第1章

ToLaurel。

Thereisamidlandcityintheheartoffair,opencountry,adirtyandwonderfulcitynestingdingilyinthefogofitsownsmoke。Thestrangermustfeelthedirtbeforehefeelsthewonder,forthedirtwillbeuponhiminstantly。Itwillbeuponhimandwithinhim,sincehemustbreatheit,andhemaycarefornofurtherproofthatwealthisherebetterlovedthancleanliness;butwhetherhecaresornot,thenegligentlytendedstreetsincessantlypresshomethepoint,andsodothefleckedandgrimycitizens。Atabreezehemustsmotherinthewhirlpoolsofdust,andifheshoulddeclineatanytimetoinhalethesmokehehasthemeageralternativeofsuicide。

Thesmokeislikethebadbreathofagiantpantingformoreandmoreriches。

Hegetsthemandpantsthefiercer,smellingandswellingprodigiously。Hehasavoice,ahoarsevoice,hotandrapacioustrainedtoonetune:"Wealth！

IwillgetWealthIwillmakeWealth！IwillsellWealthformoreWealth！Myhouseshallbedirty,mygarmentshallbedirty,andIwillfoulmyneighborsothathecannotbeclean——butIwillgetWealth！Thereshallbenocleanthingaboutme:mywifeshallbedirtyandmychildshallbedirty,butI

willgetWealth！"Andyetitisnotwealththatheissogreedyfor:whatthegiantreallywantsishastyriches。Togetthesehesquanderswealthuponthefourwinds,forwealthisinthesmoke。

Notsolongagoasageneration,therewasnopantinggianthere,noheaving,grimycity;therewasbutapleasantbigtownofneighborlypeoplewhohadunderstandingofoneanother,being,onthewhole,muchofthesametype。Itwasaleisurelyandkindlyplace——"homelike,"itwascalled——andwhenthevisitorhadbeentakenthroughtheStateAsylumfortheInsaneandmadetoappreciatetheviewofthecemeteryfromalittlehill,hishost\'sdutyasBaedekerwasdone。ThegoodburghersweregiventojoggingcomfortablyaboutinphaetonsorinsurreysforafamilydriveonSunday。Noonewasveryrich;

fewwereverypoor;theairwasclean,andtherewastimetolive。

Buttherewasaspiritabroadintheland,anditwasstronghereaselsewhere——aspiritthathadmovedinthedepthsoftheAmericansoilandlaboredthere,sweating,tillitstirredthesurface,rovethemountains,andemerged,tangibleandmonstrous,thegodofallgoodAmericanhearts——

Bigness。Andthatgodwroughtthepantinggiant。

Inthesoulsoftheburgherstherehadalwaysbeentheprofoundlongingforsize。Yearbyyearthelongingincreaseduntilitbecameanaccumulatedforce:WemustGrow！WemustbeBig！WemustbeBigger！BignessmeansMoney！Andthethingbegantohappen;theirlongingbecameamightyWill。WemustbeBigger！Bigger！Bigger！Getpeoplehere！Coaxthemhere！Bribethem！Swindlethemintocoming,ifyoumust,butgetthem！Shoutthemintocoming！Deafenthemintocoming！Anykindofpeople;allkindsofpeople！

WemustbeBigger！Blow！Boost！Brag！Killthefault—finder！ScreamandbellowtotheMostHigh:Bignessispatriotismandhonor！Bignessisloveandlifeandhappiness！BignessisMoney！WewantBigness！

