下载辰思小说免费APP
"He\'sgettin\'bettereveryday,"Jimsaid。"Dr。Gurneysaysso。There\'snothingmuchthematterwithhim,really——it\'snine—tenthsimaginary。
\'Nerves\'！Peoplethatarewillingtobebusydon\'thavenervousdiseases,becausetheydon\'thavetimetoimagine\'em。"
"Youmeanhistroubleisreallymental？"
"Oh,he\'snotalunatic,"saidJim。"He\'sjustqueer。Sometimeshe\'llsaysomethingrightbright,buthalfthetimewhathesaysis\'wayoffthesubject,orelsethereisn\'tanysensetoitatall。Forinstance,theotherdayIheardhimtalkin\'tooneofthedarkiesinthehall。Thedarkyaskedhimwhattimehewantedthecarforhisdrive,andanybodyelseintheworldwouldhavejustsaidwhattimetheyDIDwantit,andthatwouldhavebeenalltherewastoit;buthere\'swhatBibbssays,andIheardhimwithmyownears。
\'WhattimedoIwantthecar？\'hesays。\'Well,now,thatdepends——thatdepends,\'hesays。Hetalksslowlikethat,youknow。\'I\'lltellyouwhattimeIwantthecar,George,\'hesays,\'ifyou\'lltellMEwhatyouthinkofthisstatue！\'That\'sexactlyhiswords！AskedthedarkywhathethoughtofthatArabEdithandmotherboughtforthehall！"
Marypondereduponthis。"Hemighthavebeeninfun,perhaps,"shesuggested。
"Askin\'adarkywhathethoughtofapieceofstatuary——ofaworkofart！
Whereonearthwouldbethefunofthat？No,you\'rejustkind—hearted——andthat\'sthewayyouOUGHTtobe,ofcourse——"
"Thankyou,Mr。Sheridan！"shelaughed。
"Seehere！"hecried。"Isn\'tthereanywayforustogetoverthisMisterandMissthing？Amonth\'sgotthirty—onedaysinit;I\'vemanagedtobewithyouapartofprettynearallthethirty—one,andIthinkyouknowhowIfeelbythistime——"
Shelookedpanic—strickenimmediately。"Oh,no,"sheprotested,quickly。"No,Idon\'t,and——"
"Yes,youdo,"hesaid,andhisvoiceshookalittle。"Youcouldn\'thelpknowing。"
"ButIdo！"shedenied,hurriedly。"Idohelpknowing。Imean——Oh,wait！"
"Whatfor？YoudoknowhowIfeel,andyou——well,you\'vecertainlyWANTEDmetofeelthatway——orelsepretended——"
"Now,now！"shelamented。"You\'respoilingsuchacheerfulafternoon！"
"\'Spoilin\'it！\'"Hesloweddownthecarandturnedhisfacetohersquarely。
"Seehere,MissVertrees,haven\'tyou——"
"Stop！Stopthecaraminute。"Andwhenhehadcompliedshefacedhimassquarelyasheevidentlydesiredhertofacehim。"Listen。Idon\'twantyoutogoon,to—day。"
"Whynot？"heasked,sharply。
"Idon\'tknow。"
"Youmeanit\'sjustawhim？"
"Idon\'tknow,"sherepeated。Hervoicewaslowandtroubledandhonest,andshekepthercleareyesuponhis。
"Willyoutellmesomething？"
"Almostanything。"
"Haveyouevertoldanymanyoulovedhim？"
Andatthat,thoughshelaughed,shelookedalittlecontemptuous。"No,"shesaid。"AndIdon\'tthinkIevershalltellanymanthat——oreverknowwhatitmeans。I\'minearnest,Mr。Sheridan。"
"Thenyou——you\'vejustbeenflirtingwithme！"PoorJimlookedbothfuriousandcrestfallen。
"Notonbit！"shecried。"Notoneword！Notonesyllable！I\'vemeanteverysinglething！"
"Idon\'t——"
"Ofcourseyoudon\'t！"shesaid。"Now,Mr。Sheridan,Iwantyoutostartthecar。Now！Thankyou。Slowly,tillIfinishwhatIhavetosay。Ihavenotflirtedwithyou。Ihavedeliberatelycourtedyou。Onethingmore,andthenIwantyoutotakemestraighthome,talkingabouttheweatheralltheway。I
saidthatIdonotbelieveIshallever\'care\'foranyman,andthatistrue。
Idoubttheexistenceofthekindof\'caring\'wehearaboutinpoemsandplaysandnovels。IthinkitmustbejustakindofemotionalTALK——mostofit。
