第18章

"Well,andhedon\'thaveasgoodcolorashewasgettin\'before。Andhe\'dbeguntofilloutsome,but——"

Sheridangaveforthanotherdrychuckle,and,goingroundthetabletoher,pattedherupontheshoulderwithhislefthand,hisrightbeingstillheavilybandaged,thoughhenolongerworeasling。"That\'sthewayitiswithyou,mamma——gottotakeyourfrettin\'outonewayifyoudon\'tanother！"

"No。Hedon\'tlookwell。Itain\'texactlythewayhelookedwhenhebeguntogetsickthattime,buthekindo\'seemstobelosin\',someway。"

"Yes,hemay\'a\'lostsomething,"saidSheridan。"Iexpecthe\'slostawholeloto\'foolishnessbesideshisGod—forsakennotionsaboutwritin\'poetryand——"

"No,"hiswifepersisted。"Imeanhelooksrightpeakid。Andyesterday,whenhewassettin\'withus,hekeptlookin\'outthewindow。Hewasn\'treadin\'。"

"Well,whyshouldn\'thelookoutthewindow？"

"Hewaslookin\'overthere。Heneverreadawordallafternoon,Idon\'tbelieve。"

"Look,here！"saidSheridan。"Bibbsmight\'a\'keptgoin\'onovertheretherestofhislife,moonin\'onandon,butwhatheheardSibylsaydidonebigthing,anyway。Itwokehimupoutofhistrance。Well,hehadtogoandbustcleanoutwithabang;andthatstoppedhisgoin\'overthere,anditstoppedhispoetry,butIreckonhe\'sbeguntogetprettyfairpayforwhathelost。

Iguessagoodmanyyoungmenhavehadtogetoverworrieslikehis;theygottoloseSOMETHINGifthey\'regoin\'tokeepaheado\'theprocessionnowadays——anditkindo\'lookstome,mamma,likeBibbsmightkeepquiteaconsiderablelongwayahead。Why,ayearfromnowI\'llbetyouhewon\'tknowthereeverWASsuchathingaspoetry！Andain\'thefunny？Hewantedtosticktotheshopso\'shecould\'think\'！Whathemeantwas,thinkaboutsomethinguseless。Well,Iguesshe\'skeepin\'hismingprettyoccupiedtheotherwaythesedays。Yes,sir,ittookaprettyfair—sizedshocktogethimoutofhistrance,butitcertainlydidthebusiness。"Hepattedhiswife\'sshoulderagain,andthen,withoutanyprefatorysymptoms,brokeintoaboisterouslaugh。

"Honest,mamma,heworkslikeagorilla！"

AndsoBibbssatintheporchofthetemplewiththemoney—changers。ButnoOnecametoscourgehimforth,forthiswasthetempleofBigness,andthechangingofmoneywasholyworshipandtruereligion。Thepriestsworethat"settish"lookBibbs\'smotherhadseenbeginningtodevelopabouthismouthandeyes——awarylookwhichshecouldnotdefine,butitcomeswithserviceatthetemple;anditwasthemoremarkeduponBibbsforhissharpawakeningtothenecessitiesofthatservicce。

Hedidaslittle"useless"thinkingaspossible,givinghimselfnotimeforit。Heworkedcontinuously,keepinghisthoughtsstillonhisworkwhenhecamehomeatnight;andhetalkedofnothingwhateverexcepthiswork。Buthedidnotsingatit。Hewasofteninthestreets,andpeoplewerenotallowedtosinginthestreets。Theymightmakeanymannerofhideousuproar——theycouldshakebuildings;theycouldout—thunderthethunder,deafenthedeaf,andkillthesickwithnoise;ortheycouldwalkthestreetsordrivethroughthembawling,squawking,orscreeching,astheychose,ifthenoisewastraceablyconnectedwithbusiness;thoughstreetmusicianswerenottolerated,beingconsideredanuisanceandaninterference。Amanorwomanwhowentsingingforpleasurethroughthestreets——likeacrazyNeopolitan——wouldhavebeenstopped,andbelikelockedup;forFreedomdoesnotmeanthatacitizenisallowedtodoeveryoutrageousthingthatcomesintohishead。Thestreetsweredangerousenough,inallconscience,withoutanysinging！andtheMotorFederationissuedpublicwarningsdeclaringthatthepedestrian\'slifewasinhisownhands,andgivingdirectionshowtoproceedwiththeleastperil。