Theygotit。Fromallthestatesthepeoplecame;thinlyatfirst,andslowly,butfasterandfasterinthickerandthickerswarmsasthequickyearswentby。Whitepeoplecame,andblackpeopleandbrownpeopleandyellowpeople;thenegroescamefromtheSouthbythethousandsandthousands,multiplyingbyotherthousandsandthousandsfasterthantheycoulddie。Fromthefourquartersoftheearththepeoplecame,thebrokenandtheunbroken,thetameandthewild——Germans,Irish,Italians,Hungarians,Scotch,Welsh,English,French,Swiss,Swedes,Norwegians,Greeks,Poles,RussianJews,Dalmatians,Armenians,Rumanians,Servians,Persians,Syrians,Japanese,Chinese,Turks,andeveryhybridthatthesecouldpropagate。AndiftherewerenoEskimosnorPatagonians,whatotherhumanstrainthatearthmightfurnishfailedtoswimandbubbleinthiscrucible？

WithBignesscamethenewmachineryandtherush;thestreetsbegantoroarandrattle,thehousestotremble;thepavementswerewornunderthetreadofhurryingmultitudes。Theold,leisurely,quizzicallookofthefaceswaslostinsomethingharderandwarier;andacockneytypebegantoemergediscernibly——acynicalyoungmongrel,barbaricoffeature,muscularandcunning;dressedingoodfabricsfashionedapparentlyinimitationofthesketchesdrawnbynewspapercomedians。Thefemaleofhiskindcamewithhim——apalegirl,shoddyandalittlerouged;andtheycommunicatedinanasalargot,mainlyinsolencesandelisions。Nay,thecommonspeechofthepeopleshowedchange:inplaceoftheoldmidlandvernacular,irregularbutclean,andnotunwholesomelydrawling,ajerkydialectofcoinedmetaphorsbegantobeheard,heldtogetherbyGUNNASandGOTTASandmuchfosteredbythepublicjournals。

Thecitypileditselfhighinthecenter,towerontowerforanucleus,andspreaditselfoutovertheplain,mileaftermile;andinitsvitals,likebenevolentbacillicontendingwithmalevolentinthebodyofaman,missionsandrefugesofferedwhatresistancetheymighttothesaloonsandallthehellsthatcitieshouseandshelter。Temptationandruinwerereadycommoditiesonthemarketforpurchasebytheventuresome;highwaymenwalkedthestreetsatnightandsometimeskilled;snatchingthieveswerebusyeverywhereinthedusk;whilehouse—breakerswereacommonapprehensionandfrequentreality。LifeitselfwassomewhatsaferfromintentionaldestructionthanitwasinmedievalRomeduringafactionwar——thoughtheRomanmurdererwasmoreliketopayforhisdeed——butdeathormutilationbeneaththewheelslayinambushateverycrossing。

Thepoliticiansletthepeoplemakeallthelawstheyliked;itdidnotmattermuch,andthetaxeswentup,whichisgoodforpoliticians。Law—makingwasapastimeofthepeople;nothingpleasedthemmore。Singularfermentationoftheirhumor,theyevenhadlawsforbiddingdangerousspeed。Moremarvelousstill,theyhadalawforbiddingsmoke！Theyforbadechimneystosmokeandtheyforbadecigarettestosmoke。Theymadelawsforallthingsandforgotthemimmediately;thoughsometimestheywouldrememberafterawhile,andhurrytomakenewlawsthattheoldlawsshouldbeenforced——andthenforgetbothnewandold。WhereverenforcementthreatenedMoneyorVotes——orwhereveritwastoomuchtobother——itbecameajoke。Influencewasthelaw。

Sotheplacegrew。Anditgrewstrong。Straightwaywhenhecame,eachmanfelltothesameworship:

Givemeofthyself,OBigness:

Powertogetmorepower！

Richestogetmoreriches！

GivemeofthysweatthatImaysweatmore！

GivemeBignesstogetmoreBignesstomyself,OBigness,forThineisthePowerandtheGlory！

AndthereisnoendbutBigness,everandforever！

TheSheridanBuildingwasthebiggestskyscraper;theSheridanTrustCompanywasthebiggestofitskind,andSheridanhimselfhadbeenthebiggestbuilderandbreakerandtrusterandbusterunderthesmoke。Hehadcomefromacountrycross—roads,atthebeginningofthegrowth,andhehadgoneupanddownintheboomsandrelapsesofthatperiod;buteachtimehewentdownhereboundedalittlehigher,untilfinally,afterayearofoverworkandanxiety——thelatternotdecreasedbyachance,remotebutpossible,ofrecuperationfromtheformerinthepenitentiary——hefoundhimselfontop,withsolidsubstanceunderhisfeet;andthereafter"playeditsafe。"Buthishungertogetwasunabated,foritwasintheverybonesofhimandgrewfiercer。

