(Q
S H UT ,
S E SA M E
S H O RT S T O R I ES
O L D A N D N EW
S elec ted
and
Edi ted éy
C ALPHONSO SMITH
.
Un i te d
S ta tes N a v a l A ca de my, A n n ap olis
GINN AND
C O M PA N Y
C O PY RI G H T , 1 9 1 6 , B Y
C A L PH O N S O S M ITH
.
I
A LL R G H TS R E S E R V E D
PR
IN TED
I N TH E U
NI T E D
y
I
ST A T E S O F A M E R C A
WZ /
S
QQSJON
GINN
O ST O
A A A
B
N
TL
NT
AND
N EW Y
D
O
A AS
LL
RK
C
LIBRRRY
‘
C O M PA N Y
CH I C
O LU M B U S
AG O
SA N F R
L
A
O
ND
O
N
N CI S C
O
I N T R O D U CT I O N
Eve ry s ho rt st ory h as three parts wh ich m ay be c all ed
S etting o r Backgro u nd P l ot o r Plan and Characters o r Char
acter If y ou are going to write a short story as I h 0pe yo u
are y ou will find i t ne c essary to think thro u gh these t h ree
parts s o as t o re l ate t h e m i nterestin gly and naturally o n e to
the other ; and if yo u want to assimilate the best that i s i n t h e
fo ll o w ing stories you will d o w e ll to appr o ach them by the
sam e three routes
The S etting o r Backgr o und gives u s the time and the p l a c e
of t h e story wit h s u ch detail s of c ustom scenery and dial e c t
as time and place im pl y It answers the questions Wnen ?
W/tere ? The Plot te ll s u s w hat happened It gives u s t h e
in c idents and events the haps o r m ishaps that are interw o ven
to m ake u p t h e w arp and w oof o f the story S ometimes t h ere
is hard ly any interweaving ; j ust a p l ain p l an o r simple o u tl ine
“
“
is fo ll owed as in The Christmas Car ol o r The Great S tone
Face We may sti ll call the core o f these two stories t h e P lot
if we want to but P l an would be the m ore a c c u rate T hi s part
o f the sto ry answers the question W/
z at ?
Unde r t h e h eading
Characters or Character we study t h e pe rsonalities o f the m en
and w om en wh o m ove t h rough the st ory and gi ve it u nity and
”
c o heren c e S ometimes as in
The C h ri stmas Car ol
or
M arkheim o ne characte r so do m inates t h e ot h ers t h at they
are m ere spokes i n h is hub o r i n cidents i n hi s c aree r But in
The Gift of the Magi though m ore spac e i s gi ven t o Dell a
s h e and Jim ac t from the same mo tive and contrib u te e qu a l ly
t o th e develo p m ent o f the story I n o ne o f our st ori es th e
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i ii
S H O RT S T O R I E S
mai n ch aracter i s a dog but he is so human that we m ay sti ll
s ay t h at the chief question to be answered under this heading
is Wil e ?
Many books h ave been wr i tten about these three parts of a
short story but the great l esson to be learned is that the ex c e l
lence o f a story long or short consists n o t in the separate
exce llence of the S etting o r o f the P l ot o r of t h e Characters
but in the perfect b l ending o f the three to pr o duce a singl e
effect or to impress a single truth If the S etting does not fit
the Plot if the Plot does not rise graceful ly from the S etting
if the Characters do not move naturally and self-reveal ingly
through both the story is a fai lu re Emerson might well have
had our th ree pa rts o f the short st o ry i n m ind wh en h e wro te
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All a n d d by a h o n e ;
N othi g is fair o g o d al o ne
re
n
ee
e
e
r
c
o
.
CONTENTS
PA G E
I N T R O D U CT I O N
E ST H E R
Fro m th e
O ld
T t
e s am e n
t
T H E H I S T O RY O F A L I B A B A A N D
R OBB E RS
Fr m T h A r b i n N i g h t
R I P V A N W I N K LE
I rvin g
B y W a hin g t
T H E GO LD -B U G
B y E dg ar A llan P
V A C H R I STTVI A S C AR O L
Di k
B y C harl
T H E GR EAT S T O N E FA C E
B y N tha i l H w th r
R A B AND H I S FR I E N DS
By Dr J h B r w
T H E O U TC A ST S OF PO K E R F LA T
B y B ret H arte
o
a
e
s
a
on
s
oe
.
es
a
.
c
ens
n e
a
n
o
o
o ne
n
M AR KH EI M
By
R o b e rt L o ui s Ste v e n s o n
T H E N E C K LA C E
t
B y G uy d M a p
T H E M AN W H O W O U LD B E K I N G
B y R dy r d K i p li g
T H E G I F T O F TH E M AGI
B y 0 H enry
e
u
.
a
u
as s an
n
THE
FO R T Y
S H O RT S T O R I ES
I
.
EST H E R
1
A U TH O R U N KN O W N
The events take p l ace in S usa the capital o f Pers i a
This
in the reign of Ahasuerus or ! erxes ( 4 8 5 — 4 6 5
foreign locale intensifies the sp l endid J ewish patriotism that
breathes through the story from beginning to end If the
setting had been in J erusalem E sther cou l d n o t h av e preached
the noble do c trine When in R ome don t do as R ome does
”
but be tr u e to the Ol d ideal s O f home and race
”
“
Plot
E sther seems to me the best-told story in the Bible
O bserve how the note O f empty Persian bigness versus S imple
Jewish faith is struck at the very beginning and is echoed to
the end Thus Ahasuerus ruled over o n e hundred and twenty
S e v en pro v inces the opening banquet l asted o n e hundred and
eighty-seven days the king s bulletins were as unalterab l e as
the tides the gal l ows erected was eighty-three feet high the
beds were O f gold and si lv er upon a pavement o f red and blue
and white and black m arble the money wrested from the Jews
”
was to be eighteen million dollars etc The word banquet
occurs twenty times in this short sto ry and only twenty ti m es
in al l the remaining thirty-eight books of the O l d Testament
In other words Ahasuer u s and his trencher-m ates ate and drank
as much in five days as had been eaten and drunk by all the
”
other O l d Testament characters fro m Genesis to Mal achi
Note also the contrast between the two queens the tw o
pri m e ministers the two edicts and the two l ater ban q uets
etti ng
S
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1
F
ro m
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th e
O ld
T
e s t am e n t ,
A
u th o riz e d
V e rs io n
.
