergracewasonlyanuneasywriggle,herauda—
citywastheresultofinsolenceandenvy,andherwitwasrestlessspite。Asherpersonalmannerismsgrewmoreandmoreodioustohim,hebegantodullhisperceptionswithchampagne。Hehaditfortea,hedrankitwithdinner,andduringtheeveninghetookenoughtoinsurethathewouldbewellinsulatedwhenhegothome。Thisbehaviorspreadalarmamonghisfriends。Itwasscandalous,anditdidnotoccuramongbrewers。HewasviolatingtheNOBLESSEOBLIGE
ofhisguild。Hisfatherandhisfather’spartnerslookedalarmed。
WhenFred’smotherwenttohimandwithclaspedhandsentreatedanexplanation,hetoldherthattheonlytroublewasthathecouldn’tholdenoughwinetomakelifeendur—
able,sohewasgoingtogetoutfromunderandenlistinthenavy。Hedidn’twantanythingbuttheshirtonhisbackandcleansaltair。Hismothercouldlookout;hewasgoingtomakeascandal。
Mrs。OttoOttenburgwenttoKansasCitytoseeMr。
Beers,andhadthesatisfactionoftellinghimthathehadbroughtuphisdaughterlikeasavage,EINEUNGEBILDETE。AlltheOttenburgsandalltheBeers,andmanyoftheirfriends,weredrawnintothequarrel。Itwastopublicopinion,how—
everandnottohismother’sactivities,thatFredowedhispartialescapefrombondage。ThecosmopolitanbrewingworldofSt。Louishadconservativestandards。TheOtten—
burgs’friendswerenotpredisposedinfavoroftheplungingKansasCityset,andtheydislikedyoungFred’swifefrom
thedaythatshewasbroughtamongthem。Theyfoundherignorantandill—bredandinsufferablyimpertinent。WhentheybecameawareofhowmattersweregoingbetweenherandFred,theyomittednoopportunitytosnubher。YoungFredhadalwaysbeenpopular,andSt。Louispeopletookuphiscausewithwarmth。Eventheyoungermen,amongwhomMrs。Fredtriedtodraftafollowing,atfirstavoidedandthenignoredher。Herdefeatwassoconspicuous,herlifebecamesuchadesert,thatsheatlastconsentedtoacceptthehouseinSantaBarbarawhichMrs。OttoOtten—
burghadlongownedandcherished。Thisvilla,withitsluxuriantgardens,wasthepriceofFred’sfurlough。Hismotherwasonlytoogladtoofferitinhisbehalf。AssoonashiswifewasestablishedinCalifornia,Fredwastrans—
ferredfromSt。LouistoChicago。
AdivorcewastheonethingEdithwouldnever,never,givehim。Shetoldhimso,andshetoldhisfamilyso,andherfatherstoodbehindher。Shewouldenterintonoarrangementthatmighteventuallyleadtodivorce。Shehadinsultedherhusbandbeforeguestsandservants,hadscratchedhisface,thrownhand—mirrorsandhairbrushesandnail—scissorsathimoftenenough,butsheknewthatFredwashardlythefellowwhowouldgointocourtandofferthatsortofevidence。Inherbehaviorwithothermenshewasdiscreet。
AfterFredwenttoChicago,hismothervisitedhimoften,anddroppedawordtoheroldfriendsthere,whowerealreadykindlydisposedtowardtheyoungman。Theygossipedaslittleaswascompatiblewiththeinteresttheyfelt,undertooktomakelifeagreeableforFred,andtoldhisstoryonlywheretheyfeltitwoulddogood:togirlswhoseemedtofindtheyoungbrewerattractive。Sofar,hehadbehavedwell,andhadkeptoutofentanglements。
SincehewastransferredtoChicago,Fredhadbeenabroadseveraltimes,andhadfallenmoreandmoreintothewayofgoingaboutamongyoungartists,——peoplewith
whompersonalrelationswereincidental。Withwomen,andevengirls,whohadcareerstofollow,ayoungmanmighthavepleasantfriendshipswithoutbeingregardedasapro—
