WhenhewenttoDenverortoChicago,hedriftedaboutincarelesscompanywheregayetyandgood—humorcanbebought,notbecausehehadanytasteforsuchsociety,butbecausehehonestlybelievedthatanythingwasbetterthandivorce。Heoftentoldhimselfthat"hangingandwivinggobydestiny。"Ifwivingwentbadlywithaman,——anditdidoftenerthannot,——thenhemustdothebesthecouldtokeepupappearancesandhelpthetraditionofdomestichappinessalong。TheMoonstonegossips,as—
sembledinMrs。Smiley’smillineryandnotionstore,oftendiscussedDr。Archie’spolitenesstohiswife,andhispleas—
antmannerofspeakingabouther。"Nobodyhasevergotathingoutofhimyet,"theyagreed。Anditwascertainlynotbecausenoonehadevertried。
WhenhewasdowninDenver,feelingalittlejolly,Archiecouldforgethowunhappyhewasathome,andcouldevenmakehimselfbelievethathemissedhiswife。Healwaysboughtherpresents,andwouldhavelikedtosendherflowersifshehadnotrepeatedlytoldhimnevertosendheranythingbutbulbs,——whichdidnotappealtohiminhisexpansivemoments。AttheDenverAthleticClubban—
quets,oratdinnerwithhiscolleaguesattheBrownPalaceHotel,hesometimesspokesentimentallyabout"littleMrs。Archie,"andhealwaysdrankthetoast"toourwives,Godblessthem!"withgusto。
ThedeterminingfactoraboutDr。Archiewasthathewasromantic。HehadmarriedBelleWhitebecausehewasromantic——tooromantictoknowanythingaboutwomen,exceptwhathewishedthemtobe,ortorepulseaprettygirlwhohadsethercapforhim。Atmedicalschool,thoughhewasaratherwildboyinbehavior,hehadalwaysdis—
likedcoarsejokesandvulgarstories。InhisoldFlint’sPhysiologytherewasstillapoemhehadpastedtherewhen
hewasastudent;someversesbyDr。OliverWendellHolmesabouttheidealsofthemedicalprofession。Aftersomuchandsuchdisillusioningexperiencewithit,hestillhadaromanticfeelingaboutthehumanbody;asensethatfinerthingsdweltinitthancouldbeexplainedbyanatomy。
Heneverjestedaboutbirthordeathormarriage,anddidnotliketohearotherdoctorsdoit。Hewasagoodnurse,andhadareverenceforthebodiesofwomenandchildren。
Whenhewastendingthem,onesawhimathisbest。Thenhisconstraintandself—consciousnessfellawayfromhim。
Hewaseasy,gentle,competent,masterofhimselfandofotherpeople。Thentheidealistinhimwasnotafraidofbeingdiscoveredandridiculed。
Inhistastes,too,thedoctorwasromantic。ThoughhereadBalzacalltheyearthrough,hestillenjoyedtheWaverleyNovelsasmuchaswhenhehadfirstcomeuponthem,inthickleather—boundvolumes,inhisgrandfather’slibrary。HenearlyalwaysreadScottonChristmasandholidays,becauseitbroughtbackthepleasuresofhisboy—
hoodsovividly。HelikedScott’swomen。ConstancedeBeverleyandtheminstrelgirlin"TheFairMaidofPerth,"nottheDuchessedeLangeais,werehisheroines。
Butbetterthananythingthatevergotfromtheheartofamanintoprinter’sink,helovedthepoetryofRobertBurns。"DeathandDr。Hornbook"and"TheJollyBeg—
gars,"Burns’s"ReplytohisTailor,"heoftenreadaloudtohimselfinhisoffice,lateatnight,afteraglassofhottoddy。
Heusedtoread"Tamo’Shanter"toTheaKronborg,andhegothersomeofthesongs,settotheoldairsforwhichtheywerewritten。Helovedtohearhersingthem。Some—
timeswhenshesang,"Oh,wertthouinthecauldblast,"
thedoctorandevenMr。Kronborgjoinedin。Theanevermindedifpeoplecouldnotsing;shedirectedthemwithherheadandsomehowcarriedthemalong。Whenherfathergotoffthepitchsheletherownvoiceoutandcoveredhim。
XIII
AtthebeginningofJune,whenschoolclosed,TheahadtoldWunschthatshedidn’tknowhowmuchprac—
ticingshecouldgetinthissummerbecauseThorhadhisworstteethstilltocut。
"MyGod!alllastsummerhewasdoingthat!"Wunschexclaimedfuriously。