S H O R T S T OR I E S
2
The mo st m asterly part o f the plot is the h and l ing O f events
be t ween these banquets R ead again from chapter v beginning
at verse 9 through chapter vi and note how skil l fully the pen
is he l d In motivation as we l l as in symmetry and naturalness
the story is Without a peer There is humor too in the solemn
deliberations over V as h ti s N O ( chapter i verses 1 2 — 2 2 ) and
in the strange procession l ed by pedestrian Haman ( chapter v i
verses 6 - 1 I )
The purpose o f the story was to encourage the feast O f
Purim ( chapter ix verses 2 0 — 3 2 ) and to promote national soli
”
darity It may be compared to A Christmas Carol which
was written to restore the waning celebration o f Christmas
an d to o u r Declaration O f Independence which is re —
read o n
e v ery Fourth o f July to quicken o u r sense O f nationa l fellow
ship But E sther is more than an institution I t is the Old
story Of two conflicting civilizations o n e representing b igness
the other greatness ; o n e standing for materialism the other
for idealism ; one enthroning the body the other the S pirit
C/z a ra eters These are finely individualized though each
seems to me a type Ahasuerus is a tank that runs blood o r
wine according to the hand that turns the spigot H e was u s ed
for good but deserves and receiv es no credit for it No man
e v er missed a greater O pportunity H e was brought face to
face with the two greatest world-civilizations o f histo ry ; but
understanding neither he remains only a muddy place in the
road along which Greek and Hebrew passed to w or l d-conqu est
Haman a blend o f vanity and cruelty and cowardice but not
without some power O f initiati v e w as a fit minister for his king
H e liv es in history as o n e who better than in Hamlet s illus
”
tratio n w as
hoist with his own petard the petard in his case
being a gallows He typifies also the j ust fate o f the man wh o
S p urred by the hate O f one includes in his scheme O f e xterm i
nation a whole people Collectiv e vengeance ne v er recei v ed a
better illustration nor a more exemplary punishment Mordecai
is altogether ad m irable in refusing to k o wtow to Haman and in
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E S TH E R
3
h is u nsel fish dev o tion to his fair cousin E sth er T h e nob l est
senti m ent in the book
Who knoweth whether thou art come
,
.
to the kingdom for such a time as this P
comes from Mordecai
But the l eading character is E sther n o t because s h e was
”
fair and beautifu l but because s h e was hospitab l e to the
great thought suggested by Mordecai None but a Je w could
have asked Who knoweth whether tho u art come to t h e king
”
?
dom for such a time as this
and none but a Jew cou l d have
answered as E sther answered The question implied a sense
O f persona l responsibi l ity and o f divine guidance far beyond
the reach O f Persian o r Mede o r Greek O f that time It cal l s
up many a quiet h our w hen E sther and Morde c ai ta lked
together o f their strange l ot in this heathen l and and wondered
if the time would ever come when they could interpret their
trials in terms O f national ser v ice rather than O f meaningless
fate Imagine the blank and bovine expression that Ahasuerus
o r Haman w ould ha v e turned upon you if you had put such
a question to either o f them But in the case o f E sther
Mordecai s appea l unlocked an unused reservoir O f power
that has made h er o n e O f the world s heroines S he had her
faults o r rather her limitations but S ince her time m en hav e
gone to the stake have built up and torn down principalities
and powers o n the dynamic conviction that they had been
sent t o th e kingd om fo r s u ch a ti m e as
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C HAPT ER I
TH E S
TO R Y
OF
V A SH TI
it cam e to pass in the days o f A h asueru s ( th is is
Ahasuerus which reigned from India even u nto Ethiopia over
a hundred and se v en and twenty provinces )
2
That in those days when the king Ahasuerus s at o n the
throne o f his kingdom which was i n S hushan the pal ace
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S H O R T S T OR I E S
4
In
the
third
year
o f his reign he made a feast u nto al l
3
his princes and his servants ; the power of Persia and M edia
the nobles and princes O f the provinces being before him :
4 When he shewed the riches O f his glorious kingdo m and
the honour of his excel l ent m aj esty many days even a h undred
and fo u rscore days
And
w
hen
these
days
were
expired
the
king
made
a
feast
5
u nt o al l the people that were present in S hushan the palace
both unto great and small seven days in the c ourt o f the
garden O f the king s palace ;
6 Where were white green and blue hangings fastened
with cords O f fine l inen and purple to silver rings and pi ll ars of
marble : the beds w ere o f gold and S ilver upon a pave m ent
o f red and blue and white and black marble
And
they
gave
them
drink
in
vessels
o f gold
the
vessels
7
(
being diverse one from another ) and royal wine i n abundance
according to the state O f the king
none
8 And the drinking was according to the law ;
did compe l : fo r s o the king had appointed to all the o fficers
O f his house that they should do according to eve ry man s
pleasure
Also
Vashti
the
q
u
een
made
a
feast
for
the
wo
m
en
in
9
the royal house which belonged to king Ahasuerus
I O
O n the seventh day when the heart O f the king was
merry with wine he commanded Mehuman Biztha Harbona
Bigtha and Abagtha Zethar and Carcas the seven chamber
lains that served in the presence O f Ahasueru s the king
I I To b ring Va s hti the queen before the king with th e
crown royal to shew the p eople and the princes her beauty :
for she was fair to look o n
1 2
But the queen Vashti refused to come at the king s com
mandment by his chamberlain s : therefore was the king very
wroth and his anger burned in him
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E S TH E R
5
Then
the
king
said
to
the
wise
men
w
hich
knew
the
3
times ( for s o was the king s manner toward all that knew law
and judgm ent
And th e next u nto h im was Carshena S hethar Admath a
1 4
Tarshish M eres Marsena and M emucan the seven princes o f
Persia and M edia w hi ch s aw the king s face and which s at
the first in the kingdom )
What
sha
ll
we
do
u
nto
the
queen
Vasht
i
acc
o
rdi
1
n g to
5
l aw be c ause sh e h ath n o t performed the commandment o f the
king Ahasuerus by the chamberlains ?