spectivesuitororlover。Amongartistshispositionwasnotirregular,becausewiththemhismarriageablenesswasnotanissue。Histastes,hisenthusiasm,andhisagreeablepersonalitymadehimwelcome。
WithTheaKronborghehadallowedhimselfmorelib—
ertythanheusuallydidinhisfriendshipsorgallantrieswithyoungartists,becausesheseemedtohimdistinctlynotthemarryingkind。Sheimpressedhimasequippedtobeanartist,andtobenothingelse;alreadydirected,con—
centrated,formedastomentalhabit。Hewasgenerousandsympathetic,andshewaslonelyandneededfriendship;
neededcheerfulness。Shehadnotmuchpowerofreachingouttowardusefulpeopleorusefulexperiences,didnotseeopportunities。Shehadnotactaboutgoingaftergoodpositionsorenlistingtheinterestofinfluentialpersons。
Sheantagonizedpeopleratherthanconciliatedthem。Hediscoveredatoncethatshehadamerryside,arobusthumorthatwasdeepandhearty,likeherlaugh,butitsleptmostofthetimeunderherowndoubtsandthedull—
nessofherlife。Shehadnotwhatiscalleda"senseofhumor。"Thatis,shehadnointellectualhumor;nopowertoenjoytheabsurditiesofpeople,norelishoftheirpreten—
tiousnessandinconsistencies——whichonlydepressedher。
Butherjoviality,Fredfelt,wasanasset,andoughttobedeveloped。Hediscoveredthatshewasmorereceptiveandmoreeffectiveunderapleasantstimulusthanshewasunderthegraygrindwhichsheconsideredhersalvation。
ShewasstillMethodistenoughtobelievethatifathingwerehardandirksome,itmustbegoodforher。Andyet,whatevershedidwellwasspontaneous。Undertheleastglowofexcitement,asatMrs。Nathanmeyer’s,hehadseentheapprehensive,frowningdrudgeofBowers’sstudioflashintoaresourcefulandconsciouslybeautifulwoman。
HisinterestinTheawasserious,almostfromthefirst,andsosincerethathefeltnodistrustofhimself。Hebe—
lievedthatheknewagreatdealmoreaboutherpossibili—
tiesthanBowersknew,andhelikedtothinkthathehadgivenherastrongerholdonlife。Shehadneverseenher—
selforknownherselfasshedidatMrs。Nathanmeyer’smusicalevenings。Shehadbeenadifferentgirleversince。
Hehadnotanticipatedthatshewouldgrowmorefondofhimthanhisimmediateusefulnesswarranted。Hethoughtheknewthewaysofartists,and,ashesaid,shemusthavebeen"atitfromhercradle。"Hehadimagined,perhaps,butneverreallybelieved,thathewouldfindherwaitingforhimsometimeashefoundherwaitingonthedayhereachedtheBiltmerranch。Oncehefoundherso——
well,hedidnotpretendtobeanythingmoreorlessthanareasonablywell—intentionedyoungman。Alovesickgirloraflirtatiouswomanhecouldhavehandledeasilyenough。Butapersonalitylikethat,unconsciouslyreveal—
ingitselfforthefirsttimeundertheexaltationofaper—
sonalfeeling,——whatcouldonedobutwatchit?Asheusedtosaytohimself,inrecklessmomentsbackthereinthecanyon,"Youcan’tputoutasunrise。"Hehadtowatchit,andthenhehadtoshareit。
Besides,washereallygoingtodoheranyharm?TheLordknewhewouldmarryherifhecould!Marriagewouldbeanincident,notanendwithher;hewassureofthat。
Ifitwerenothe,itwouldbesomeoneelse;someonewhowouldbeaweightaboutherneck,probably;whowouldholdherbackandbeatherdownanddivertherfromthefirstplungeforwhichhefeltshewasgatheringallherener—
gies。Hemeanttohelpher,andhecouldnotthinkofanothermanwhowould。Hewentoverhisunmarriedfriends,EastandWest,andhecouldnotthinkofonewhowouldknowwhatshewasdrivingat——orcare。Thecleveroneswereselfish,thekindlyoneswerestupid。