Atallevents,Idon\'tfeelit。Now,wecangofaster,please。"
"Justwheredoesthatletmeout？"hedemanded。"Howdoesthatexcuseyoufor——"
"Itisn\'tanexcuse,"shesaid,gently,andgavehimonefinallook,whollydesolate。"Ihaven\'tsaidIshouldnevermarry。"
"What？"Jimgasped。
Sheinclinedherheadinabrokensortofacquiescence,veryhumble,unfathomablysorrowful。
"Ipromisenothing,"shesaid,faintly。
"Youneedn\'t！"shoutedJim,radiantandexultant。"Youneedn\'t！ByGeorge！
Iknowyou\'resquare;that\'senoughforme！Youwaitandpromisewheneveryou\'reready！"
"Don\'tforgetwhatIasked,"shebeggedhim。
"Talkabouttheweather？Iwill！Godblesstheoldweather！"criedthehappyJim。
ThroughtheopencountryBibbswasborneflyingbetweenbrownfieldsandsun—fleckedgrovesofgraytrees,tobreathetherushing,cleanairbeneathaglorioussky——thatskysodespisedinthecity,andsomaltreatedthere,thatfromearlyOctobertomid—Mayitwasimpossibleformentorememberthatblueistherightfulcoloroverhead。
UponeachofBibbs\'scheekstherewasahintofsomethingalmostresemblingapinkishness;notactualcolor,butundeniablyitsphantom。Howlargelythisapparitionmayhavebeentheworkofthewinduponhisfaceitisdifficulttocalculate,forbeyondadoubtitwaspartlytheresultofalady\'sbowingtohimuponnomoreformalintroductionthanthecircumstanceofhishavingcaughtherlookingintohiswindowamonthbefore。Shehadboweddefinitely;
shehadbowedcharmingly。AnditseemedtoBibbsthatshemusthavemeanttoconveyherforgiveness。
Therehadbeensomethinginherrecognitionofhimunfamiliartohisexperience,andherodethewarmerforit。Nordidhelacktheimpressionthathewouldlongrememberherashehadjustseenher:herveiltumultuouslyblowingback,herfaceglowinginthewind——andthatlookofgayfriendlinesstossedtohimlikeafreshroseincarnival。
Byandby,uponarisingground,thedriverhaltedthecar,thenbackedandtacked,andsentitforwardagainwithitsnosetothesouthandthesmoke。
FarbeforehimBibbssawthegreatsmudgeuponthehorizon,thatnestofcloudinwhichthecitystroveandpantedlikeanengineshroudedinitsownsteam。ButtoBibbs,whohadnowtogototheveryheartofit,foracommandedinterviewwithhisfather,thedistantcloudwaslikeanimplacablegeniusissuingthunderouslyinsmokefromhisenchantedbottle,andirresistiblydrawingBibbsnearerandnearer。
Theypassedfromthefarmlands,andcame,intheamberlightofNovemberlateafternoon,tothefarthermostoutskirtsofthecity;andheretheskyshimmereduponthevergeofchangefrombluetogray;thesmokedidnotvisiblypermeatetheair,butitwasthere,nevertheless——impalpable,thin,nomorethanthedustofsmoke。Andthen,asthecardroveon,thechimneysandstacksoffactoriescameswimmingupintoviewlikemilesofsteamersadvancingabreast,everyfunnelwithitsvastplume,savageandblack,sweepingtothehorizon,drippingwealthanddirtandsuffocationoverleagueonleaguealreadyrichandvilewithgrime。
Theskyhadbecomeonlyadingythickeningofthesoiledair;andaroarandclangorofmetalsbeatdeafeninglyonBibbs\'sears。Andnowthecarpassedtwogreatblocksoflongbrickbuildings,hideousinallwayspossibletomakethemhideous;doorwaysshowingdarkonemomentandluridthenextwiththeleapofsomevirulentinteriorflame,revealingblackenedgiants,halfnaked,inpassionateaction,strugglingwithformlessthingsinthehotillumination。Andbigastheseshopswere,theyweregrowingbigger,spreadingoverathirdblock,wheretwonewstructuresweremushroomingtocompletioninsomehastycementprocessofastabilitynotover—reassuring。