However,BibbsSheridanhadnodesiretosinginthestreets,oranywhere。Hehadgonetohisworkwithanenergythat,forthestart,atleast,wasbitter,andtherewasnosongleftinhim。

Hebegantoknowhisactivefellow—citizens。Hereandthereamongthemhefoundaleisurely,kindsoul,arelicoftheoldperiodofneighborliness,"pioneerstock,"usually;andthereweremen——particularlyamongthemerchantsandmanufacturers——"sohonesttheyleanedbackward";reputationssometimesattestedbystoriesofheroicsacrificestohonor;norweretherelackingsomeinstancesofgenerosityevennobler。Hereandthere,too,werebook—men,intheirlittleleisure;and,amongtheGermans,music—men。Andthese,withtheothers,worshipedBignessandthegrowth,eachmanservingforhisownsakeandforwhathecouldgetoutofit,butallunitedintheirfaithinthebeneficenceandgloryoftheirgod。

Toalmostallalikethatservicestoodasthemostimportantthinginlife,exceptonoccasionofsomesuchvital,briefinterregnumasthedangerousillnessofawifeorchild。Inthewayof"relaxation"someoftheserverstookgolf;sometookfishing;sometook"shows"——amixtureofinfantileandnegroidhumor,stockings,andtinmusic;sometookanoccasionaldebauch;sometooktrips;sometookcards;andsometooknothing。Thehighpriestswerevigilanttowatchthatno"relaxation"shouldaffecttheservice。Whenamanattendedtoanythingoutsidehisbusiness,eyeswereuponhim;hiscreditwasindanger——thatis,hislifewasindanger。Andtheoldpriestswereasardentastheyoungones;themillionwasaseagertobebiggerasthethousand;seventywasasbusyasseventeen。Theystovemightilyagainstoneanother,andtheoldpriestswerethemostwary,themostplausible,andthemostdangerous。Bibbslearnedhemustwalkcharilyamongthese——hemustwearathousandeyesandbewareofspidersindeed！

Andoutsidethetempleitselfwerethepretenders,theswarmingthievesandsharpersandfleecers,theslyrascalsandtheopenrascals;butthesewerefeeblefolk,notdangerousonceheknewthem,andhehadagoodguidetopointthemouttohim。Theywereusefulsometimes,helearned,andmanyofthemservedasgo—betweensinmatterswherebusinessmusttouchpolitics。Helearnedalsohowbreweriesand"traction"companiesandbanksandotherinstitutionsfoughtoneanotherforthepoliticalcontrolofthecity。Thenewspapers,hediscovered,hadlosttheirancientpoliticalinfluence,especiallywiththeknowing,wholookeduponthemwithaskepticalhumor,believingthejournalseithertoberetainedpartisans,likelawyers,orelsestrivingtoforwardthepersonalambitionsoftheirowners。Thecontrolofthecitylaynotwiththem,butwasusuallyobtainedbygivingthehordesofnegroesgin—money,andbyotherlargesses。Therevenuesofthepeoplewerethendistributedasfairlyaspossibleamongagreatnumberofmenwhohadassistedthewinningside。Namesandtitlesofofficeswentwithmanyoftheprizes,andmostofthesetitle—holderswereexpectedtopresentabusyappearanceattimes;and,indeed,someamongthemdidworkhonestlyandfaithfully。

Bibbshadbeenveryignorant。Allthesesimplethings,sowellknownandcustomary,astonishedhimatfirst,andonce——inabriefmomentofforgettingthathewasdonewithwriting——hethoughtthatifhehadknownthemandwrittenofthem,howlikeasatiretheplainestrelationofthemmusthaveseemed！Strangestofalltohimwasthevehementandsincerepatriotism。Oneverysideheheardit——itwasapermeation;thenewestschool—childcaughtit,thoughjustfromHungaryandlearningtostammerafewwordsofthelocallanguage。Everywherethepeopleshoutedofthepower,thesize,theriches,andthegrowthoftheircity。Notonlythat,theysaidthatthepeopleoftheircitywerethegreatest,the"finest,"thestrongest,theBiggestpeopleonearth。Theycitednoauthorities,andfelttheneedofnone,beingthemselvesthepeoplethuscelebrated。Andifthethingwasquestioned,orifitwashintedthattheremightbeonesmallvirtueinwhichtheywerenotperfectandsupreme,theywastednotimeexaminingthemselvestoseeifwhatthecriticsaidwastrue,butfelluponhimandhootedhimandcursedhim,fortheyweresensitive。SoBibbs,learningtheirwaysandwalkingwiththem,harkenedtothevoiceofthepeopleandservedBignesswiththem。Forthevoiceofthepeopleisthevoiceoftheirgod。