And Mem u can answered before the king and the prin c es
1 6
Vasht i the queen hath not done wrong to the king only but
al so to al l the princes and to all the people that are in a ll the
pr o v i nces o f the king Ahasuerus
For
this
deed
O
f
the
queen
sha
ll
come
abroad
u
nto
al
l
1
7
w o m en so that they shall despise their husbands in their eyes
when it shall be reported The king Ahasueru s commanded
Vashti the queen to be brought i n before him but s h e
came not
1 8
Likewise shal l the ladies of Persia and Media s ay this day
unto all the king s princes which have heard O f the deed of the
queen Thus shal l there arise too mu c h contempt and wrath
If
it
p
l
ease
the
king
let
there
go
a
royal
commandment
1
9
from him and let it be written among the l aws o f the Persians
and the M edes that it be not altered That Vashti come no
more before king Ahasueru s ; and let the king give her royal
estate unto another that is better than sh e
And when the king s decree whi ch he shal l make shal l
20
be p u bl ished throughout al l his empire (fo r it is great ) al l the
wives shall give to th eir husbands h on o ur both to great and
s m all
And th e saying p l eased the king and the p ri nces ; and
2 1
t h e king did a cco rd i ng t o the w o rd o f M e mu can
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6
SH O R
T STORIES
Fo r he sent l etters into all the king s provin c es int o
every province according to the writing thereof and to eve ry
peop l e after their language that every m an should bear rule in
his o wn house and that it should be published according t o the
l anguage O f every peop l e
22
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C HAPT ER I I
ES TH ER M A D E
Q U EE N
After these things when the wrath O f king Ahasuerus
was appeased he remembered V asht i and what S he had done
and what was decreed against her
Then said the king s servants that ministered unto him
2
Let there be fair young virgins sought for the king
f
And
l
et
the
king
appoint
o
ficers
in
all
the
pro
v
inces
O
f
3
his kingdom that they may gather together all the fair young
virgins unto S hushan the palace to the house of t h e women
unto the custody o f Hegai the king s Chamberlain keeper O f
the women ; and let their things for purification be gi v en them
4 And let the maiden which pleaseth the king be queen
instead Of Vashti And the thing pleased the king ; and h e
did so
5 Now in S hushan the palace there was a certain Jew
whose name was Mordecai the son O f Jair the son Of S himei
the son of Kis h a Benj am ite ;
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daughter : for she had neither father nor mother and the maid
was fair and b eauti ful ; whom Mordecai when her fat h er and
mother were dead took for his o wn daughter
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E STH E R
7
i t c am e t o pass w hen the king s co mm andment and
h is de c ree w as heard and wh en m any m aidens were gathered
together u nt o S h u shan t h e pal ace to the cust o dy O f Hegai
that E sther w as brought al so unto the king s house to the
custody O f Hegai keeper o f the women
A
n d the maiden pleased him and s h e O btained kin dness
9
o f him ; and he speedi l y gave her her things for p u rification
8
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with such things as belonged to her and seven maidens which
were meet to be gi v en her out O f the king s ho u se : and he
preferred her and her maids unto the best p l ace Of the h o use
O f the women
1 0
E s ther had not shewed her people nor her kindred : for
Mordecai had charged her that s h e should n o t she w it
1 1
And Mordecai walked every day before the court Of the
women s house to kno w how E sther did and what should
become o f her
1 2
Now when e v ery maid s turn was come to go i n to king
Ahasuerus aft e r that S h e had been twelve months according
to the manner of the women ( for so were the days of their
rifi c atio n s accomplished to wit s ix months with O il o f myrrh
u
p
and s ix months with sweet odours and with other things for
th e p u rifying o f the w omen )
1 3
Then thus came every maiden unto the king ; whatso
ever s h e desired was given h er to go with her o u t o f the house
o f the women unto the king s house
1 4
In the evening S he went and o n th e morrow s h e returned
into the second house O f the women to the custody o f S h aas h
gaz the king s C hamberl ain which kept the concubines : s h e
came in unto the king no more except the king delighted in
her and that S he were call ed by name
o f Abihai l
1
Now
when
the
turn
of
E
sther
the
daughter
5
the uncle O f Mordecai who had taken her for his daughter
w as come to go in unto the king sh e required nothing b u t wh at
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
8
H ega i t h e king s C h amberl ain the keepe of the women
appointed And E sther O btained favour in the sight o f all the m
that l o o ked up o n her
1 6
S O E sther w as taken unto king A h asuer u s into his ho u se
roya l in the tenth m onth whi c h is the m o nth Tebeth in th e
seventh year Of h is reign
1
7 And the king l oved E sther ab o ve all the women and s h e
O btained gra c e and favo u r in his sight more than all the virgins
s o that he se t the royal c rown upon h e r h e ad and made h e r
q u een instead o f Vashti
1 8
Then the king m ade a great feast unto all his prin c es
and h is servants even E sther s feast ; and he made a rel ease to
the pr o vinces and gave gifts according to the state o f the king
1
And
wh
en
the
virgins
were
gathered
together
the
se
c
ond
9
ti me t h en Mordeca i s at i n the king s gate
20
E sth e r had not yet shewed h er kindred n o r h er people
as M o rde c a i h ad charged her : for E sther did the c o mmand
m ent o f M orde c ai l ike as w hen s he w as bro ught u p with h im
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M O R DE C AI S AV E S
TH E
K ING S L I F E
’
In tho se days whil e Mordecai s at in the king s gate two
o f the king s chamberl ains Bigthan and Teresh o f those which
kept the door w ere wroth and sought to l ay hand o n the king
Ahasuerus
And the thing w as known to Mordecai who to l d it u nt o
22
E sther the queen ; and E sth e r c ertified the king thereof i n
Mordecai s name
And when inqu i sition was m ade Of the m atter it was
23
found out ; therefore they were b o th hanged o n a tree : and it
w as written i n th e book O f the c hronicl es before the king
21
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S H O RT ST O R I E S
IO
If
i
t
p
l
ease
the
king
l
et
it
be
written
t
h
at
t
h
ey
m
ay
be
9
destroyed : and I w il l pay ten thousand talents of si lv er to the
hands of those that have t h e c h arge o f the business t o bring it
into the king s treas u ries
And the king took his ring from his hand and gave it
I O
u nto Ham an the s o n of Ha m medatha the Agagite the Jews
ene my
1 1
And the king said unto Ha m an The si lver is gi ven to
th ee t h e peop l e al so to do w ith the m as it seemeth go o d
to t h ee
1 2
Then were the king s scribes call ed o n the thirteent h day
Of the first m onth and there was written according to a ll that
Haman had commanded unto the king s lieutenants and to
the governors that were over every pro v ince and to the ru l ers o f
every peop l e o f e v ery province according to the writing thereof
and t o every peop l e after their language ; in the name O f king
Ahasuerus was i t written and sealed with the king s ring
I 3 And the l etters were sent by posts into all the king s
provinces t o destr o y t o ki ll and to cause to perish al l Jews