Bibbspulledtherugcloserabouthim,andnoteventhephantomofcolorwasleftuponhischeeksashepassedthisplace,forheknewittoowell。
Acrossthefaceofoneofthebuildingstherewasanenormoussign:"SheridanAutomaticPumpCo。,Inc。"
Thencetheywentthroughstreetsofwoodenhouses,allgrimed,andaddingtheirowngrimefrommanyasootychimney;flimseywoodenhousesofathousandflimsywhimsiesinthefashioning,builtonnarrowlotsandnudgingoneanothercrossly,shuttingoutthestingysunlightfromoneanother;badneighborswhowoulddestroyoneanotherrootandbranchsomenightwhentherightwindblew。Theywereonlywaitingforthatwindandacigarette,andthentheywouldallbegonetogether——apinchofincenseburneduponthetripodofthegod。
Alongthesestreetstherewereskinnyshade—trees,andhereandthereaforestelmorwalnuthadbeenleft;buttheseweredying。Somepeoplesaiditwasthescale;somesaiditwasthesmoke;andsomeweresurethatasphaltand"improving"thestreetsdidit;butBignesswasintooBigahurrytobothermuchabouttrees。Hehadtelegraph—polesandtelephone—polesandelectric—light—polesandtrolley—pollsbythethousandtotaketheirplaces。
Soheletthetreesdieandputuphispoles。Theywerehideous,butnobodymindedthat;andsometimesthewiresfellandkilledpeople——butnotoftenenoughtomatteratall。
ThenceonwardthecarboreBibbsthroughtheolderpartsofthetownwherethefewsolidoldhousesnotalreadydemolishedwereintransition:some,withtheirfrontstornaway,werebeingmadeintosegmentsofapartment—buildings;othershadgoneuproariouslyintotrade,brazenlyputtingforth"show—windows"ontheirfirstfloors,seemingtomeanitforajoke;oneortwowithunalteredfacadespeepedhumorouslyoverthetopsoftemporaryofficebuildingsofonestoryerectedintheoldfrontyards。
Altogether,thetownherewaslikeaboarding—househashtheSundayafterThanksgiving;theoldingredientswerediscernible。
ThiswasthefringeofBigness\'sownsanctuary,andnowBibbsreachedtheroaringholyofholiesitself。Thecarmuststopateverycrossingwhilethedark—garbedcrowds,envelopedinmaelstromsofdust,hurriedbeforeit。
Magnificentnewbuildings,alreadydingy,loomedhundredsoffeetabovehim;
newerones,moremagnificent,wererisingbesidethem,risinghigher;oldbuildingswerecomingdown;middle—agedbuildingswerecomingdown;thestreetswerelaidopentotheirentrailsandmenworkedundergroundbetweenpalisades,andoverheadinmetalcobwebslikespidersinthesky。
Trolley—carsandlonginterurbancars,builttosplitthewindliketorpedo—boats,clangedandshriekedtheirwayroundswarmingcorners;
motor—carsofeverykindandshapeknowntomanbabbledfrightfulwarningsandfranticdemands;hospitalambulancesclamoredwildlyforpassage;
steam—whistlessignaledtheswingingoftitanictentacleandclaw;rivetersrattledlikemachine—guns;thegroundshooktothethunderofgigantictrucks;andtheconglomeratesoundofitallwasthesoundofearthquakeplayingaccompanimentsforbattleandsuddendeath。Ononeofthenewsteelbuildingsnoworkwasbeingdonethatafternoon。Thebuildinghadkilledamaninthemorning——andthesteel—workersalwaysstopforthedaywhenthat"happens。"
Andinthehurryingcrowds,swirlingandsiftingthroughthebrobdingnagiancampofironandsteel,onesawthecamp—followersandthepaganwomen——therewouldbeworkto—dayanddancingto—night。ForthePuritan\'sdryvoiceisbutthecracklingofaleafunderfootintherushandroarofthecomingofthenewEgypt。