SheridanhadmadetheroomnexttohisownintoanofficeforBibbs,andthedoorbetweenthetworoomsusuallystoodopen——thefatherhadestablishedthatintimacy。OnemorninginFebruary,whenBibbswasalone,Sheridancamein,somesheetsoftypewrittenmemorandainhishand。

"Bibbs,"hesaid,"Idon\'tliketobuttinveryoftenthisway,andwhenIdoIusuallywishIhadn\'t——butforHeaven\'ssakewhathaveyoubeenbuyingthatolebustedinter—tractionstockfor？"

Bibbsleanedbackfromhisdesk。"Forelevenhundredandfifty—fivedollars。

That\'sallitcost。"

"Well,itain\'tworthelevenhundredandfifty—fivecents。Yououghttoknowthat。Idon\'tgetyouridea。Thatstuff\'sdeader\'nAdam\'scat！"

"Itmightbeworthsomething——someday。"

"How？"

"Itmightn\'tbesodead——notifWewentintoit,"saidBibbs,coolly。

"Oh！"Sheridanconsideredthismusingly;thenhesaid,"Who\'dyoubuyitfrom？"

"Abroker——Fansmith。"

"Well,hemust\'a\'gotitfromoneo\'thecrowdo\'poorninniesthatwassoakedwithit。Don\'tyouknowwhoownedit？"

"Yes,Ido。"

"Ain\'tsayin\',though？Thatit？What\'sthematter？"

"ItbelongedtoMr。Vertrees,"saidBibbs,shortly,applyinghimselftohisdesk。

"So！"Sheridangazeddownathisson\'sthinface。"Excuseme,"hesaid。

"Yourbusiness。"Andhewentbacktohisownroom。Butpresentlyhelookedinagain。

"Ireckonyouwon\'tmindlunchin\'aloneto—day"——hewasshufflinghimselfintohisovercoat——"becauseIjustthoughtI\'dgouptothehouseandgetTHISoverwithmamma。"Heglancedapologeticallytowardhisrighthandasitemergedfromthesleeveoftheovercoat。Thebandageshadbeenremoved,finally,thatmorning,revealingbutthreefingers——theforefingerandthefingernexttoithadbeenamputated。"She\'sboundtomakeanawfulfuss,anditbetterspoilherlunchthanherdinner。I\'llbebackabouttwo。"

ButhecalculatedthetimeofhisarrivalattheNewHousesoaccuratelythatMrs。Sheridan\'slunchwasnotdisturbed,andshewasrisingfromthelonelytablewhenhecameintothedining—room。Hehadlefthisovercoatinthehall,buthekepthishandsinhistrouserspockets。

"What\'sthematter,papa？"sheasked,quickly。"Hasanythinggonewrong？Youain\'tsick？"

"Me！"Helaughedloudly。"MeSICK？"

"Youhadlunch？"

"Didn\'twantanyto—day。Youcangivemeacupo\'coffe,though。"

Sherang,andtoldGeorgetohavecoffeemade,andwhenhehadwithdrawnshesaidquerulously,"Ijustknowthere\'ssomethingwrong。"

"Nothin\'intheworld,"heresponed,heartily,takingaseatattheheadofthetable。"IthoughtI\'dtalkoveranotiono\'minewithyou,that\'sall。

It\'smorewomen—folks\'businessthanwhatitisman\'s,anyhow。"

"Whatabout？"

"Why,oleDocGurneywasupattheofficethismorningawhile——"

"Tolookatyourhand？How\'shesayit\'sdoin\'？"

"Fine！Well,hewentinandsataroundwithBibbsawhile——"

Mrs。Sheridannoddedpessimistically。"Iguessit\'stimeyouhadhim,too。I

KNEWBibbs——"