"Iknow,butittakesthemtwoyears,andThorisslow,"
Theaansweredreprovingly。
Thesummerwentwellbeyondherhopes,however。Shetoldherselfthatitwasthebestsummerofherlife,sofar。
Nobodywassickathome,andherlessonswereuninter—
rupted。Nowthatshehadfourpupilsofherownandmadeadollaraweek,herpracticingwasregardedmoreseriouslybythehousehold。Hermotherhadalwaysarrangedthingssothatshecouldhavetheparlorfourhoursadayinsum—
mer。Thorprovedafriendlyally。Hebehavedhandsomelyabouthismolars,andneverobjectedtobeingpulledoffintoremoteplacesinhiscart。WhenTheadraggedhimoverthehillandmadeacampundertheshadeofabushorabank,hewouldwaddleaboutandplaywithhisblocks,orburyhismonkeyinthesandanddighimupagain。
Sometimeshegotintothecactusandsetupahowl,butusuallyhelethissisterreadpeacefully,whilehecoatedhishandsandface,firstwithanall—daysuckerandthenwithgravel。
LifewaspleasantanduneventfuluntilthefirstofSep—
tember,whenWunschbegantodrinksohardthathewasunabletoappearwhenTheawenttotakehermid—weeklesson,andMrs。Kohlerhadtosendherhomeafteratear—
fulapology。OnSaturdaymorningshesetoutfortheKohlers’again,butonherway,whenshewascrossingthe
ravine,shenoticedawomansittingatthebottomofthegulch,undertherailroadtrestle。SheturnedfromherpathandsawthatitwasMrs。Tellamantez,andsheseemedtobedoingdrawn—work。ThenTheanoticedthattherewassomethingbesideher,coveredupwithapurpleandyellowMexicanblanket。SheranupthegulchandcalledtoMrs。
Tellamantez。TheMexicanwomanheldupawarningfinger。
Theaglancedattheblanketandrecognizedasquareredhandwhichprotruded。Themiddlefingertwitchedslightly。
"Ishehurt?"shegasped。
Mrs。Tellamantezshookherhead。"No;verysick。Heknowsnothing,"shesaidquietly,foldingherhandsoverherdrawn—work。
ThealearnedthatWunschhadbeenoutallnight,thatthismorningMrs。Kohlerhadgonetolookforhimandfoundhimunderthetrestlecoveredwithdirtandcinders。
Probablyhehadbeentryingtogethomeandhadlosthisway。Mrs。Tellamantezwaswatchingbesidetheuncon—
sciousmanwhileMrs。KohlerandJohnnywenttogethelp。
"Youbettergohomenow,Ithink,"saidMrs。Tella—
mantez,inclosinghernarration。
Theahungherheadandlookedwistfullytowardtheblanket。
"Couldn’tIjuststaytilltheycome?"sheasked。"I’dliketoknowifhe’sverybad。"
"Badenough,"sighedMrs。Tellamantez,takingupherworkagain。
TheasatdownunderthenarrowshadeofoneofthetrestlepostsandlistenedtothelocustsraspinginthehotsandwhileshewatchedMrs。Tellamantezevenlydrawherthreads。Theblanketlookedasifitwereoveraheapofbricks。
"Idon’tseehimbreathingany,"shesaidanxiously。
"Yes,hebreathes,"saidMrs。Tellamantez,notliftinghereyes。
ItseemedtoTheathattheywaitedforhours。Atlast
theyheardvoices,andapartyofmencamedownthehillandupthegulch。Dr。ArchieandFritzKohlercamefirst;behindwereJohnnyandRay,andseveralmenfromtheroundhouse。Rayhadthecanvaslitterthatwaskeptatthedepotforaccidentsontheroad。Behindthemtrailedhalfadozenboyswhohadbeenhangingroundthedepot。
WhenRaysawThea,hedroppedhiscanvasrollandhurriedforward。"Betterrunalonghome,Thee。Thisisuglybusiness。"RaywasindignantthatanybodywhogaveTheamusiclessonsshouldbehaveinsuchamanner。
Thearesentedbothhisproprietarytoneandhissuperiorvirtue。"Iwon’t。Iwanttoknowhowbadheis。I’mnotababy!"sheexclaimedindignantly,stampingherfootintothesand。
Dr。Archie,whohadbeenkneelingbytheblanket,gotupandcametowardThea,dustinghisknees。Hesmiledandnoddedconfidentially。"He’llbeallrightwhenwegethimhome。Buthewouldn’twantyoutoseehimlikethis,pooroldchap!Understand?Now,skip!"