Hewasthecityincarnate。Helovedit,callingitGod\'scountry,ashecalledthesmokeProsperity,breathingthedingycloudwithrelish。Andwhensootfelluponhiscuffhechuckled;hecouldhavekissedit。"It\'sgood！It\'sgood！"hesaid,andsmackedhislipsingusto。"Good,cleansoot;it\'sourlife—blood,Godblessit！"Thesmokewasoneofhisgreatenthusiasms;helaughedatacommitteeofplaintivehousewiveswhocalledtobeghisaidagainstit。"Smoke\'swhatbringsyourhusbands\'moneyhomeonSaturdaynight,"hetoldthem,jovially。"Smokemayhurtyourlittleshrubberiesinthefrontyardsome,butit\'sthecatarrhalclimateandtheadenoidsthatstartsyourchulderncoughing。Smokemakestheclimatebetter。Smokemeansgoodhealth:

itmakesthepeoplewashmore。Theyhavetowashsomuchtheywashoffthemicrobes。Yougohomeandaskyourhusbandswhatsmokeputsintheirpocketsouto\'thepay—roll——andyou\'llcomearoundnexttimetogetmetoturnoutmoresmokeinsteado\'chokin\'itoff！"

ItwasNarcissisminhimtolovethecitysowell;hesawhisreflectioninit;and,likeit,hewasgrimy,big,careless,rich,strong,andunquenchablyoptimistic。Fromthedeepestofhisinsideallthewayouthebelieveditwasthefinestcityintheworld。"Finest"washisword。Hethoughtofitashiscityashethoughtofhisfamilyashisfamily;andjustasprofoundlybelievedhiscitytobethefinestcityintheworld,sodidhebelievehisfamilytobe——inspiteofhissonBibbs——thefinestfamilyintheworld。Asamatteroffact,heknewnothingworthknowingabouteither。

BibbsSheridanwasamusingsortofboy,poorinhealth,andconsideredthefailure——the"oddone"——ofthefamily。Bornduringthatmostdangerousandanxiousoftheearlyyears,whenthemotherfrettedandthefathertookhischance,hewasanill—nourishedbaby,andgrewmeagerly,onlylengthwise,throughafeeblechildhood。Athischristeninghewascommittedforlifeto"Bibbs"mainlythroughlackofimaginationonhismother\'spart,forthoughitwashermaidenname,shehadnostrongaffectionforit;butitwas"herturn"

tonamethebaby,and,assheexplainedlater,she"couldn\'tthinkofanythingelseshelikedATALL！"Sheofferedthisexplanationonedaywhenthesicklyboywasnineandafteralongfitofbroodinghaddemandedsomereasonforhisname\'sbeingBibbs。Herequestedthenwithunwontedvehemencetobeallowedtoexchangenameswithhisolderbrother,RoscoeConklingSheridan,orwiththeoldest,JamesSheridan,Junior,anduponbeingrefusedwentdownintothecellarandremainedtheretherestofthatday。Andthecook,descendingtowarddusk,reportedthathehadvanished;butasearchrevealedthathewasinthecoal—pile,completelycoveredandstillburrowing。Removedbyforceandcarriedupstairs,hemaintainedacrypticdemeanor,refusingtoutterasyllableofexplanation,evenunderthelash。Thisobviousthingwaswhollyamysterytobothparents;themotherwasnonplussed,failedtotraceandconnect;andthefatherregardedhissonasastubbornandmysteriousfool,animpressionnoteffacedastheyearswentby。