b o t h yo u ng and O ld little children and women i n o n e day
even u pon the th i rteent h day o f the twel fth month which is the
mo nth Adar and to take the spoi l o f them fo r a prey
The copy o f the writing for a c ommandment to be given
1 4
in eve ry provin c e was published u nto al l peop l e that they
sh oul d be ready against that day
The
posts
went
o u t be i ng hastened by the k i ng s c o m
1
5
mand m ent and the decree w as given in S hushan the palace
And the king and Haman sat d ow n t o d rink ; b u t the c ity
S h u sh an w as perp l exed
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’
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E S TH E R
I I
C HAPT ER IV
FA S TI N G A M O N G
TH E
J EW S
When Mordecai perceived al l that was done M o rde c ai
rent his clothes and put o n sackcloth with ashes and went
o u t into the midst O f the ci ty
and cried with a l oud and a
bitter c ry ;
2
And came even before the king s gate : f o r n o ne m igh t
enter into t h e king s gate cl othed with sackc l oth
And
in
eve
r
y
province
whithersoever
the
king
s
m
c
o
3
mandment and his de c ree ca m e there was great mou rn in g
among the Jews and fasting and w eeping and w ailing ; and
m any l ay in sa ck cl oth and ashes
E
sther
s
maids
and
her
chamber
l
ains
ca
m
e
and
t
ol
d
S
O
4
it her Then was the queen exceedingly grieved ; and she sent
raiment to cl othe Mordecai and t o take aw ay his sac kc l oth
fro m hi m : but he re c eived it not
n e o f the king s chamber
Then
called
E
sther
for
Hatach
o
5
l ains whom he had appointed to attend upon her and gave
h i m a co mm andment t o Morde c ai to know w h at it was and
Why it was
6 S O Hatach went forth to Mordecai unto the street of the
ty which was before the king s gate
f
And
Mordecai
told
him
o
al
l
that
had
happened
unto
7
hi m and o f the s u m of the money that H aman had promised
to pay to the k i ng s treasuries fo r the Jews to destr o y them
8 A lso h e gave him the c o py o f the writing o f t h e de c ree
that was given at S hushan to destroy them to shew it u nt o
E sther and t o dec l are i t u nto her and to charge her th at s h e
should g o in u nto the king to make supp l i c ati on u nto him and
to make request before him for her peop l e
O f Morde c ai
And
Hatach
ca
m
e
and
told
E
sther
the
w
o
rds
9
1
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,
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S H O R T S T O R I ES
12
Again E sth er spake unto Hatach and gave h im com
m andment unto Mordecai ;
All the king s servants and the peop l e o f the king s
1 1
provinces do kno w that whosoe v er whether man o r w oman
shall come unto the king into the inner c ourt wh o is no t c all ed
there is o n e l aw o f his to p u t him to death except such to wh o m
the king shal l ho l d o u t the go l den s c eptre that he may live
but I have not been c all ed t o com e in unto the king these
thirty days
1 2
And they t o ld to Mordecai E sther s w ords
1 0
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TH E
G R EAT A PPEA L
Then M o rdecai c o mmanded t o answe r E sth er Th i nk n o t
w ith thyse l f that tho u shal t escape in the king s hou se mo re
than al l the Jews
F o r if th ou al t o get h er h ol dest thy peace at this ti m e
1 4
then shall th ere enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews
from an o ther place ; b u t thou and thy father s house shal l be
destroyed : and wh o knoweth whether tho u art come to the
kingdo m for s u ch a time as this ?
1
Then
E
sther
bade
them
return
Mordecai
this
answe
r
5
1 6
G O gather together all the Jews that are present in
S hushan and fast ye for me and neither eat nor drink three
day s night o r day : I also and my maidens will fast likewise ;
and s o will I go in unto the king which is not according to the
law : and if I perish I perish
1
o Mordecai went his w ay and did according to all that
S
7
E sther h ad co m manded h im
1
3
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E S TH E R
C HAPT ER
C O U RA G E
TH E
1
3
V
ES TH ER
OF
N OW it came to pass o n the third day that E sther put on
her roya l apparel and stood in the inner court of the king s
ho u se over against the king s house : and the king s at upon
his royal throne in the royal house over against the gate O f the
h ouse
And it was SO when the king s aw E sther the queen
2
standing in the court that sh e O btained fav our in his sight
and the king held o u t to E sther the golden sceptre that was in
his hand S O E st h er drew near and touched the to p O f the
s c eptre
Then
said
the
king
unto
her
What
wi
l
t
tho
u
queen
3
E sther ? and what is thy request ? it shall be e v en gi ven thee
to the half O f the kingdom
4 And E sther answered If it seem good unto the king let
the king and Haman come this day u nto the banquet that I
have prepared for him
Then
the
king
said
Cause
Haman
to
make
haste
that
he
5
may do as E sther hath said S O the king and Haman came to
the banquet that E sther h ad prepared
6 And the king said unt o E sther at the banquet of wine
What is thy petition ? and it shall be granted thee : and what
is thy request ? e v en to the hal f o f the kingdom it shall be
performed
Then
answered
E
sther
and
said
My
pe
ition
and
my
t
7
request is ;
8 If I have found favour in the sight o f the king and if it
p l ease the king to grant my petition and to perform my request
l et the king and Haman come to the banquet that I shal l pre
pare fo r them and I w i l l do t o morro w as the king hath sai d
1
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,
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3
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S H O R T S T OR I E S
14
B ET W EEN B AN QU ET S
Then
went
Haman
fort
h
that
day
j
oyfu
l
and
with
a
glad
9
heart : but w hen Haman s aw Mordecai in the king s gate that
he stood not up nor moved fo r him he was full o f indignation
against Mordecai
I 0 Ne v ertheless Haman refrained himself : and when he came
home he sent and called for his friends and Zeresh his wife
I I And Haman told them o f the glory O f his riches and
the multitude O f his chi l dren and al l th e things wherein the
king had promoted him and how he had advanced him abo v e
the princes and ser v ants O f the king
1 2
Haman said moreo v er Yea E sther the queen did let no
man come in with the king unto the banquet that s h e had pre
pared b u t myself ; and to —morrow am I invited unto her also
with the king
Yet al l this availeth me nothing s o l ong as I s e e
1 3
Mordecai the Jew S itting at the king s gate
1 4
Then said Zeresh his wife and all his friends unto him
Let a gall ows be made of fifty cubits high and t o morrow
speak thou unto the king that Mordecai may be hanged
thereon : then go thou in merri ly with the king unto the ban
quet And the thing p l eased Ha m an ; and he caused the
gal l o w s to be m ade
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C HAPT ER VI
B
E TW EEN
B
A N Q U ET S
ED
C
O
N
T
I
N
U
)
(
O n that night could not the king sleep and he commanded
to bring the book O f records o f the chronicles ; and they w ere
read before the king
And it w as found written that Mordecai had to l d o f
2
Bigthana and Teresh two Of the king s c hamberl ains th e
1
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’
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E ST H E R
1
5
keepers of the door who sought to l ay h and on the king
Ahasuerus
And
the
king
said
What
honour
and
dignity
hath
been
3
done to Mordecai f o rthis ? Then said the king s ser v ants that
ministered u nto him There is nothing done fo r h im
?