Bibbswasontime。Heknewitmustbe"totheminute"orhisfatherwouldconsideritanoutrage;andthebigchronometerinSheridan\'sofficemarkedfourpreciselywhenBibbswalkedin。Coincidentallywithhisentrancefivepeoplewhohadbeenatworkintheoffice,underSheridan\'sdirection,walkedout。Theydeparteduponnovisibleoraudiblesuggestion,andwithapromptnessthatseemedominoustothenew—comer。Asthemassivedoorclickedsoftlybehindtheelderlystenographer,thelastoftheprocession,Bibbshadafeelingthattheyallunderstoodthathewasafailureasagreatman\'sson,adisappointment,the"queerone"ofthefamily,andthathehadbeensummonedtojudgment——awell—foundedimpression,forthatwasexactlywhattheyunderstood。
"Sitdown,"saidSheridan。
Itisfrequentlyanadvantagefordeans,school—masters,andworriedfatherstoplacedelinquentsinthesitting—posture。Bibbssat。
Sheridan,standing,gazedenigmaticallyuponhissonforaperiodofsilence,thenwalkedslowlytoawindowandstoodlookingoutofit,hisbighands,looselyhookedtogetherbythethumbs,behindhisback。Theyweresoiled,aswereallotherhandsdown—town,exceptsuchasmightbestilldampfromabasin。
"Well,Bibbs,"hesaidatlast,notalteringhisattitude,"doyouknowwhatI\'mgoin\'todowithyou？"
Bibbs,leaningbackinhischair,fixedhiseyescontemplativelyupontheceiling。"IheardyoutellJim,"hebegan,inhisslowway。"Yousaidyou\'dsendhimtothemachine—shopwithmeifhedidn\'tproposetoMissVertrees。
SoIsupposethatmustbeyourplanforme。But——"
"Butwhat？"saidSheridan,irritably,asthesonpaused。
"Isn\'ttheresomebodyyou\'dletMEproposeto？"
Thatbroughthisfathersharplyroundtofacehim。"Youbeatthedevil！
Bibbs,whatISthematterwithyou？Whycan\'tyoubelikeanybodyelse？"
"Liver,maybe,"saidBibbs,gently。
"Boh！EvenoleDocGurneysaysthere\'snothin\'wrongwithyouorganically。
No。You\'readreamer,Bibbs;that\'swhat\'sthematter,andthat\'sALLthematter。Oh,nooneo\'theseBIGdreamersthatputthroughthebigdeals。！
No,sir！You\'rethekindo\'dreamerthatjustsetsoutonthebackfenceandthinksabouthowmuchtroubletheremustbeintheworld！Thatain\'tthekindthatbuildsthebridges,Bibbs;it\'sthekindthatborrowsfifteencentsfromhiswife\'suncle\'sbrother—in—lawtogettencent\'swortho\'plugtobaccoandanickel\'swortho\'quinine！"
Heputthefinishingtouchonthisetchingwithasnort,andturnedagaintothewindow。
"Lookoutthere！"hebadehisson。"Lookouto\'thatwindow！Lookatthelifeandevergydownthere！IshouldthinkANYyoungman\'sbloodwouldtingletogetintoitandbepartofit。Lookatthebigthingsyoungmenaredoin\'inthistown！"Heswungabout,comingtothemahoganydeskinthemiddleoftheroom。"LookatwhatIwasdoin\'atyourage！Lookatwhatyourownbrothersaredoin\'！LookatRoscoe！Yes,andlookatJim！ImadeJimpresidento\'theSheridanRealtyCompanylastNew—Year\'s,withchargeofeveryincho\'groundandeverybrickandeveryshingleandsticko\'woodweown;andit\'sanexampletoanyyoungman——oroleman,either——thewayhetookaholdofit。LastJulywefoundoutwewantedtwomorebigwarehousesatthePumpWorks——wanted\'emquick。Contractorssaiditcouldn\'tbedone;
saidnineortenmonthsatthesoonest;couldn\'tseeitanyotherway。What\'dJimdo？Tookthecontracthimself;foundafellowwithanewcementandconcreteprocess;keptmenonthejobnightandday,andstayedonitnightanddayhimself——and,byGeorge！webegintoUSEthemwarehousesnextweek！