Thearandownthegulchandlookedbackonlyonce,toseethemliftingthecanvaslitterwithWunschuponit,stillcoveredwiththeblanket。
ThemencarriedWunschupthehillanddowntheroadtotheKohlers’。Mrs。Kohlerhadgonehomeandmadeupabedinthesitting—room,assheknewthelittercouldnotbegotroundtheturninthenarrowstairway。Wunschwaslikeadeadman。Helayunconsciousallday。RayKen—
nedystayedwithhimtilltwoo’clockintheafternoon,whenhehadtogooutonhisrun。ItwasthefirsttimehehadeverbeeninsidetheKohlers’house,andhewassomuchimpressedbyNapoleonthatthepiece—pictureformedanewbondbetweenhimandThea。
Dr。Archiewentbackatsixo’clock,andfoundMrs。
KohlerandSpanishJohnnywithWunsch,whowasinahighfever,mutteringandgroaning。
"Thereoughttobesomeoneheretolookafterhim
to—night,Mrs。Kohler,"hesaid。"I’monaconfinementcase,andIcan’tbehere,butthereoughttobesomebody。
Hemaygetviolent。"
Mrs。KohlerinsistedthatshecouldalwaysdoanythingwithWunsch,butthedoctorshookhisheadandSpanishJohnnygrinned。Hesaidhewouldstay。Thedoctorlaughedathim。"Tenfellowslikeyoucouldn’tholdhim,Spanish,ifhegotobstreperous;anIrishmanwouldhavehishandsfull。GuessI’dbetterputthesoftpedalonhim。"
Hepulledouthishypodermic。
SpanishJohnnystayed,however,andtheKohlerswenttobed。Atabouttwoo’clockinthemorningWunschrosefromhisignominiouscot。Johnny,whowasdozingonthelounge,awoketofindtheGermanstandinginthemiddleoftheroominhisundershirtanddrawers,hisarmsbare,hisheavybodyseemingtwiceitsnaturalgirth。Hisfacewassnarlingandsavage,andhiseyeswerecrazy。Hehadrisentoavengehimself,towipeouthisshame,todestroyhisenemy。OnelookwasenoughforJohnny。Wunschraisedachairthreateningly,andJohnny,withthelightnessofaPICADOR,dartedunderthemissileandoutoftheopenwin—
dow。Heshotacrossthegullytogethelp,meanwhileleav—
ingtheKohlerstotheirfate。
Fritz,upstairs,heardthechaircrashuponthestove。
Thenhehearddoorsopeningandshutting,andsomeonestumblingaboutintheshrubberyofthegarden。HeandPaulinasatupinbedandheldaconsultation。Fritzslippedfromunderthecovers,andgoingcautiouslyovertothewindow,pokedouthishead。Thenherushedtothedoorandboltedit。
"MEINGOTT,Paulina,"hegasped,"hehastheaxe,hewillkillus!"
"Thedresser,"criedMrs。Kohler;"pushthedresserbeforethedoor。ACH,ifyouhadyourrabbitgun,now!"
"Itisinthebarn,"saidFritzsadly。"Itwoulddonogood;hewouldnotbeafraidofanythingnow。Stayyouin
thebed,Paulina。"Thedresserhadlostitscastersyearsago,buthemanagedtodragitinfrontofthedoor。"Heisinthegarden。Hemakesnothing。Hewillgetsickagain,may—be。"
Fritzwentbacktobedandhiswifepulledthequiltoverhimandmadehimliedown。Theyheardstumblinginthegardenagain,thenasmashofglass。
"ACH,DASMISTBEET!"gaspedPaulina,hearingherhot—
bedshivered。"Thepoorsoul,Fritz,hewillcuthimself。
ACH!whatisthat?"Theybothsatupinbed。"WIEDER!
ACH,Whatishedoing?"
Thenoisecamesteadily,asoundofchopping。Paulinatoreoffhernight—cap。DIEBAUME,DIEBAUME!Heiscut—
tingourtrees,Fritz!"Beforeherhusbandcouldpreventher,shehadsprungfromthebedandrushedtothewin—
dow。"DERTAUBENSCHLAG!GERECHTERHIMMEL,heischoppingthedove—housedown!"