And
the
king
said
Who
i
s
in
the
court
Now
Ha
m
an
4
w as come into the outward court o f the king s house t o S peak
unto the king to hang Mordecai o n the gallows that he h ad
prepared for him
And
the
king
s
ser
v
ants
said
unto
hi
m
Beho
l
d
Haman
5
standeth i n the court And the king said Let hi m come in
6 S O Haman came in
And the king said unto him
What S hal l be done unto the man whom the king delight
eth to honour ? Now Haman thought in his h eart T O
whom would the king delight to do honour m ore than to
myself
And
Haman
answered
the
king
F
o r the man who m the
7
k ing delighteth to ho n o u r
8 Let the roya l appare l be brought which the king useth to
wear and the horse that the king rideth upon and the crown
royal which is s e t upon his head
And
let
this
appare
l
and
horse
be
de
l
ivered
to
the
hand
9
O f one Of t h e king s most noble princes that they may array
the man witha l whom the king delighteth to honour and bring
him on horseback through the street o f the city and procl ai m
before him Thus shall it be done to the man who m the king
delighteth to honour
1 0
Then the king said to Haman Mak e haste and take the
appare l and the horse as thou hast said and do even s o to
Mordecai th e Jew that S itteth at the k i ng s gate : l et n o thing
fail of all that thou hast spoken
I 1 Then took H aman the apparel and the horse and arrayed
Mordecai and br o ugh t h i m on horseback through the street o f
,
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S H OR T S T O R I E S
6
the ci ty and pr o cl aim ed before him Thus shall it be done u nt o
the m an who m the king delighteth to honour
I 2
And M o rde c ai cam e again t o the king s gate But Ham an
hasted to his house mo urn in g and h av ing his head covered
1
3 And Haman to l d Zeres h his wife and a ll his friends
eve ry thing that h ad befall en him Then said his wise men
and Zeresh h is wife unto him If Mordecai be o f the seed of
th e Jews before w h o m thou hast begun to fall thou shal t not
prevai l against hi m but s h al t su re ly fall before him
And W hile they were yet talking with him came the
1 4
king s chamberl ains and hasted to bring Ham an u nto the
ban qu et that E sth e r had prepared
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C HAPT ER VI I
ES
TH ER S B A N Q U ET HA M A N HA N G ED
’
:
the king and Haman came to banquet w ith E st h e r
th e qu een
And t h e king said again unto E sther on the sec o nd day
2
at the banquet O f wine What is thy petition queen E sther ? and
it shal l be granted thee : and what is thy request ? and it s h all
be performed even to the hal f O f the kingdom
Then
E
sther
the
queen
answered
and
said
If
I
have
found
3
favo u r i n thy sight O king and if it p l ease the king let my
l ife be given m e at my petition and my peop l e at my request :
4 F o r w e are sold I and my people to be destroyed to be
sl ain and to perish But if we had been sold fo r bondmen and
bondw om en I had held my tongue although the enemy c o u ld
n o t cou nte rvail the king s damage
Then
the
king
Ahasueru
s
answered
and
said
u
nto
E
st
h
er
5
the queen Who is he and where is he that durst presume in
hi s h ea rt t o do so ?
1
SO
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,
1
S H O RT S T O R I E S
8
Then th e k i ng h el d o u t the golden sceptre toward E sth er
S O E sther arose and stood before the king
And
said
I
f
it
please
the
king
and
if
I
ha
v
e
found
fa
v
our
5
in his S ight and the thing see m right before the king and I
be p l easing in his eyes l et it be written to reverse the l etters
de v ised by Haman t h e s o n O f Hammedatha the Agagite
which he wrote to dest roy the J ews which are in all the king s
provinces
6 For h o w can I endure to s e e the e v il that S hall come unto
my peop l e ? o r how can I endure to s e e the destruction o f my
kindred
Then
the
king
Ahasuerus
said
u
nto
E
sther
the
queen
and
7
to Mordecai the Jew Behold I have gi v en E sther the house O f
Haman and him they have hanged upon the gallows because
he laid his hand upon the Jews
8 Write ye also for the Jews as it l iketh you in the king s
name and seal it with the king s ring : for the writing which is
written in the king s name and sealed with the k ing s ring may
no man reverse
Then
were
the
king
s
scri
b
es
called
at
that
time
in
the
9
third month that is the month S iv an on the three and twentieth
day thereof ; and it was written according to all that Mordecai
c ommanded unto the Jews and to the lieutenants and the
deputies and ru l ers O f the provinces which are from India u nto
E thiopia a hundred twenty and sev en provinces u nto eve ry
pr o vince a c cording to the writing thereof and unto every peop l e
after their l anguage and to the Jews ac c ording to thei r writing
and according to their l angu age
I O
And he w rote in the king Ahas u erus name and seal ed
it with the king s ring and sent letters by posts on horseback
and riders on mules camels and young dromedaries
1 1
Wherein the king granted the Jews which were in eve ry
city to gather the m se l ves together and to stand fo r th eir l ife
4
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’
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’
’
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’
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,
.
E S TH E R
19
to destroy to s l ay and to cause to peri s h al l the po we r o f the
people and pro v ince that would assau l t them both little ones
and women and to take the spoi l O f them for a prey
Upon o n e day in al l the provinces o f king Ahasuerus
1 2
namely u pon the thirteenth day O f the twe l fth month whic h is
th e month Adar
The copy o f the writing for a commandment to be given
1 3
in e v e ry province w as published unto al l people and that the
Jews shou l d be ready against that day to avenge themselves
o n thei r enemies
S o the posts that rode u pon m u l es and came l s w ent o u t
1 4
being hastened and pressed o n by the king s commandment
And the decree w as gi v en at S hushan the palace
And
Mordeca
i
went
out
from
the
presence
of
the
king
1
5
in roya l appare l of blue and white and with a great crown o f
gol d and w ith a garment O f fine l inen and purple : and the city
O f S hushan rej oiced and was glad
The Jew s b ad light and gladness and j oy and h o nour
1 6
And
in
every
province
and
in
every
city
whit
h
ers
o
eve
r
1
7
the king s commandment and his decree came the Jews had j oy
and gladness a feast and a good day And many o f the people
o f the land be c a m e Jews ; for the fear O f the Jews fel l upon
the m
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C HAPT ER
TH E
J EW S
D
I!