Fourmonthsandahalf,andeveryinchfireproof！ItellyouJim\'soneo\'
thesefellersthatmakemiracleshappen！Now,Idon\'tsayeveryyoungmancanbelikeJim,becausethere\'smightyfewgothisability,buteveryyoungmancangoinanddohisshare。ThistownisGod\'sowncountry,andthere\'sopportunityforanybodywithapoundofenergyandanounceo\'gumption。I
tellyoutheseyoungbusinessmenIwatchjustdomyheartgood！THEYdon\'tsetaroundonthebackfence——no,sir！Theytakeenoughexercisetokeeptheirhealth;andtheygotoabaseballgameonceortwiceaweekinsummmer,maybe,andthey\'reraisin\'nicefamilies,withsonstotaketheirplacessometimeandcarryonthework——becausethework\'sgottogoON！They\'reputtin\'theirlife—bloodintoit,Itellyou,andthat\'swhywe\'regettin\'
biggereveryminute,andwhyTHEY\'REgettin\'bigger,andwhyit\'sallgoin\'
tokeepONgettin\'bigger！"
Heslappedthedeskresoundinglywithhisopenpalm,andthen,observingthatBibbsremainedinthesameimpassiveattitude,withhiseyesstillfixedupontheceilinginacontemplationsomewhatplaintive,Sheridanwasimpelledtogroan。"Oh,Lord！"hesaid。"Thisisthewayyoualwayswere。Idon\'tbelieveyouunderstoodadarnwordIbeensayin\'！Youdon\'tLOOKasifyoudid。ByGeorge！it\'sdiscouraging！"
"Idon\'tunderstandaboutgetting——aboutgettingbigger,"saidBibbs,bringinghisgazedowntolookathisfatherplacatively。"Idon\'tseejustwhy——"
"WHAT？"Sheridanleanedforward,restinghishandsuponthedeskandstaringacrossitincredulouslyathisson。
"Idon\'tunderstand——exactly——whatyouwantitallbiggerfor？"
"GreatGod！"shoutedSheridan,andstruckthedeskablowwithhisclenchedfist。"Asonofmineasksmethat！Yougooutandaskthepoorestday—laboreryoucanfind！Askhimthatquestion——"
"Ididonce,"Bibbsinterrupted;"whenIwasinthemachine—shop。I——"
"Wha\'dhesay？"
"Hesaid,\'Oh,hell！\'"answeredBibbs,mildly。
"Yes,Ireckonhewould！"Sheridanswungawayfromthedesk。"Ireckonhecertainlywould！AndIgotplentysympathywithhimrightnow,myself！"
"It\'sthesameanswer,then？"Bibbs\'svoicewasserious,almosttremulous。
"Damnation！"Sheridanroared。"DidyoueverhearthewordProsperity,youninny？DidyoueverhearthewordAmbition？DidyoueverhearthewordPROGRESS？"
Heflunghimselfintoachairaftertheoutburst,hisbigchestsurging,histhroattumultuouswithgutteralincoherences。"Nowthen,"hesaid,huskily,whentheanguishhadsomewhatabated,"whatdoyouwanttodo？"
"Sir？"
"WhatdoyouWANTtodo,Isaid。"
Takenbysurprise,Bibbsstammered。"What——whatdo——I——what——"
"IfI\'dletyoudoexactlywhatyouhadthewhimfor,whatwouldyoudo？"
Bibbslookedstartled;thentimidityoverwhelmedhim——aprofoundshyness。Hebenthisheadandfixedhisloweredeyesuponthetoeofhisshoe,whichhemovedtoandfroupontherug,likeaculpritcalledtothedeskinschool。
"Whatwouldyoudo？Loaf？"
"No,sir。"Bibbs\'svoicewasalmostinaudible,andwhatlittlesounditmadewasunquestionablyaguiltysound。"IsupposeI\'d——I\'d——"
"Well？"
"IsupposeI\'dtryto——towrite。"
"Writewhat？"
"Nothingimportant——justpoemsandessays,perhaps。"
"Thatall？"
"Yes,sir。"
"Isee,"saidhisfather,breathingquicklywiththerestrainthewasputtinguponhimself。"Thatis,youwanttowrite,butyoudon\'twanttowriteanythingofanyaccount。"
"Youthink——"