"Damnit,ifshe’sgoingtofallinlovewithsomebody,it
hadbetterbemethananyoftheothers——ofthesortshe’dfind。Gethertiedupwithsomeconceitedasswho’dtrytomakeherover,trainherlikeapuppy!Giveoneof’emabignaturelikethat,andhe’dbehorrified。Hewouldn’tshowhisfaceintheclubsuntilhe’dgoneafterherandcombedherdowntoconformtosomefoolideainhisownhead——puttherebysomeotherwoman,too,hisfirstsweetheartorhisgrandmotheroramaidenaunt。Atleast,Iunderstandher。Iknowwhatsheneedsandwhereshe’sbound,andImeantoseethatshehasafightingchance。"
Hisownconductlookedcrooked,headmitted;butheaskedhimselfwhether,betweenmenandwomen,allwayswerenotmoreorlesscrooked。Hebelievedthosewhicharecalledstraightwerethemostdangerousofall。Theyseemedtohim,forthemostpart,toliebetweenwindowlessstonewalls,andtheirrectitudehadbeenachievedattheexpenseoflightandair。Intheirunquestionedregularitylurkedeverysortofhumancrueltyandmeanness,andeverykindofhumiliationandsuffering。Hewouldratherhaveanywomanhecaredforwoundedthancrushed。Hewoulddeceivehernotonce,hetoldhimselffiercely,butahundredtimes,tokeepherfree。
WhenFredwentbacktotheobservationcaratoneo’clock,aftertheluncheoncall,itwasempty,andhefoundTheaaloneontheplatform。Sheputoutherhand,andmethiseyes。
"It’sasIsaid。Thingshaveclosedbehindme。Ican’tgoback,soIamgoingon——toMexico?"Sheliftedherfacewithaneager,questioningsmile。
Fredmetitwithasinkingheart。Hadhereallyhopedshewouldgivehimanotheranswer?Hewouldhavegivenprettymuchanything——Butthere,thatdidnogood。Hecouldgiveonlywhathehad。Thingswerenevercompleteinthisworld;youhadtosnatchatthemastheycameorgo
without。Nobodycouldlookintoherfaceanddrawback,nobodywhohadanycourage。Shehadcourageenoughforanything——lookathermouthandchinandeyes!Wherediditcomefrom,thatlight?Howcouldaface,afamiliarface,becomesothepictureofhope,bepaintedwiththeverycolorsofyouth’sexaltation?Shewasright;shewasnotoneofthosewhodrawback。Somepeoplegetonbyavoidingdangers,othersbyridingthroughthem。
Theystoodbytherailinglookingbackatthesandlevels,bothfeelingthatthetrainwassteamingaheadveryfast。
Fred’smindwasaconfusionofimagesandideas。Onlytwothingswerecleartohim:theforceofherdetermination,andthebeliefthat,handicappedashewas,hecoulddobetterbyherthananothermanwoulddo。Heknewhewouldalwaysrememberher,standingtherewiththatex—
pectant,forward—lookingsmile,enoughtoturnthefutureintosummer。
EndofPartIV
PARTV
DR。ARCHIE’SVENTURE
I
DR。HOWARDARCHIEhadcomedowntoDenverforameetingofthestockholdersintheSanFelipesilvermine。Itwasnotabsolutelynecessaryforhimtocome,buthehadnoverypressingcasesathome。WinterwasclosingdowninMoonstone,andhedreadedthedull—
nessofit。Onthe10thdayofJanuary,therefore,hewasregisteredattheBrownPalaceHotel。Onthemorningofthe11thhecamedowntobreakfasttofindthestreetswhiteandtheairthickwithsnow。Awildnorthwesterwasblowingdownfromthemountains,oneofthosebeautifulstormsthatwrapDenverindry,furrysnow,andmakethecityaloadstonetothousandsofmeninthemountainsandontheplains。Thebrakemenoutontheirbox—cars,theminersupintheirdiggings,thelonelyhomesteadersinthesandhillsofYuccaandKitCarsonCounties,begintothinkofDenver,muffledinsnow,fulloffoodanddrinkandgoodcheer,andtoyearnforherwiththatadmirationwhichmakesher,morethanotherAmericancities,anobjectofsentiment。