Fritzreachedhersidebeforeshehadgotherbreathagain,andpokedhisheadoutbesidehers。There,inthefaintstarlight,theysawabulkyman,barefoot,halfdressed,choppingawayatthewhitepostthatformedthepedestalofthedove—house。Thestartledpigeonswerecroakingandflyingabouthishead,evenbeatingtheirwingsinhisface,sothathestruckatthemfuriouslywiththeaxe。Inafewsecondstherewasacrash,andWunschhadactuallyfelledthedove—house。
"Oh,ifonlyitisnotthetreesnext!"prayedPaulina。
"Thedove—houseyoucanmakenewagain,butnotDIE
BAUME。"
Theywatchedbreathlessly。InthegardenbelowWunschstoodintheattitudeofawoodman,contemplatingthefallencote。Suddenlyhethrewtheaxeoverhisshoulderandwentoutofthefrontgatetowardthetown。
"Thepoorsoul,hewillmeethisdeath!"Mrs。Kohlerwailed。Sheranbacktoherfeatherbedandhidherfaceinthepillow。
Fritzkeptwatchatthewindow。"No,no,Paulina,"hecalledpresently;"Iseelanternscoming。Johnnymusthavegoneforsomebody。Yes,fourlanterns,comingalongthegulch。Theystop;theymusthaveseenhimalready。
NowtheyareunderthehillandIcannotseethem,butI
thinktheyhavehim。Theywillbringhimback。Imustdressandgodown。"Hecaughthistrousersandbeganpullingthemonbythewindow。"Yes,heretheycome,halfadozenmen。Andtheyhavetiedhimwitharope,Paulina!"
"ACH,thepoorman!Tobeledlikeacow,"groanedMrs。Kohler。"Oh,itisgoodthathehasnowife!"ShewasreproachingherselffornaggingFritzwhenhedrankhimselfintofoolishpleasantryormildsulks,andfeltthatshehadneverbeforeappreciatedherblessings。
Wunschwasinbedfortendays,duringwhichtimehewasgossipedaboutandevenpreachedaboutinMoonstone。
TheBaptistpreachertookashotatthefallenmanfromhispulpit,Mrs。LiveryJohnsonnoddingapprovinglyfromherpew。ThemothersofWunsch’spupilssenthimnotesinforminghimthattheirdaughterswoulddiscontinuetheirmusic—lessons。Theoldmaidwhohadrentedhimherpianosentthetowndrayforhercontaminatedinstrument,andeverafterwarddeclaredthatWunschhadruineditstoneandscarreditsglossyfinish。TheKohlerswereunre—
mittingintheirkindnesstotheirfriend。Mrs。Kohlermadehimsoupsandbrothswithoutstint,andFritzrepairedthedove—houseandmounteditonanewpost,lestitmightbeasadreminder。
AssoonasWunschwasstrongenoughtositaboutinhisslippersandwaddedjacket,hetoldFritztobringhimsomestoutthreadfromtheshop。WhenFritzaskedwhathewasgoingtosew,heproducedthetatteredscoreof"Orpheus"andsaidhewouldliketofixitupforalittlepresent。Fritzcarrieditovertotheshopandstitchedit
intopasteboards,coveredwithdarksuiting—cloth。Overthestitcheshegluedastripofthinredleatherwhichhegotfromhisfriend,theharness—maker。AfterPaulinahadcleanedthepageswithfreshbread,Wunschwasamazedtoseewhatafinebookhehad。Itopenedstiffly,butthatwasnomatter。
Sittinginthearboronemorning,undertheripegrapesandthebrown,curlingleaves,withapenandinkonthebenchbesidehimandtheGluckscoreonhisknee,Wunschponderedforalongwhile。Severaltimeshedippedthepenintheink,andthenputitbackagaininthecigarboxinwhichMrs。Kohlerkeptherwritingutensils。Histhoughtswanderedoverawideterritory;overmanycountriesandmanyyears。Therewasnoorderorlogicalsequenceinhisideas。Picturescameandwentwithoutreason。Faces,mountains,rivers,autumndaysinothervineyardsfaraway。HethoughtofaFUSZREISEhehadmadethroughtheHartzMountainsinhisstudentdays;oftheinnkeeper’sprettydaughterwhohadlightedhispipeforhiminthegardenonesummerevening,ofthewoodsaboveWiesba—
den,haymakersonanislandintheriver。Theround—
housewhistlewokehimfromhisreveries。Ah,yes,hewasinMoonstone,Colorado。Hefrownedforamomentandlookedatthebookonhisknee。Hehadthoughtofagreatmanyappropriatethingstowriteinit,butsuddenlyherejectedallofthem,openedthebook,andatthetopofthemuch—engravedtitle—pagehewroterapidlyinpurpleink:——
EINST,OWUNDER!——
A。WUNSCH。
MOONSTONE,COLO。
SEPTEMBER30,18——
NobodyinMoonstoneeverfoundwhatWunsch’sfirstnamewas。That"A"mayhavestoodforAdam,orAugust,orevenAmadeus;hegotveryangryifanyoneaskedhim。