Sheridangotupagain。"Itakemyhatofftothemanthatcanwriteagoodad,"hesaid,emphatically。"Thebestwritin\'talentinthiscountryisrightspangintheadbusinessto—day。Youbuyamagazineforgoodwritin\'——lookonthebackofit！LetmetellyouIpaymoneyforthatkindo\'writin\'。Maybeyouthinkit\'seasy。Justtryit！I\'vetriedit,andI
can\'tdoit。Itellyouanad\'sgottobewrittensoitmakespeopledothehardestthinginthisworldtoGET\'emtodo:it\'sgottomake\'emgiveuptheirMONEY！Youtalkabout\'poemsandessays。\'Itellyouwhenitcomestotheactualskillo\'puttin\'wordstogethersoastomakethingsHAPPEN,R。T。
Bloss,righthereinthiscity,knowsmoreinaminutethanGeorgeWaldoEmersoneverknewinhiswholelife！"
"You——youmaybe——"Bibbssaid,indistinctly,thelastwordsmotheredinacough。
"OfCOURSEI\'mright！Andifitain\'tjustlikeyoutowanttotakeupwiththemostout—o\'—datekindo\'writin\'thereis！\'Poemsandessays\'！MyLord,Bibbs,that\'sWOMEN\'Swork！Youcan\'tpickupanewspaperwithouthavin\'toseewhereMrs。Rumskididlereadapaperon\'JaneEyre,\'or\'EastLynne,\'attheGod—Knows—WhatClub。And\'poetry\'！Why,lookatEdith！Iexpectthatpoemo\'herswouldsetaprettyhigh—watermarkforyou,youngman,andit\'stheonlyoneshe\'severmanagedtowriteinherwholeLIFE！WhenIwantedhertogoonandwritesomemoreshesaidittooktoomuchtime。Saidittookmonthsandmonths。AndEdith\'sasmartgirl;she\'sgotmoreenergyinherlittlefingerthanyouevergivemeachancetoseeinyourwholebody,Bibbs。Nowlookatthefacts:sayshecouldturnoutfourorfivepoemsayearandyoucouldturnoutmaybetwo。Thatmedalshegotwasworthaboutfifteendollars,sothere\'syourincome——thirtydollarsayear！That\'safinesuccesstomakeofyourlife！I\'mnotsayin\'awordagainstpoetry。I
wouldn\'ttaketenthousanddollarsrightnowforthatpoemofEdith\'s;andpoetry\'sallrightenoughinitsplace——butyouleaveittothegirls。A
man\'sgottodoaman\'sworkinthisworld！"
Heseatedhimselfinachairathisson\'ssideand,leaningover,tappedBibbsconfidentiallyontheknee。"Thiscity\'sgotthegreatestfutureinAmerica,andifmysonsbehaverightbymeandbythemselvesthey\'regoin\'tohaveamightyfairshareofit——amightyfairshare。Ilovethistown。It\'sGod\'sownfootstool,andit\'smademoneyformeeverydayrightalong,I
don\'tknowhowmanyyears。IloveitlikeIdomyownbusiness,andI\'dfightforitasquickasI\'dfightformyownfamily。It\'sabeautifultown。
Lookatourwholesaledistrict;lookatanydistrictyouwantto;lookattheparksystemwe\'reputtin\'through,andtheboulevardsandthepublicstatuary。Andshegrows。God！howshegrows！"Hehadbecomeintenselygrave;hespokewithsolemnity。"Now,Bibbs,Ican\'ttakeanyofit——noranygoldorsilvernorbuildingsnorbonds——awaywithmeinmyshroudwhenI
havetogo。ButIwanttoleavemyshareinittomyboys。I\'veworkedforit;I\'vebeenabuilderandamaker;andtwobladesofgrasshavegrownwhereonegrewbefore,wheneverIlaidmyhandonthegroundandwilled\'emtogrow。I\'vebuiltbig,andIwantthebuildin\'togoon。AndwhenmylasthourcomesIwanttoknowthatmyboysarereadytotakecharge;thatthey\'refittotakechargeandgoONwithit。Bibbs,whenthathourcomesIwanttoknowthatmyboysarebigmen,readyandfittoholdofbigthings。Bibbs,whenI\'mupaboveIwanttoknowthatthebigshareI\'vemademine,herebelow,isgrowin\'biggerandbiggerinthechargeofmyboys。"
Heleanedback,deeplymoved。"There！"hesaid,huskily。"I\'veneverspokenmorewhatwasinmyheartinmylife。IdoitbecauseIwantyoutounderstand——andnotthinkmeameanfather。IneverhadtotalkthatwaytoJimandRoscoe。Theyunderstoodwithoutanytalk,Bibbs。"