HowardArchiewasgladhehadgotinbeforethestormcame。Hefeltascheerfulasifhehadreceivedalegacythatmorning,andhegreetedtheclerkwithevengreaterfriendlinessthanusualwhenhestoppedatthedeskforhismail。Inthedining—roomhefoundseveraloldfriendsseatedhereandtherebeforesubstantialbreakfasts:cattle—
menandminingengineersfromoddcornersoftheState,alllookingfreshandwellpleasedwiththemselves。Hehad
awordwithoneandanotherbeforehesatdownatthelittletablebyawindow,wheretheAustrianheadwaiterstoodattentivelybehindachair。Afterhisbreakfastwasputbeforehim,thedoctorbegantorunoverhisletters。TherewasonedirectedinTheaKronborg’shandwriting,for—
wardedfromMoonstone。Hesawwithastonishment,asheputanotherlumpofsugarintohiscup,thatthisletterboreaNewYorkpostmark。HehadknownthatTheawasinMexico,travelingwithsomeChicagopeople,butNewYork,toaDenverman,seemsmuchfartherawaythanMexicoCity。Heputtheletterbehindhisplate,uprightagainstthestemofhiswatergoblet,andlookedatitthoughtfullywhilehedrankhissecondcupofcoffee。HehadbeenalittleanxiousaboutThea;shehadnotwrittentohimforalongwhile。
Ashenevergotgoodcoffeeathome,thedoctoralwaysdrankthreecupsforbreakfastwhenhewasinDenver。
Oscarknewjustwhentobringhimasecondpot,freshandsmoking。"Andmorecream,Oscar,please。YouknowI
likelotsofcream,"thedoctormurmured,asheopenedthesquareenvelope,markedintheupperright—handcor—
ner,"EverettHouse,UnionSquare。"Thetextoftheletterwasasfollows:——
DEARDOCTORARCHIE:——
Ihavenotwrittentoyouforalongtime,butithasnotbeenunintentional。Icouldnotwriteyoufrankly,andsoIwouldnotwriteatall。Icanbefrankwithyounow,butnotbyletter。Itisagreatdealtoask,butIwonderifyoucouldcometoNewYorktohelpmeout?Ihavegotintodifficulties,andIneedyouradvice。Ineedyourfriendship。
IamafraidImustevenaskyoutolendmemoney,ifyoucanwithoutseriousinconvenience。IhavetogotoGer—
manytostudy,anditcan’tbeputoffanylonger。Myvoiceisready。Needlesstosay,Idon’twantanywordofthistoreachmyfamily。TheyarethelastpeopleIwouldturnto,
thoughIlovemymotherdearly。Ifyoucancome,pleasetelegraphmeatthishotel。Don’tdespairofme。I’llmakeituptoyouyet。
Youroldfriend,THEAKRONBORG。
Thisinabold,jaggedhandwritingwithaGothicturntotheletters,——somethingbetweenahighlysophisticatedhandandaveryunsophisticatedone,——notintheleastsmoothorflowing。
Thedoctorbitofftheendofacigarnervouslyandreadtheletterthroughagain,fumblingdistractedlyinhispock—
etsformatches,whilethewaiterkepttryingtocallhisattentiontotheboxhehadjustplacedbeforehim。AtlastOscarcameout,asiftheideahadjuststruckhim,"Matches,sir?"
"Yes,thankyou。"Thedoctorslippedacoinintohispalmandrose,crumplingThea’sletterinhishandandthrustingtheothersintohispocketunopened。Hewentbacktothedeskinthelobbyandbeckonedtotheclerk,uponwhosekindnesshethrewhimselfapologetically。
"Harry,I’vegottopulloutunexpectedly。CalluptheBurlington,willyou,andaskthemtoroutemetoNewYorkthequickestway,andtoletusknow。AskforthehourI’llgetin。Ihavetowire。"
"Certainly,Dr。Archie。Haveitforyouinaminute。"
Theyoungman’spallid,clean—scrapedfacewasallsympa—
theticinterestashereachedforthetelephone。Dr。Archieputouthishandandstoppedhim。
"Waitaminute。Tellme,first,isCaptainHarrisdownyet?"