Attwenty—two,Bibbswasphysicallynomorethantheouterscaffoldingofaman,waitingforthebuildingtobegininside——along—shanked,long—faced,ricketyyouth,sallowandhollowandhaggard,dark—hairedanddark—eyed,withapeculiarexpressionofcountenance;indeed,atfirstsightofBibbsSheridanastrangermightwellbesolicitous,forheseemeduponthepointoftears。

Buttoaslightlylongergaze,notgrief,butmirth,wasrevealedashisemotion;whileamoresearchingscrutinywasproportionatelymorepuzzling——heseemedabouttoburstoutcryingortoburstoutlaughing,oneortheother,inevitably,butitwasimpossibletodecidewhich。AndBibbsnever,onanyoccassionofhislife,eitherlaughedaloudorwept。

Hewasa"disappointment"tohisfather。Atleastthatwastheparent\'sword——aconfirmedandestablishedwordafterhisfirstattempttomakea"businessman"oftheboy。HesentBibbsto"beginatthebottomandlearnfromthegroundup"inthemachine—shopoftheSheridanAutomaticPumpWorks,andattheendofsixmonthsthefamilyphysiciansentBibbstobeginatthebottomandlearnfromthegroundupinasanitarium。

"Youneedn\'tworry,mamma,"Sheridantoldhiswife。"There\'snothin\'thematterwithBibbsexcepthehatesworksomuchitmakeshimsick。Iputhiminthemachine—shop,andIguessIknowwhatI\'mdoin\'aboutaswellasthenextman。OleDocGurneyalwayswasoneo\'themnuttyalarmists。DoeshethinkI\'ddoanything\'dbebadformyownfleshandblood？Hemakesmetired！"

AnythingexceptperfectlydefinitehealthorperfectlydefinitediseasewasincomprehensibletoSheridan。Hehadagenuineconvictionthatlackofphysicalpersistenceinanytaskinvolvingmoneymustbeduetosomesubtleweaknessofcharacteritself,tosomeprofoundshiftlessnessorslyness。Heunderstoodtyphoidfever,pheumonia,andappendicitis——onehadthem,andeitherdiedorgotoverthemandwentbacktowork——butwhentheword"nervous"appearedinadiagnosishebecamehonestlysuspicious:hehadthefeelingthattherewassomethingcontemptibleaboutit,thattherewasaniggerinthewood—pilesomewhere。

"Lookatme,"hesaid。"LookatwhatIdidathisage！Why,whenIwastwentyyearsold,wasn\'tIupeverymorningatfouro\'clockchoppin\'wood——

yes！andoutinthedarkandthesnow——tobuildafireinacountrygrocerystore？AndhereBibbshastogoandhaveaDOCTORbecausehecan\'t——Pho！itmakesmetired！Ifhe\'dgoneatitlikeamanhewouldn\'tbesick。"

Hepacedthebedroom——theusualsettingforsuchparentaldiscussions——inhisnightgown,shakinghisbig,grizzledheadandgesticulatingtohisbeddedspouse。"MyLord！"hesaid。"Ifalittle,teenybito\'worklikethisistoomuchforhim,why,heain\'tfitforanything！It\'snine—tenthsimagination,andtherestofit——well,Iwon\'tsayit\'sdeliberate,butIWOULDliketoknowjusthowmuchofit\'sputon！"

"Bibbsdidn\'twantthedoctor,"saidMrs。Sheridan。"Itwaswhenhewasheretodinnerthatnight,andnoticedhowhecouldn\'teatanything。Honey,youbettercometobed。"