"Isee,"saidBibbs。"AtleastIthinkIdo。But——"
"Waitaminute！"Sheridanraisedhishand。"Ifyouseetheleastbitintheworld,thenyouunderstandhowitfeelstometohavemysonsethereandtalkabout\'poemsandessays\'andsuch—likefooleries。Andyoumustunderstand,too,whatitmeanttostartoneo\'myboysandhavehimcomebackonmethewayyoudid,andhavetobesenttoasanitariumbecausehecouldn\'tstandwork。Now,let\'sgetrightdowntoit,Bibbs。I\'vehadawholeloto\'talkwitholeDocGurneyaboutyou,onetimeanother,andI
reckonIunderstandyourcasejustaboutaswellashedoes,anyway！Nowhere,I\'llbefrankwithyou。IstartedyouinharderthanwhatIdidtheotherboys,andthatwasforyourowngood,becauseIsawyouneededtobeshookupmore\'ntheydid。Youwerealwayskindofmoodyandmopish——andyouneededworkthat\'dkeepyouonthejump。Now,whydiditmakeyousickinsteadofbraceyouupandmakeamanofyouthewayitoughtofdone？I
pinnedoleGurneydowntoit。Isays,\'Lookhere,ain\'titreallybecausehejustplainhatedit？\'\'Yes,\'hesays,\'that\'sit。Ifhe\'denjoyedit,itwouldn\'t\'a\'hurthim。Heloathesit,andthataffectshisnervoussystemThemorehetriesit,themorehehatesit;andthemorehehatesit,themoreinjuryitdoeshim。\'Thatain\'tquitehiswords,butit\'swhathemeant。Andthat\'saboutthewayitis。"
"Yes,"saidBibbs,"that\'saboutthewayitis。"
"Well,then,Ireckonit\'suptomenotonlytomakeyoudoit,buttomakeyoulikeit！"
Bibbsshivered。Andheturneduponhisfatheralookthatwasalmostghostly。"Ican\'t,"hesaid,inalowvoice。"Ican\'t。"
"Can\'tgobacktotheshop？"
"No。Can\'tlikeit。Ican\'t。"
Sheridanjumpedup,hispatiencegone。Tohisownview,hehadreasonedexhaustively,hadexplainedfullyandhadpleadedmorethanafathershould,onlytobemetintheendwiththeunreasoningandmysteriousstubbornnesswhichhadbeenBibbs\'sbafflingcharacteristicfromchildhood。"ByGeorge,youwill！"hecried。"You\'llgobackthereandyou\'lllikeit！Gurneysaysitwon\'thurtyouifyoulikeit,andhesaysit\'llkillyouifyougobackandhateit;soitlooksasifitwasaboutuptoyounottohateit。Well,Gurney\'safool！Hatin\'workdoesn\'tkillanybody;andthisisn\'tgoin\'tokillyou,whetheryouhateitornot。I\'venevermadeamistakeinaseriousmatterinmylife,anditwasn\'tamistakemysendin\'youthereinthefirstplace。AndI\'mgoin\'toproveit——I\'mgoin\'tosendyoubackthereandvindicatemyjudgment。Gurneysaysit\'sall\'mentalattitude。\'Well,you\'regoin\'tolearntherightone！Hesaysinacouplemoremonthsthisfoolthingthat\'sbeenthematterwithyou\'llbedisappearedcompletelyandyou\'llbebackinasgoodorbetterconditionthanyouwerebeforeyoueverwentintotheshop。Andrighttheniswhenyoubeginover——rightinthatsameshop！Nobodycancallmeahardmanorameanfather。IdothebestI
canformychuldern,andItakefullresponsibilityforbringin\'mysonsuptobemen。Now,sofar,I\'vefailedwithyou。ButI\'mnotgoin\'tokeepON
failin\'。InevertackledajobYETIdidn\'tputthrough,andI\'mnotgoin\'
tobeginwithmyownson。I\'mgoin\'tomakeaMANofyou。ByGod！Iam！"
Bibbsroseandwentslowlytothedoor,whereheturned。"Yousayyougivemeacoupleofmonths？"hesaid。
Sheridanpushedabell—buttononhisdesk。"Gurneysaidtwomonthsmorewouldputyoubackwhereyouwere。Yougohomeandbegintogetyourselfintheright\'mentalattitude\'beforethosetwomonthsareup！Good—by！"
"Good—by,sir,"saidBibbs,meekly。