"No,sir。TheCaptainhasn’tcomedownyetthismorning。"
"I’llwaithereforhim。IfIdon’thappentocatchhim,nailhimandgetme。Thankyou,Harry。"
Thedoctorspokegratefullyandturnedaway。Hebegan
topacethelobby,hishandsbehindhim,watchingthebronzeelevatordoorslikeahawk。AtlastCaptainHarrisissuedfromoneofthem,tallandimposing,wearingaStetsonandfiercemustaches,afurcoatonhisarm,asoli—
taireglitteringuponhislittlefingerandanotherinhisblacksatinascot。Hewasoneofthegrandoldbluffersofthosegoodolddays。Asgullibleasaschoolboy,hehadmanaged,withhissharpeyeandknowingairandtwistedblondmustaches,topasshimselfoffforanastutefinancier,andtheDenverpapersrespectfullyreferredtohimastheRothschildofCrippleCreek。
Dr。ArchiestoppedtheCaptainonhiswaytobreakfast。
"Mustseeyouaminute,Captain。Can’twait。WanttosellyousomesharesintheSanFelipe。Gottoraisemoney。"
TheCaptaingrandlybestowedhishatuponaneagerporterwhohadalreadyliftedhisfurcoattenderlyfromhisarmandstoodnursingit。Inremovinghishat,theCap—
tainexposedabald,flusheddome,thatchedabouttheearswithyellowishgrayhair。"Badtimetosell,doctor。YouwanttoholdontoSanFelipe,andbuymore。Whathaveyougottoraise?"
"Oh,notagreatsum。Fiveorsixthousand。I’vebeenbuyingupcloseandhaverunshort。"
"Isee,Isee。Well,doctor,you’llhavetoletmegetthroughthatdoor。Iwasoutlastnight,andI’mgoingtogetmybacon,ifyouloseyourmine。"HeclappedArchieontheshoulderandpushedhimalonginfrontofhim。
"Comeaheadwithme,andwe’lltalkbusiness。"
Dr。ArchieattendedtheCaptainandwaitedwhilehegavehisorder,takingtheseattheoldpromoterindi—
cated。
"Now,sir,"theCaptainturnedtohim,"youdon’twanttosellanything。YoumustbeundertheimpressionthatI’moneofthesedamnedNewEnglandsharksthatgettheirpoundoffleshoffthewidowandorphan。Ifyou’rea
littleshort,signanoteandI’llwriteacheck。That’sthewaygentlemendobusiness。IfyouwanttoputupsomeSanFelipeascollateral,lethergo,butIshan’ttouchashareofit。Pensandink,please,Oscar,"——heliftedalargeforefingertotheAustrian。
TheCaptaintookouthischeckbookandabookofblanknotes,andadjustedhisnose—nippers。HewroteafewwordsinonebookandArchiewroteafewintheother。Thentheyeachtoreacrossperforationsandexchangedslipsofpaper。
"That’stheway。Savesofficerent,"theCaptaincom—
mentedwithsatisfaction,returningthebookstohispocket。
"Andnow,Archie,whereareyouoffto?"
"GottogoEastto—night。AdealwaitingformeinNewYork。"Dr。Archierose。
TheCaptain’sfacebrightenedashesawOscarapproach—
ingwithatray,andhebegantuckingthecornerofhisnapkininsidehiscollar,overhisascot。"Don’tletthemunloadanythingonyoubackthere,doctor,"hesaidgen—
ially,"anddon’tletthemrelieveyouofanything,either。
Don’tletthemgetanyCripplestuffoffyou。Wecanman—
ageourownsilverouthere,andwe’regoingtotakeitoutbytheton,sir!"