E F E N D TH E M SE LV ES
No w i n t h e twelfth month that i s th e month Adar o n th e
thirteenth day of the same when the king s commandment and
his decree drew near to be put in execution i n the day that the
enemies Of the Je w s hoped to hav e power o v er them ; ( though
it was turned to the contrary that the J ews h ad r ul e o ver
th e m that h ated them )
1
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,
,
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’
,
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,
,
S H O RT S T O R I E S
20
The Jews gathered the m se l ves together i n their cities
th r ou ghout a ll the provinces of the king Ahasuerus to lay hand
o n suc h as s ou g h t thei r h urt :
and n o m an coul d wi thstand
the m ; for the fea r O f th e m fe ll u pon al l p eop l e
And
al
l
the
ru
lers
f
t
h
e
pro
v
inces
and
the
lieutenants
O
3
and the deputies and O fficers O f the king h e l ped t h e Jews ;
because the fear o f Mordecai fe ll u pon them
4 For Mordecai w as great in the king s house and his fame
went o u t throughout all the provinces : fo r this m an Mordeca i
waxed gr eater and greater
Thus
the
Jews
smote
al
l
t
h
eir
enem
i
es
with
the
stroke
O
f
5
the s wo rd and slaughter and destruction and did what they
would u nto those that hated them
6 And in S hushan th e palace the Jews slew and destr o yed
five h undred men
7 And Parshandatha and Dalp h on and Aspatha
8 And Poratha and Adalia and Aridatha
And
Par
m
ashta
and
Arisai
and
Aridai
and
Vaj
ezatha
9
The ten sons o f Ham an the s on O f Hammedatha the
I O
enemy O f the Jews sle w they ; b u t o n t h e spo il l aid they not
their hand
1 1
O n that day the number Of those tha t w ere slain in
S hushan the palace was brought befo re the king
1 2
And the king said unto E sther the queen The Jews have
slain and destroyed five hundred men in S hushan the palace
and the ten sons o f H aman ; w hat h ave they done in the rest
O f the king s pro v inces ? now what is thy petition ? and i t shall
be granted thee : o r what is thy req u est further ? and i t shall
be done
1 3
Then said E sther I f it please the king let i t be granted
to the Jews whic h are in S hushan to do to-morrow also accord
ing unto this day s decree and l et Ham an s ten sons be hanged
u pon the gal l ows
2.
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E S TH E R
21
so
And
t
h
e
k
i
ng
commanded
it
to
be
d
o
ne
and
the
:
4
decree was given at S h u shan ; and they hanged Haman s ten
sons
For
the
Jews
that
were
in
S
hushan
gathered
themse
l
ves
1
5
together o n the fourteenth day al so o f the month Adar and
sle w three hundred men at S hushan ; but o n the prey they laid
not their h and
But the o ther Je w s that w ere in the king s provinces
1 6
gathered themse l ves together and sto o d for their lives and had
rest fr o m their enemies and slew O f their foes seventy and five
tho u sand b u t they laid not their hands o n the prey
O
n
the
thirteenth
day
o f the m o nth Adar ; and on the
1
7
f ourteenth day o f the sa m e rested they and m ade it a day of
feasting and g l adness
But the Jews that w ere at S h u shan assembled t o gether
1 8
o n the thirteenth day there o f and o n the fourteenth there o f ;
and o n t h e fifte enth day o f the sa m e they rested and m ade i t
a day o f feasting and gl adness
1
Therefore
the
Jews
O
f
the
vi
l
lages
that
dwe
l
t
in
the
9
u nwall ed towns m ade the fo u rteent h day O f the m ont h Adar
a day o f gladness and feasting ; and a go o d day and O f sending
portions o n e to another
1
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’
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.
TH E
F EA S T
OF
PURIM
And Morde c ai wrote these things and sent lette r s unto
all the Jews that were in all the provinces of the king Ahas u erus
both nigh and far
2 1
To establish this among them that they should keep the
fourteenth day O f the m o nth Adar and the fifteenth day O f the
sam e yearly
22
As the days wherein the Jews rested from their enemies
and the month which was turned unto them from sorro w to j oy
and from m o urning into a go o d day : that they s h o ul d m ake the m
20
,
.
,
,
,
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,
,
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,
,
,
S H O RT S T O R I E S
22
days o f feasting and j oy and o f sending portions o ne to an o th e r
and gifts to the poor
And the Jews undertook to do as they had begu n and
23
as Mordecai had written unto them ;
Be cau se Haman the so n o f Hammedatha the Agag i te
24
the ene m y of al l the Jews had devised against the Jews t o
destroy the m and had cast Pur that is the lo t to co ns um e
th e m and t o destroy them ;
But
wh
en
E
sther
came
before
the
king
he
c
o
mm
anded
2
5
by l etters that his wicked device which he devised against the
Jews should return upon his o wn head and that he and his
s o ns should be hanged o n the gal lows
Wherefore they c all ed these days P urim afte r the na m e
26
of Pur Therefore f o r all the words O f this l etter and Of that
whic h they had seen con c erning this matter and which had
co me u nto them
The Jews ordained and took u pon them and up o n their
27
seed and upon al l such as j oined themselves u nto them so as
it sh o ul d n o t fail that they would keep these two days a c cord
i ng to their w riting and according to their appoin ted ti m e eve ry
year ;
28
And that these days shou l d be remembered and kept
throughout every generation e v ery family e v e ry provin c e and
every c i ty ; and that these days of Purim should not fail from
among the Jews n o r the memoria l o f them perish from their
seed
2
Then
E
sther
the
queen
the
daughter
O
f
Abihail
and
9
Mordeca i the Jew wrote with a l l authority to confir m this
se c ond l etter O f Purim
And
he
sent
the
letters
unto
al
l
the
Jews
to
the
hundred
0
3
twen ty and seven provinces o f the kingdo m o f Ahasuer u s
w ith w ords o f peace and tru th
T
O
confirm
these
days
o
f
P
u
ri
m
in
their
times
appointed
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ESTH E R
23
according as Morde c a i t h e Jew and E sther th e queen h ad
enj oined the m an d as they had decreed for themse l ves and
f o r their seed t h e matters o f the fastings and their c ry
f
And
the
de
c
ree
E
sther
c
onfi
rm
ed
t
h
ese
m
atters
2
o
o
f
3
Pu ri m ; and it was written in the b oo k
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.
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C HAPT ER
M OR D E C AI
!
P R I M E M I N I S TER
And t h e king Ahasuerus laid a tribute up o n the l and and
upon the is l es o f the s e a
2
And all the acts O f his power and Of hi s might and the
declarati o n O f the greatness o f Morde c ai wh ereunto the k ing
advanced h im are they not written in the bo o k o f the c hr o nic l es
o f the kings o f M edia and Persia ?
F
o
r
Mordecai
the
Jew
was
next
u
nt
o
king
Ahas
u
er
u
s
and
3
gr eat among the Jews and accepted o f the m u l titude o f his
brethren seeking the w eal t h o f his pe o p l e and S peak i ng pea c e
t o all his seed
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II
T H E H I S T O RY O F A L I BA BA A N D
.