"Eat！"hesnorted。"Eat！It\'sworkthatmakesmeneat！Andit\'simaginationthatkeepspeoplefromeatin\'。Busymendon\'tgettimeforthatkindofimagination;andthere\'sanotherthingyou\'llnoticeaboutgoodhealth,ifyou\'lltakethetroubletolookaroundyou,Mrs。Sheridan:busymenhaven\'tgottimetobesickandtheydon\'tGETsick。Youjustthinkitoverandyou\'llfindthatninety—ninepercent。ofthesickpeopleyouknowareeitherwomenorloafers。Yes,ma\'am！"

"Honey,"shesaidagain,drowsily,"youbettercometobed。"

"Lookattheotherboys,"herhusbandbadeher。"LookatJimandRoscoe。LookathowTHEYwork！Thereisn\'tashiftlessboneintheirbodies。WorknevermadeJimorRoscoesick。Jimtakeshalftheloadoffmyshouldersalready。

Rightnowthereisn\'taharder—workin\',brighterbusinessmaninthiscitythanJim。I\'vepushedhim,buthegivemesomethingtopushAGAINST。Youcan\'tpush\'nervousdyspepsia\'！AndlookatRoscoe;justLOOKatwhatthatboy\'sdoneforhimself,andbarelytwenty—sevenyearsold——married,gotafinewife,andreadytobuildforhimselfwithhisownmoney,whenIputuptheNewHouseforyouandEdie。"

"Papa,you\'llcatchcoldinyourbarefeet,"shemurmured。"Youbettercometobed。"

"AndI\'mjustasproudofEdie,foragirl,"hecontinued,emphatically,"asI

amofJimandRoscoeforboys。She\'llmakesomemanamightygoodwifewhenthetimecomes。She\'stheprettiestandtalentedestgirlintheUnitedStates！Lookatthatpoemshewrotewhenshewasinschoolandtooktheprizewith;it\'sthebestpoemIeverreadinmylife,andshe\'dnevereventriedtowriteonebefore。It\'sthefinestthingIeverread,andR。T。Blosssaidso,too;andIguesshe\'sagoodenoughliteraryjudgeforme——turnsoutmoreadvertisin\'liter\'cherthananymaninthecity。Itellyoushe\'ssmart！

LookatthewaysheworkedmetogetmetopromisetheNewHouse——andIguessyouhadyourfingerinthat,too,mamma！Thisoldshack\'sgoodenoughforme,butyouandlittleEdie\'llhavetohaveyourway。I\'llgetbehindherandpushherthesameasIwillJimandRoscoe。ItellyouI\'mmightyproudo\'

themthreechuldern！ButBibbs——"Hepaused,shakinghishead。"Honest,mamma,whenItalktomenthatgotALLtheirboysdoin\'wellandworththeirsalt,why,IhavetokeepmymindonJimandRoscoeandforgetaboutBibbs。"

Mrs。Sheridantossedherheadfretfullyuponthepillow。"Youdidthebestyoucould,papa,"shesaid,impatiently,"socometobedandquitreproachin\'

youselfforit。"

Heglaredatherindignantly。"Reproachin\'myself！"hesnorted。"Iain\'tdoin\'anythingofthekind！Whatinthenameo\'goodnesswouldIwanttoreproachmyselffor？Anditwasn\'tthe\'bestIcould,\'either。ItwasthebestANYBODYcould！Iwasgivin\'himachancetoshowwhatwasinhimandmakeamanofhimself——andherehegoesandgets\'nervousdyspepsia\'onme！"

Hewenttotheold—fashionedgas—fixture,turnedoutthelight,andmutteredhiswaymoroselyintobed。

"What？"saidhiswife,crossly,botheredbyasubsequentmumbling。

"Morelikehook—worm,Isaid,"heexplained,speakinglouder。"Idon\'tknowwhattodowithhim！"

BeginningatthebeginningandlearningfromthegroundupwasalongcourseforBibbsatthesanitarium,withmilkand"zwieback"asthebasisofinstruction;andthemonthsweremanyandtiresomebeforehewasconsiderednearenoughgraduationtogoforawalkleaningonanurseandacane。Theseandsubsequentmonthssawtheplanning,thebuilding,andthecompletionoftheNewHouse;anditwastothatabodeofBignessthatBibbswasbroughtwhenthecane,withoutthenurse,wasfoundsufficienttohissupport。