"Now,mamma,holdyourhorses！IwantedhimtolookBibbsoverBEFORE

anything\'sthematter。Youdon\'tsupposeI\'mgoin\'totakeanychanceswithBIBBS,doyou？Well,afterwards,Ishutthedoor,andIan\'oleGurneyhadatalk。He\'samightydisagreeableman;herubbeditinonmewhathesaidaboutBibbshavin\'brainsifheeverwokeup。ThenIthoughthemustwanttogetsomethingouto\'me,hegosoflattering——foraminute！\'Bibbscouldn\'thelphavin\'businessbrains,\'hesays,\'bein\'YOURson。Don\'tbesurprised,\'

hesays——\'don\'tbesurprisedathismakin\'asuccess,\'hesays。\'Hecouldn\'tgetoverhisheredity;hecouldn\'tHELPbein\'abusinesssuccess——onceyougothimintoit。It\'sinhisblood。Yes,sir\'hesays,\'itdoesn\'tneedMUCH

brains,\'hesays,\'anonlythird—ratebrains,atthat,\'hesays,\'butitdoesneedaspecialKINDo\'brains,\'hesays,\'tobeamillionaire。Imean,\'hesays,\'whenaman\'sgivenastart。Ifnobodygiveshimastart,why,coursehe\'sgottohaveluckANDtherightkindo\'brains。TheonlymiracleaboutBibbs,\'hesays,\'iswherehegottheOTHERkindo\'brains——thebrainsyoumadehimquitusin\'andthrowaway。\'"

"Butwhat\'dhesayabouthishealth？"Mrs。Sheridandemanded,impatiently,asGeorgeplacedacupofcoffeebeforeherhusband。Sheridanhelpedhimselftocreamandsugar,andbegantosipthecoffee。

"I\'mcomin\'tothat,"hereturned,placidly。"SeehoweasyImanagethiscupwithmylefthand,mamma？"

"Youbeendoin\'thatallwinter。Whatdid——"

"It\'swonderful,"heinterrupted,admiringly,"whatafellowcandowithhislefthand。Icansignmynamewithminenow,well\'sIevercouldwithmyright。Itcamealittlehardatfirst,butnow,honest,IbelieveIRATHER

signwithmyleft。That\'sallIeverhavetowrite,anyway——justthesignature。Rest\'salldictatin\'。"Heblewacrossthetopofthecupunctuously。"Goodcoffee,mamma！Well,aboutBibbs。OleGurneysayshebelievesifBibbscouldsomehowgetbacktothestateo\'mindhewasinaboutthemachine—shop——thatis,ifhecouldsomewaygettofeelin\'aboutbusinessthewayhefeltabouttheshop——notthepoetryandwritin\'part,but——"Hepaused,supplementinghisremarkswithamotionofhisheadtowardtheoldhousenextdoor。"HesaysBibbsisolderandharder\'nwhathewaswhenhebrokedownthattime,andbesides,heain\'tthekindo\'dreamywayhewasthen——andIshouldsayheAIN\'T！I\'dlike\'emtoshowMEanybodyhisagethat\'sanywiderawake！ButhesaysBibbs\'shealthneverneedbotherusagainif——"

Mrs。Sheridanshookherhead。"Idon\'tseeanyhelpTHATway。Youknowyourselfshewouldn\'thaveJim。"

"Who\'stalkin\'aboutherhavin\'anybody？But,myLord！shemightlethimLOOK

ather！Sheneedn\'t\'a\'gotsomad,justbecauseheaskedher,thatshewon\'tlethimcomeinthehouseanymore。He\'samightyfunnyboy,andsomewaysI

reckonhe\'sprettynearashardtounderstandastheBible,butGurneykindo\'

gotmeinthewayo\'thinkin\'thatifshe\'dlethimcomebackandsetaroundwithheraneveningortwosometimes——notreg\'lar,Idon\'tmean——why——Well,I

justthoughtI\'dseewhatYOU\'Dthinkofit。Thereain\'tanywaytotalkaboutittoBibbshimself——Idon\'tsupposehe\'dletyou,anyhow——butIthoughtmaybeyoucouldkindo\'slipovertheresomeday,andsorto\'fixuptohavealittletalkwithher,andkindo\'hintaroundtillyouseehowthelandlays,andaskher——"

"ME！"Mrs。Sheridanlookedbothhelplessandfrightened。"No。"Sheshookherheaddecidedly。"Itwouldn\'tdoanygood。"

"Youwon\'ttryit？"