T H E F O RT Y R O B B E R S
1
AU TH O R U N KN O W N
T h is story l ike E sther takes p l ac e i n Persia The
“
”
sto ries of The Arabian Nigh ts as a who l e probably origin ated in
India were modified and augmented by the Persians and had
the finishing tou ches put upon them by the Arabians Bagdad
on the Tigris is the c ity that figures most pr om inently in the
stories and the g o od cal iph Haroun Al-R aschid (or A lrasch id)
who rul ed fro m 7 8 6 to 8 0 9 A D is the m o nar c h mo st O ften
m entioned
“
A g o odl y p lace a g o o dl y ti m e
F o r it was in th e g o l de n p ri m e
”
O f g o o d H aro un A lrasc hid
etti ng
S
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However Old the germs o f the stories are the form in which
we have them hardly antedates the year 1 4 5 0 The absence o f
at least a date
all mention o f coffee and tobacco precludes
much l ater They began to be translated into the languages O f
Europe d u ring the reign o f Queen Anne and with the e x c e p
tion O f the O ld Testament have been the ch ief orientalizing
infl uence in modern l iterature The setting O f Ali Baba
s hows the four char a
cteristics O f all these Perso—Arabian tal es
it has to do with town life not country life ; it pres upposes o n e
faith the Mohammedan ; it S hows a fondness fo r magic ; and
it takes for granted an audience interested not in mora l or
ethical distinctions but in story-te ll ing fo r story-telling s sake
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1
F
ro m
Th e
A
rab ian
24
N igh ts
”
.
S H O RT S TOR I E S
26
CASSI M
,
A B A S B RO TH ER D I S C O V ERE D
K I LL E D B Y T H E RO B B ERS
A LI
’
B
,
A ND
There once lived in a town O f Persia two brot h ers one
named Cassim and the other Ali Baba Their fathe r divided his
smal l property equally between them Cassi m m arried a very
ri c h w ife and becam e a wealthy m erchant Ali Baba married
a w oman as p o or as himself and l ived by cutting w ood and
bringing it upon three asses into the town to sell
O ne day when Ali Baba had c u t j ust enough w ood in the
forest to load his asses he noticed far o ff a great cloud O f dust
As it drew nearer he saw that it was made by a body of horse
m en w ho m h e suspected to be robbers Leaving the asses
he cl imbed a l arge tree which grew o n a high rock and had
branches thick enough to hide him completely w hile he saw
what passed beneath The troop forty in n um ber al l wel l
m o unted and armed came to the foot Of the rock o n which
the tree stood and there dismo u nted E ach man unbridled his
horse tied him to a shrub and hung about his neck a bag of
corn Then each of the m took O ff his saddle -bag w hich from
its weight seemed to Ali Baba full o f gold and silver O ne
whom he took to be their captain came under the tree in which
Ali Baba was conceal ed ; and making his way through some
”1
shrubs S poke the words : O pen S esame
A s soon as the
c aptain O f the robbers said this a door O pened in the rock and
af ter he had made all his troop enter before him he followed
them w hen the door shut again o f itself
The robbers stayed some time within and Ali Baba fearful
At l ast the door opened
o f bein g caught remained in the tree
again and the c aptain came o u t first and stood to s ee al l th e
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1
S e s am e
( p ro n o u n c e d s es s a my )
’
,
a s m all
g
rain .
A LI B
ABA A N D
TH E
F O R TY RO B B E RS
27
troop pass by him Then Ali Baba heard hi m make the doo r
”
“
close by saying : S hut S esa m e
Every man at once b ridled
his h o rse fastened his wallet and mo u nted again When th e
c aptain s aw the m al l ready he put himsel f at their head and
they returned the way they had c ome
Ali Baba watched the m o u t Of sight and then w aited s o me
time before coming down Wishing to se e whether the captain s
words would have the same effect if he should speak them he
found the door hidden in the shrubs stood before it and said
”
O pen S esame
Instantly the door flew w ide open
Instead o f a dark dis m a l cavern Ali Baba was surprised to
see a l arge chamber well lighted from the top and i n it all
sorts of provisions I lCh bales O f silk brocade and carpe ting
go l d and si lver ingots in great heaps and money in bags
A l i Baba went bo l d ly into the cave and co llected as muc h
which was in bags as he thought his asses
o f the go l d coin
c o uld carry When he had loaded the m with the bags he laid
wo od over t h e m so that they could not b e seen and passing
o ut O f the door fo r the last time sto o d before it and said
”
S hut S esame The d oo r cl osed O f itse l f and he m ade the
best o f his way to town
When he reached home b e careful ly closed t h e gate o f his
l ittle yard threw O ff the w o od and carried the bags into the
house They were emptied before his wife and the great heap
O f gold dazzled her eyes Then he told her t h e whole adventure
and warned her above all things to keep it secret
Ali Baba wo u ld not l et h er take the time to count it o ut as
”
s h e wished but said :
1 w ill dig a hole a
n d bu ry i t
But let u s know as nearly as may be s h e said
how
m u c h we have I will b o rrow a s m al l measure and m easu re it
whi l e you dig a hole
Away s h e ran to the wife O f Cassim wh o lived near by and
asked for a m easure The sister in—law know i ng A li Baba s
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
8
poverty w as c uri o u s t o l earn what sort of grain hi s w i fe wi s h ed
t o measure o u t and artfully managed to put some suet in the
b o tt om O f the measure before she handed it over Ali Baba s
wife wanted to S h ow ho w c arefu l s h e was in smal l matters and
after s h e had m easured the gold hurried back even whil e her
h u sband was burying it with the b o rrowed m easure never
n o ti c ing that a coin had st u ck to its bott o m
”
What said C ass im s wife as so o n as her sister-in-l aw had
l eft her has A l i Baba gol d in s u ch plenty that he measures
”
i t ? Whence has he all this wea l th ? And envy possessed her
b r east
When Cassim c ame home , she said to h im : Cass im yo u
th ink yourself ri ch but A l i Baba is m uch richer He does not
”
count his m o ney ; he measures it
Then she exp l ained to hi m
h ow s h e had found it o u t and they lo o ked together at the piece
w hich was so Ol d that they c oul d not te ll in wh at
O f money
pr i nce s reign it was c oined
Cassim since mar ryi ng the ri ch widow h ad never treated
Ali Baba as a brother but neglected him Now instead of b e
ing pleased he was filled with a base en vy E arly in the morn
“
i ng after a s l eep l ess night he went to him and said : A l i
Baba yo u pretend to be w retchedly poor and yet you measure
go l d My wife found this at the botto m o f the measure yo u
”
b o rrowed yesterday
A l i Baba s aw that there w as no u se O f t rying to concea l his
good fo rt u ne and told the wh ol e st o ry offering his brother
part O f the treasure to keep the secret
”
I expect as m uch replied Cassi m haughti ly ; but I mu st
know j ust w here this treas u re is and h o w to visit it m ysel f
when I ch oose O therwise I will info rm against yo u and y ou
”
w ill l ose even what yo u have now
Al i Baba to l d hi m al l he w ished to kno w even t o the wo rd s
h e mu st speak at the d o or of the cave