Edithmethimatthestation。"Well,well,Bibbs！"shesaid,ashecameslowlythroughthegates,thelastofallthetravelersfromthattrain。Shegavehishandabrisklittleshake,avertinghereyesafteraquickglanceathim,andturningatoncetowardthepassagetothestreet。"Doyouthinktheyoughtto\'veletyoucome？Youcertainlydon\'tlookwell！"

"ButIcertainlydolookbetter,"hereturned,inavoiceasslowashisgait;

adrawlthatwasanecessity,forwhenBibbstriedtospeakquicklyhestammered。"Uptoaboutamonthagoittooktwopeopletoseeme。Theyhadtogetmeinalinebetween\'em！"

Edithdidnotturnhereyesdirectlytowardhimagain,afterherfirstquickglance;andherexpression,inspiteofher,showedafaint,troubleddistaste,thelookofahealthypersonpressedbysomeobligationofbusinesstovisita"bad"wardinahospital。Shewasnineteen,fairandslim,withsmall,unequalfeatures,butaprettinessofcolorandabrilliancyofeyesthatcreatedatotalimpressioncloseuponbeauty。Hermovementswereeagerandrestless:therewassomethingabouther,askindoldladiessay,thatwasverysweet;andtherewassomethingthatwashurriedandbreathless。ThiswasnewtoBibbs;itwasaperceptiblechangesincehehadlastseenher,andhebentuponherasteady,whimsicalscrutinyastheystoodatthecurb,waitingforanautomobileacrossthestreettodisengageitselffromthetraffic。

"That\'sthenewcar,"shesaid。"Everything\'snew。We\'vegotfournow,besidesJim\'s。Roscoe\'sgottwo。"

"Edith,youlook——"hebegan,andpaused。

"Oh,WE\'reallwell,"shesaid,briskly;andthen,asifsomethinginhistonehadcaughtherassignificant,"Well,HOWdoIlook,Bibbs？"

"Youlook——"Hepausedagain,takinginthefulllengthofher——hertrimbrownshoes,herscant,tapering,roughskirt,andhercoatofbrownandgreen,herlonggreentippetandhermadlittleroughhatinthemadmode——

allsuitedtotheOctoberday。

"HowdoIlook？"sheinsisted。

"Youlook,"heanswered,ashisexaminationendeduponanincrustedwatchofplatinumandenamelatherwrist,"youlook——expensive！"Thatwasasubstituteforwhatheintendedtosay,forherconstraintandpreoccupation,manifestedparticularlyinherkeepingherdirectglanceawayfromhim,didnotseemtogranttheprivilegeofimpulsiveintimacies。

"IexpectIam！"shelaughed,andsidelongcaughtthedirectionofhisglance。

"OfcourseIoughtn\'ttowearitinthedaytime——it\'saneveningthing,forthetheater——bymydaywrist—watchisoutofgear。BobbyLamhornbrokeityesterday;he\'saregularrowdysometimes。DoyouwantClaustohelpyouin？"

"Ohno,"saidBibbs。"I\'malive。"Andafterafitofpantingsubsequenttohisclimbingintothecarunaided,headded,"Ofcourse,IhavetoTELL

people！"

"Weonlygotyourtelegramthismorning,"shesaid,astheybegantomoverapidlythroughthe"wholesaledistrict"neighboringthestation。"Mothersaidshe\'dhardlyexpectedyouthismonth。"

"Theyseemedtobethroughwithmeupthereinthecountry,"heexplained,gently。"Atleasttheysaidtheywere,andtheywouldn\'tkeepmeanylonger,becausesomanyreallysickpeoplewantedtogetin。Theytoldmetogohome——andIdidn\'thaveanyplaceelsetogo。It\'llbeallright,Edith;I\'llsitinthewoodsheduntilafterdarkeveryday。"