"Iwon\'triskherturnin\'meouto\'thehouse。Someway,that\'swhatI

believeshedidtoSibyl,fromwhatRoscoesaidonce。No,ICAN\'T——and,what\'smore,it\'donlymakethingsworse。Ifpeoplefindoutyou\'rerunnin\'

after\'emtheythinkyou\'recheap,andthentheywon\'tdoasmuchforyouasifyoulet\'emalone。Idon\'tbelieveit\'sanyuse,andIcouldn\'tdoitifitwas。"

Hesighedwithresignation。"Allright,mamma。That\'sall。"Then,inaliveliertone,hesaid:"OleGurneytookthebandagesoffmyhandthismorning。Allhealedup。SaysIdon\'tneed\'emanymore。"

"Why,that\'ssplendid,papa！"shecried,beaming。"Iwasafraid——Let\'ssee。"

Shecametowardhim,butherose,stillkeepinghishandinhispocket。"Waitaminute,"hesaid,smiling。"Nowitmaygiveyoujustateenybitofashock,butthefactis——well,yourememberthatSundaywhenSibylcameoverhereandmadeallthatfussaboutnothin\'——itwasthedayafterIgottiredo\'

thatstatuewhenEdith\'stelegramcame——"

"Letmeseeyourhand！"shecried。

"Nowwait！"hesaid,laughingandpushingherawaywithhislefthand。"Thetruthis,mamma,thatIkindo\'slippedoutonyouthatmorning,whenyouwasn\'tlookin\',andwentdowntooleGurney\'soffice——he\'dtoldmeto,yousee——and,well,itdoesn\'tAMOUNTtoanything。"Andheheldout,forherinspection,themutilatedhand。"Yousee,thesedayswhenit\'salldictatin\',anyhow,nobody\'dmindjustacoupleo\'——"

Hehadtojumpforher——shewentoverbackward。ForthesecondtimeinherlifeMrs。Sheridanfainted。

Itwasafullhourlaterwhenheleftherlyinguponacouchinherownroom,stilllamentingintermittently,thoughheassuredherwithheatthatthe"fuss"shewasmakingirkedhimfarmorethanhisphysicalloss。Hepermittedhertothinkthathemeanttoreturndirectlytohisoffice,butwhenhecameouttotheopenairhetoldthechauffeurinattendancetoawaithiminfrontofMr。Vertrees\'shouse,whitherhehimselfproceededonfoot。

Mr。Vertreeshadtakenthesaleofhalfofhisworthlessstockasmannainthewilderness;itcamefromheaven——bywhatagencyhedidnotparticularlyquestion。Thebrokerinformedhimthat"partieswereinterestedingettingholdofthestock,"andthatlatertheremightbeapossibleincreaseinthevalueofthelargeamountretainedbyhisclient。Itmightgo"quiteawaysup"withinayearorso,hesaid,andheadvised"sittingtight"withit。Mr。

Vertreeswenthomeandprayed。

Herosefromhiskneesfeelingthathewassurelycomingintohisownagain。

Itwasmorethanameregaspoftemporaryreliefwithhim,andhiswifesharedhisoptimism;butMarywouldnotlethimbuybackherpiano,andasforfurs——springwasontheway,shesaid。Buttheypaidthebutcher,thebaker,andthecandlestick—maker,andhiredacookoncemore。ItwasthisservitresswhoopenedthedoorforSheridanandpresentlyassuredhimthatMissVertreeswould"bedown。"

Hewasnotthemantoconcealadmirationwhenhefeltit,andheflushedandbeamedasMarymadeherappearance,almostupontheheelsofthecook。Shehadalookofapprehensionforthefirstfractionofasecond,butitvanishedatthesightofhim,anditsplacewastakeninhereyesbyasoftbrilliance,whilecolorrushedinhercheeks。

"Don\'tbesurprised,"hesaid。"Truthis,inawayit\'ssortofonbusinessI

lookedinhere。It\'llonlytakeaminute,Iexpect。"

"I\'msorry,"saidMary。"Ihopedyou\'dcomebecausewe\'reneighbors。"

Hechuckled。"Neighbors！Sometimespeopledon\'tseesomucho\'theirneighborsastheyusedto。Thatis,Ihearso——lately。"

"You\'llstaylongenoughtositdown,won\'tyou？"