HeremainedA。Wunschtotheendofhischapterthere。
WhenhepresentedthisscoretoThea,hetoldherthatintenyearsshewouldeitherknowwhattheinscriptionmeant,orshewouldnothavetheleastidea,inwhichcaseitwouldnotmatter。
WhenWunschbegantopackhistrunk,boththeKohlerswereveryunhappy。Hesaidhewascomingbacksomeday,butthatforthepresent,sincehehadlostallhispupils,itwouldbebetterforhimtotrysome"newtown。"
Mrs。Kohlerdarnedandmendedallhisclothes,andgavehimtwonewshirtsshehadmadeforFritz。Fritzmadehimanewpairoftrousersandwouldhavemadehimanovercoatbutforthefactthatovercoatsweresoeasytopawn。
WunschwouldnotgoacrosstheravinetothetownuntilhewenttotakethemorningtrainforDenver。HesaidthatafterhegottoDenverhewould"lookaround。"HeleftMoonstoneonebrightOctobermorning,withouttellinganyonegood—bye。Heboughthisticketandwentdirectlyintothesmoking—car。Whenthetrainwasbeginningtopullout,heheardhisnamecalledfrantically,andlookingoutofthewindowhesawTheaKronborgstandingonthesiding,bareheadedandpanting。SomeboyshadbroughtwordtoschoolthattheysawWunsch’strunkgoingovertothestation,andTheahadrunawayfromschool。Shewasattheendofthestationplatform,herhairintwobraids,herblueginghamdresswettothekneesbecauseshehadrunacrosslotsthroughtheweeds。Ithadraineddur—
ingthenight,andthetallsunflowersbehindherwerefreshandshining。
"Good—bye,HerrWunsch,good—bye!"shecalledwavingtohim。
Hethrusthisheadoutatthecarwindowandcalledback,"LEBENSIEWOHL,LEBENSIEWOHL,MEINKIND!"Hewatchedheruntilthetrainsweptaroundthecurvebe—
yondtheroundhouse,andthensankbackintohisseat,
muttering,"Shehadbeenrunning。Ah,shewillrunalongway;theycannotstopher!"
Whatwasitaboutthechildthatonebelievedin?Wasitherdoggedindustry,sounusualinthisfree—and—easycountry?Wasitherimagination?Morelikelyitwasbe—
causeshehadbothimaginationandastubbornwill,curi—
ouslybalancingandinterpenetratingeachother。Therewassomethingunconsciousandunawakenedabouther,thattemptedcuriosity。Shehadakindofseriousnessthathehadnotmetwithinapupilbefore。Shehateddifficultthings,andyetshecouldneverpassoneby。
Theyseemedtochallengeher;shehadnopeaceuntilshemasteredthem。Shehadthepowertomakeagreateffort,toliftaweightheavierthanherself。Wunschhopedhewouldalwaysrememberherasshestoodbythetrack,lookingupathim;herbroadeagerface,sofairincolor,withitshighcheek—bones,yelloweyebrowsandgreenish—
hazeleyes。Itwasafacefulloflightandenergy,oftheunquestioninghopefulnessoffirstyouth。Yes,shewaslikeaflowerfullofsun,butnotthesoftGermanflowersofhischildhood。Hehaditnow,thecomparisonhehadab—
sentlyreachedforbefore:shewasliketheyellowprickly—
pearblossomsthatopenthereinthedesert;thornierandsturdierthanthemaidenflowersheremembered;notsosweet,butwonderful。
ThatnightMrs。Kohlerbrushedawaymanyatearasshegotsupperandsetthetablefortwo。Whentheysatdown,Fritzwasmoresilentthanusual。Peoplewhohavelivedlongtogetherneedathirdattable:theyknoweachother’sthoughtssowellthattheyhavenothinglefttosay。
Mrs。Kohlerstirredandstirredhercoffeeandclatteredthespoon,butshehadnoheartforhersupper。Shefelt,forthefirsttimeinyears,thatshewastiredofherowncook—
ing。Shelookedacrosstheglasslampatherhusbandandaskedhimifthebutcherlikedhisnewovercoat,and
whetherhehadgottheshouldersrightinaready—madesuithewaspatchingoverforRayKennedy。Aftersup—
perFritzofferedtowipethedishesforher,butshetoldhimtogoabouthisbusiness,andnottoactasifsheweresickorgettinghelpless。
Whenherworkinthekitchenwasalldone,shewentouttocovertheoleandersagainstfrost,andtotakealastlookatherchickens。Asshecamebackfromthehen—houseshestoppedbyoneofthelindentreesandstoodrestingherhandonthetrunk。Hewouldnevercomeback,thepoorman;sheknewthat。Hewoulddriftonfromnewtowntonewtown,fromcatastrophetocatastrophe。Hewouldhardlyfindagoodhomeforhimselfagain。Hewoulddieatlastinsomeroughplace,andbeburiedinthedesertoronthewildprairie,farenoughfromanylindentree!