"Pshaw！"Shelaughednervously。"Ofcoursewe\'reallofusgladtohaveyouback。"

"Yes？"hesaid。"Father？"

"Ofcourse！Didn\'thewriteandtellyoutocomehome？"Shedidnotturntohimwiththequestion。Allthewhilesherodewithherfacedirectlyforward。

"No,"hesaid;"fatherhasn\'twritten。"

Sheflushedalittle。"IexpectIoughtto\'vewrittensometime,oroneoftheboys——"

"Ohno;thatwasallright。"

"Youcan\'tthinkhowbusywe\'veallbeenthisyear,Bibbs。Ioftenplannedtowrite——andthen,justasIwasgoingto,somethingwouldturnup。AndI\'msureit\'sbeenjustthesamewaywithJimandRoscoe。Ofcourseweknewmammawaswritingoftenand——"

"Ofcourse！"hesaid,readily。"There\'sachunkofcoalfallenonyourglove,Edith。Betterflickitoffbeforeitsmears。Myword！I\'dalmostforgottenhowsootyitishere。"

"We\'vebeenhavingverybrightweatherthismonth——forus。"Sheblewtheflakeofsootintotheair,seemingrelieved。

Helookedupatthedingysky,whereinhungthedisconsolatesunlikeacoldtinpannailedupinasmoke—housebysomelunatic,foradecoration。"Yes,"

saidBibbs。"It\'sverygay。"Afewmomentslater,astheypassedacorner,"Aren\'twegoinghome？"heasked。

"Why,yes！"Didyouwanttogosomewhereelsefirst？"

"No。Yournewdriver\'stakingusoutoftheway,isn\'the？"

"No。Thisisright。We\'regoingstraighthome。"

"Butwe\'vepassedthecorner。Wealwaysturned——"

"Goodgracious！"shecried。"Didn\'tyouknowwe\'dmoved？Didn\'tyouknowwewereintheNewHouse？"

"Why,no！"saidBibbs。"Areyou？"

"We\'vebeenthereamonth！Goodgracious！Didn\'tyouknow——"Shebrokeoff,flushingagain,andthenwentonhastily:"Ofcourse,mamma\'sneverbeensobusyinherlife;weALLhaven\'thadtimetodoanythingbutkeeponthehop。

Mammacouldn\'tevencometothestationto—day。Papa\'sgotsomeofhisbusinessfriendsandpeoplefromaroundtheOLD—houseneighborhoodcomingto—nightforabigdinnerand\'house—warming\'——dreadfulkindofpeople——butmamma\'sgotitallonherhands。She\'sneversatdownaMINUTE;andifshedid,papawouldhaveherupagainbefore——"

"Ofcourse,"saidBibbs。"Doyoulikethenewplace,Edith？"

"Idon\'tlikesomeofthethingsfatherWOULDhaveinit,butit\'sthefinesthouseintown,andthatoughttobegoodenoughforme！PapaboughtonethingIlike——aviewoftheBayofNaplesinoilthat\'sperfectlybeautiful;it\'sthefirstthingyouseeasyoucomeinthefronthall,andit\'selevenfeetlong。ButhewouldhavethatoldfruitpicturewehadintheMurphyStreethousehungupinthenewdining—room。Yourememberit——atableandawatermelonslicedopen,andalotofrouged—lookingapplesandsomeshinylemons,withtwodeadprairie—chickensonachair？Heboughtitatafurniture—storeyearsandyearsago,andheclaimsit\'safinerpicturethananytheysawinthemuseums,thattimehetookmammatoEurope。Butit\'shorriblyoutofdatetohavethosethingsindining—rooms,andIcaughtBobbyLamhorngigglingatit;andSibylmadefunofit,too,withBobby,andthentoldpapasheagreedwithhimaboutitsbeingsuchafinething,andsaidhedidjustrighttoinsistonhavingitwherehewantedit。Shemakesmetired！