"IguessIcouldmanagethatmuch。"Andtheysatdown,facingeachotherandnotfarapart。

"Ofcourse,itcouldn\'tbecalledbusiness,exactly,"hesaid,moregravely。

"Notatall,Iexpect。Butthere\'ssomethingo\'yoursitseemedtomeIoughttogiveyou,andIjustthoughtitwasbettertobringitmyselfandexplainhowIhappenedtohaveit。It\'sthis——thisletteryouwrotemyboy。"Heextendedthelettertohersolomnly,inhislefthand,andshetookitgentlyfromhim。"Itwasinhismail,afterhewashurt。Youknewhenevergotit,Iexpect。"

"Yes,"shesaid,inalowvoice。

Hesighed。"I\'mgladhedidn\'t。Not,"headded,quickly——"notbutwhatyoudidjustrighttosendit。Youdid。Youcouldn\'tactedanyotherwaywhenitcamerightdownTOit。Thereain\'tanyblamecomin\'toyou——youwereabove—boardallthrough。"

Marysaid,"Thankyou,"almostinawhisper,andwithherheadbowedlow。

"You\'llhavetoexcusemeforreadin\'it。Ihadtotakechargeofallhismailandeverything;Ididn\'tknowthehandwritin\',andIreaditall——onceI

gotstarted。"

"I\'mgladyoudid。"

"Well"——heleanedforwardasiftorise——"Iguessthat\'saboutall。Ijustthoughtyououghttohaveit。"

"Thankyouforbringingit。"

Helookedatherhopefully,asifhethoughtandwishedthatshemighthavesomethingmoretosay。Butsheseemednottobeawareofthisglance,andsatwithhereyesfixedsorrowfullyuponthefloor。

"Well,IexpectIbetterbegettin\'backtotheoffice,"hesaid,risingdesperately。"Itold——ItoldmypartnerI\'dbebackattwoo\'clock,andI

guesshe\'llthinkI\'mapoorbusinessmanifhecatchesmebehindtime。Igottowalkthechalkamightystraightlinethesedays——withTHATfellowkeepin\'

tabsonme！"

Maryrosewithhim。"I\'vealwaysheardYOUweretheharddriver。"

Heguffawedderisively。"Me？I\'mnothin\'tothatpartnero\'mine。Youcouldn\'tguesstosaveyourlifehowhekeepsaftermetoholdupmyendo\'

thejob。Ishouldn\'tbesurprisedhe\'dgivemethegrandbouncesomeday,andrunthewholecircusbyhimself。Youknowhowheis——oncehegoesATathing！"

"No,"shesmiled。"Ididn\'tknowyouhadapartner。I\'dalwaysheard——"

Helaughed,lookingawayfromher。"It\'sjustmywayo\'speakin\'o\'thatboyo\'mine,Bibbs。"

Hestoodthen,expectant,staringoutintothehallwithanairofcarelessgeniality。Hefeltthatshecertainlymustatleastsay,"HowISBibbs？"

butshesaidnothingatall,thoughhewaiteduntilthesilencebecameembarrassing。

"Well,IguessIbetterbegettin\'downthere,"hesaid,atlast。"Hemightworry。"

"Good—by——andthankyou,"saidMary。

"Forwhat？"

"Fortheletter。"

"Oh,"hesaid,blankly。"You\'rewelcome。Good—by。"

Maryputoutherhand。"Good—by。"

"You\'llhavetoexcusemylefthand,"hesaid。"Ihadalittleaccidenttotheotherone。"

Shegaveapityingcryasshesaw。"Oh,poorMr。Sheridan！"

"Nothin\'atall！Dictateeverythingnowadays,anyhow。"Helaughedjovially。

"Didanybodytellyouhowithappened？"

"Iheardyouhurtyourhand,butno——notjusthow。"

"Itwasthisway,"hebegan,andboth,asifunconsciously,satdownagain。

"Youmaynotknowit,butIusedtoworryagooddealabouttheyoungesto\'myboys——theonethatusedtocometoseeyousometimes,afterJim——thatis,I

meanBibbs。He\'stheoneIspokeofasmypartner;andthetruthisthat\'swhatit\'sjustaboutgoin\'toamountto,oneo\'thesedays——ifhishealthholdsout。Well,youremember,Iexpect,Ihadhimonamachineoverataplanto\'mine;andsometimesI\'dkindo\'sneakinthereandseehowhewasgettin\'along。Takeadoctorwithmesometimes,becauseBibbsneverWASsorobust,youmightsay。OleDocGurney——Iguessmaybeyouknowhim？Tall,thinman;actssleepy——"

"Yes。"