Fritz,smokinghispipeonthekitchendoorstep,watchedhisPaulinaandguessedherthoughts。He,too,wassorrytolosehisfriend。ButFritzwasgettingold;hehadlivedalongwhileandhadlearnedtolosewithoutstruggle。
XIV
"Mother,"saidPeterKronborgtohiswifeonemorn—
ingabouttwoweeksafterWunsch’sdeparture,"howwouldyouliketodriveouttoCopperHolewithmeto—day?"
Mrs。Kronborgsaidshethoughtshewouldenjoythedrive。Sheputonhergraycashmeredressandgoldwatchandchain,asbefittedaminister’swife,andwhileherhusbandwasdressingshepackedablackoilclothsatchelwithsuchclothingassheandThorwouldneedovernight。
CopperHolewasasettlementfifteenmilesnorthwestofMoonstonewhereMr。KronborgpreachedeveryFridayevening。Therewasabigspringthereandacreekandafewirrigatingditches。Itwasacommunityofdiscour—
agedagriculturistswhohaddisastrouslyexperimentedwithdryfarming。Mr。Kronborgalwaysdroveoutonedayandbackthenext,spendingthenightwithoneofhisparishioners。Often,whentheweatherwasfine,hiswifeaccompaniedhim。To—daytheysetoutfromhomeafterthemiddaymeal,leavingTillieinchargeofthehouse。Mrs。Kronborg’smaternalfeelingwasalwaysgar—
neredupinthebaby,whoeverthebabyhappenedtobe。
Ifshehadthebabywithher,theotherscouldlookoutforthemselves。Thor,ofcourse,wasnot,accuratelyspeaking,ababyanylonger。Inthematterofnourishmenthewasquiteindependentofhismother,thoughthisindependencehadnotbeenwonwithoutastruggle。Thorwasconserva—
tiveinallthings,andthewholefamilyhadanguishedwithhimwhenhewasbeingweaned。Beingtheyoungest,hewasstillthebabyforMrs。Kronborg,thoughhewasnearlyfouryearsoldandsatupboldlyonherlapthisafternoon,
holdingontotheendsofthelinesandshouting"`mup,’mup,horsey。"HisfatherwatchedhimaffectionatelyandhummedhymntunesinthejovialwaythatwassometimessuchatrialtoThea。
Mrs。Kronborgwasenjoyingthesunshineandthebril—
liantskyandallthefaintlymarkedfeaturesofthedazzling,monotonouslandscape。Shehadaratherunusualcapacityforgettingtheflavorofplacesandofpeople。Althoughshewassoenmeshedinfamilycaresmostofthetime,shecouldemergeserenewhenshewasawayfromthem。Foramotherofseven,shehadasingularlyunprejudicedpointofview。Shewas,moreover,afatalist,andasshedidnotattempttodirectthingsbeyondhercontrol,shefoundagooddealoftimetoenjoythewaysofmanandnature。
Whentheywerewellupontheirroad,outwherethefirstleanpasturelandsbeganandthesandgrassmadeafaintshowingbetweenthesagebushes,Mr。Kronborgdroppedhistuneandturnedtohiswife。"Mother,I’vebeenthink—
ingaboutsomething。"