Sibyl！"

Edith\'sfirstconstraintwithherbrother,amountingalmosttoawkwardness,vanishedwiththistheme,thoughshestillkeptherfullgazealwaystothefront,evenintheextremeardorofherdenunciationofhersister—in—law。

"SIBYL！"sherepeated,withsuchheatandvigorthatthenameseemedtostrikefireonherlips。"I\'dliketoknowwhyRoscoecouldn\'thavemarriedsomebodyfromHEREthatwouldhavedoneussomegood！HecouldhavegotinwithBobbyLamhornyearsagojustaswellasnow,andBobby\'dhaveintroducedhimtothenicestgirlsintown,butinsteadofthathehadtogoandpickupthisSibylRink！ImetsomeawfullynicepeoplefromhertownwhenmammaandIwereatAtlanticCity,lastspring,andnotonehadeverheardoftheRinks！NotevenHEARDof\'em！"

"IthoughtyouweregreatfriendswithSibyl,"Bibbssaid。

"UptothetimeIfoundherout！"thesisterreturned,withcontinuingvehemence。"I\'vefoundoutsomethingsaboutMrs。RoscoeSheridanlately——"

"It\'sonlylately？"

"Well——"Edithhesitated,herlipssettingprimly。"Ofcourse,IalwaysdidseethatshenevercaredthesnapofherlittlefingeraboutROSCOE！"

"Itseems,"saidBibbs,inlaconicprotest,"thatshemarriedhim。"

Thesisteremittedashrillcry,tobeinterpretedascontemptuouslaughter,and,inheremotion,spoketooimpulsively:"Why,she\'dhavemarriedYOU！"

"No,no,"hesaid;"shecouldn\'tbethatbad！"

"Ididn\'tmean——"shebegan,distressed。"Ionlymeant——Ididn\'tmean——"

"Nevermind,Edith,"heconsoledher。"Yousee,shecouldn\'thavemarriedme,becauseIdidn\'tknowher;andbesides,ifshe\'sasmercenaryasallthatshe\'dhavebeentooclever。Theheaddoctorevenhadtolendmethemoneyformytickethome。"

"Ididn\'tmeananythingunpleasantaboutYOU,"Edithbabbled。"IonlymeantI

thoughtshewasthekindofgirlwhowassosimplycrazytomarrysomebodyshe\'dhavemarriedanybodythataskedher。"

"Yes,yes,"saidBibbs,"it\'sallstraight。"And,perceivingthathissister\'sexpressionwasthatofapersonwhoseadroitnesshassetmattersprefectlytorights,hechuckledsilently。

"Roscoe\'sperfectlylovelytoher,"shecontinued,amomentlater。"Toolovely！Ifhe\'dwakeupalittleandlaydownthelaw,someday,likeaMAN,Iguessshe\'drespecthimmoreandlearntobehaveherself！"

"\'Behave\'？"

"Oh,well,Imeanshe\'ssoinsincere,"saidEdith,characteristicallyevasivewhenitcametostatingtheverypointtowhichshehadled,andinthisnotuniqueofhersex。

Bibbscontentedhimselfwithanon—committalgesture。"Businessiscrawlinguptheoldstreets,"hesaid,hislong,tremuloushandindicatingavastystructureincourseoferection。"Theboarding—housescomefirstandthenthe——"

"Thatisn\'tforshops,"sheinformedhim。"That\'sanewinvestmentofpapa\'s——the\'SheridanApartments。\'"

"Well,well,"hemurmured。"Isupposed\'Sheridan\'wasalmostwellenoughknownherealready。"

"Oh,we\'rewellenoughknownABOUT！"shesaid,impatiently。"Iguessthereisn\'taman,woman,child,orniggerbabyintownthatdoesn\'tknowwhoweare。Butwearen\'tinwiththerightpeople。"