Thedoctorleftthedining—room,andafteranothercon—
sultationwiththeclerk,hewrotehisfirsttelegramtoThea:——
MissTheaKronborg,EverettHouse,NewYork。
Willcallatyourhoteleleveno’clockFridaymorning。
Gladtocome。Thankyou。
ARCHIE
Hestoodandheardthemessageactuallyclickedoffonthewire,withthefeelingthatshewashearingtheclickattheotherend。Thenhesatdowninthelobbyandwrotea
notetohiswifeandonetotheotherdoctorinMoonstone。
Whenheatlastissuedoutintothestorm,itwaswithafeelingofelationratherthanofanxiety。Whateverwaswrong,hecouldmakeitright。Herletterhadpracticallysaidso。
Hetrampedaboutthesnowystreets,fromthebanktotheUnionStation,whereheshovedhismoneyunderthegratingoftheticketwindowasifhecouldnotgetridofitfastenough。HehadneverbeeninNewYork,neverbeenfarthereastthanBuffalo。"That’sratherashame,"hereflectedboyishlyasheputthelongticketsinhispocket,"foramannearlyfortyyearsold。"However,hethoughtashewalkeduptowardtheclub,hewasonthewholegladthathisfirsttriphadahumaninterest,thathewasgoingforsomething,andbecausehewaswanted。Helovedholi—
days。HefeltasifheweregoingtoGermanyhimself。
"Queer,"——hewentoveritwiththesnowblowinginhisface,——"butthatsortofthingismoreinterestingthanminesandmakingyourdailybread。It’sworthpayingouttobeinonit,——forafellowlikeme。Andwhenit’sThea——Oh,Ibackher!"helaughedaloudasheburstinatthedooroftheAthleticClub,powderedwithsnow。
ArchiesatdownbeforetheNewYorkpapersandranovertheadvertisementsofhotels,buthewastoorestlesstoread。Probablyhehadbettergetanewovercoat,andhewasnotsureabouttheshapeofhiscollars。"Idon’twanttolookdifferenttoherfromeverybodyelsethere,"
hemused。"IguessI’llgodownandhaveVanlookmeover。He’llputmeright。"
Soheplungedoutintothesnowagainandstartedforhistailor’s。Whenhepassedaflorist’sshophestoppedandlookedinatthewindow,smiling;hownaturallypleasantthingsrecalledoneanother。Atthetailor’shekeptwhis—
tling,"Flowgently,SweetAfton,"whileVanDusenad—
visedhim,untilthatresourcefultailorandhaberdasherexclaimed,"Youmusthaveadatebackthere,doctor;you
behavelikeabridegroom,"andmadehimrememberthathewasn’tone。
Beforehelethimgo,VanputhisfingerontheMasonicpininhisclient’slapel。"Mustn’twearthat,doctor。Verybadformbackthere。"
II
FREDOTTENBURG,smartlydressedfortheafter—
noon,withalongblackcoatandgaiterswassittinginthedustyparloroftheEverettHouse。Hismannerwasnotinaccordwithhispersonalfreshness,thegoodlinesofhisclothes,andtheshiningsmoothnessofhishair。Hisattitudewasoneofdeepdejection,andhisface,thoughithadthecool,unimpeachablefairnesspossibleonlytoaveryblondyoungman,wasbynomeanshappy。Apageshuffledintotheroomandlookedabout。Whenhemadeoutthedarkfigureinashadowycorner,tracingoverthecarpetpatternwithacane,hedroned,"Theladysaysyoucancomeup,sir。"
Fredpickeduphishatandglovesandfollowedthecrea—
ture,whoseemedanagedboyinuniform,throughdarkcorridorsthatsmelledofoldcarpets。ThepageknockedatthedoorofThea’ssitting—room,andthenwanderedaway。Theacametothedoorwithatelegraminherhand。
SheaskedOttenburgtocomeinandpointedtooneoftheclumsy,sullen—lookingchairsthatwereasthickastheywerehigh。Theroomwasbrownwithtime,darkinspiteoftwowindowsthatopenedonUnionSquare,withdullcurtainsandcarpet,andheavy,respectable—lookingfurni—
tureinsombercolors。Theplacewassavedfromutterdis—
malnessbyacoalfireundertheblackmarblemantelpiece,——brilliantlyreflectedinalongmirrorthathungbetweenthetwowindows。ThiswasthefirsttimeFredhadseentheroom,andhetookitinquickly,asheputdownhishatandgloves。
Theaseatedherselfatthewalnutwriting—desk,stillholdingtheslipofyellowpaper。"Dr。Archieiscoming,"
shesaid。"HewillbehereFridaymorning。"
第26章