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A LI
B
A B A AN D
TH E
F O R TY RO B B ERS
29
Cassim rose before the s u n t h e next morning and s e t o u t
for the forest with ten m ules bearing great chests whi ch h e
meant to fill With l ittl e tr ou ble he fo u nd the rock and the
”
door and stand ing before it spoke the words : O pen S esa m e
The door O pened at once and w h en he was within cl o sed u pon
him Here indeed were the riches of w h i ch his broth er had
to l d He q u ickly brought as many bags o f go l d as he c o ul d
ca rry to the door o f the c avern ; but h is t hou ghts were so full
of his new weal th that he c o u l d not think o f t h e wo rd that
”
“
s h oul d l et him o u t Instead o f S esame he said O pen
Barley and was m uc h amazed to find that the do o r remained
fast shut H e named severa l sorts O f grain b u t stil l the do o r
w ould n o t open
Cassi m had never expe c ted s u ch a disaster and was so
”
fri ghtened that the m ore he tried to recal l the word S esame
the m ore confu sed his mind became I t was as if he had never
heard the word at al l H e threw down the bags in his h ands
and wal ked wild ly u p and down w ith out a tho u ght O f th e r ich es
lyin g round about hi m
At noon the robbers visited their cave Fr o m afar they s aw
C ass im s mu l es straggling about the rock and ga ll oped fu ll
S peed to t h e cave Drivin g the m ul es o u t o f sight they went
at on c e with their naked sabres in their hands to the do o r
w h ich opened as soon as the captain h ad spoken th e prope r
w ords before it
Cassim had h eard the no i se Of t h e horses feet and guessed
that the robbers had co m e He resolved to make o n e effort for
his l ife As soon as the door O pened b e rushed o u t and t h rew
the l eader down but cou l d n o t pass the other robbers wh o
w ith their scimitars s o on put him to death
The first care o f the robbers was to examine the cave T h ey
found all the bags Cassim had br ought to the door but did not
m iss wh at A li Baba h ad taken As fo r Cass im him se l f they
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
0
3
guessed rightly th at once within he cou l d not get o u t agam ;
but h o w he had managed to l earn their secret words that l et
hi m in they co u ld not te ll O ne thing was certain
there he
was ; and to wa rn a ll others wh o might know their secret and
fo llo w in Cas sim s footsteps they agreed to c u t his b o dy into
f o ur q u arters — to hang two o n one S ide and two o n the other
within the door o f the cave This they did at once and l eaving
the p l a c e Of their hoards wel l cl osed mounted their ho rses and
s e t ou t t o atta ck t h e c aravans they m ight meet
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TH E
M A NN ER
OF CASSI M S D
’
EATH C O NC EAL E D
When night c ame and Cassi m did not return his wife b e
c a m e ve ry uneasy S he ran to Ali Baba for comfort and he
t ol d her that Cassi m wou l d certainl y think it u nwise to enter
the town till night was we l l advanced By midnight C ass im s
wife w as stil l more a l armed and wept ti ll mo rning cursing her
desire to pry into the affairs o f her brother and sister-in-law
In the early day s h e went again in tears to Ali Baba
He did not wait for her to ask him to go and s e e what had
happened to Cassim but se t o u t at once fo r the forest with his
three asses Finding some blood at the door o f t h e cav e he
took i t fo r an il l omen but when he had spoken the words and
the door had O pened he w as struck with horror at the disma l
sight O f his brother s body H e could not l eav e it there and
hastened within to find something to wrap around it Laying
the body on o ne o f his asses he covered it w ith wood The
o th er two asses he loaded with bags of gold co v ering them also
with wood as before Then bidding the door shut he came
away but stopped some time at the edge of the forest that he
might not go into the town before night When h e reached
h ome h e l eft the two asses laden with g o ld in h is litt l e yard
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A LI B
A B A AN D
THE
F OR TY RO B B E RS
1
3
fo r h is wife to un l oad and l ed the other to h is s i
l ws
h ouse
Ali Baba knocked at the door which w as O pened by Morgi
ana a clever s l ave fu ll o f devices to c onque r di ffi c u l ties When
h e c ame into the court and unloaded th e ass he too k M o rgian a
aside and said to h er
Yo u m ust O bse rve a stri ct secrecy You r m aster s body is
contained in these tw o panniers We m ust bury hi m as if h e
had died a natural death Go now and tel l your m istress I
”
l eave the matter t o yo u r wit and skillfu l devices
They p l aced the body in C as s im s house and ch arging
M o rgian a t o act we ll her part Al i Baba retu rned h o m e with
h is ass
E arly the next morning M o rgian a went t o a d ru ggi st and
asked for a sort O f lozenge used in th e most dangerous i ll ness
When he asked her for wh om s h e w anted it she answered w i th
a sigh :
My good maste r Cassim H e can neither eat nor
speak
I n the evening s h e went to the same druggi st and
w ith tears in her eyes asked for an essence given t o S i ck per
“
sons for w hose l ife there i s little hope
Alas I sa i d s h e
I
”
am afraid even th i s wil l not save m y good m aste r
A ll t h at day Al i Baba and his w ife were seen g o ing sad ly
between their house and Cassim s and i n the e v ening nobody
was surprised to h ear the shrieks and cries o f C ass im s w ife
and M o rgian a who told eve rybody that he r m aste r w as dead
The next morning at daybreak s h e went to an O ld cobbler
w ho was always early at work and p u tting a piece o f go ld in
his hand said
Baba Mustapha yo u must bring you r sewing-ta ck l e and
co m e w i t h m e ; but I must te ll yo u I shall blindfo l d you wh en
”
we reach a certain place
O h ! O h I rep l ied b e you w o ul d have m e do s om ethi ng
”
again st my co ns ci ence or my hon o r
ster-in-a
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fi
S H O R T S T OR I E S
2
3
forbid ! said M o rgian a putting an o th er piece Of g ol d
in h is hand ; on ly co m e along with me and fear nothing
Baba M u stapha w ent w ith M orgian a and at a certain p l ace
s h e bo u nd his eyes w ith a handkerchief which s h e ne v er u n
l o o sed till they h ad entered the room Of h er m aste r s h o u se
w here she had put the corpse togeth er
“
”
Baba Mustapha said sh e
you m ust m ake h aste and
se w the parts of this body together and w hen y ou have d o ne
”
I w il l gi ve you another piece of g o ld
After Baba Mustapha had finished his task s h e blindfo l ded
hi m again gave hi m the third piece O f gold s h e had promised
and ; charging hi m w ith secrecy took hi m back to the place
w here s h e h ad first bo u nd his eyes Taking o ff the bandage
s h e w atched him ti ll he w as o u t O f sight l est he sh oul d return
and dog h er ; then she w ent home
At Cas s im s h ouse s h e m ade all things ready for t h e fu nera l
1
w hich Was duly performed by the imaum and other ministers
of the m osque M o rgian a as a s l ave O f the dead m an walked
in the procession w eeping beating h er breast and tearing her
h air C assim s wife stayed at home uttering dolefu l cries wit h
the women o f the neighborhood wh o according to custom
cam e to m ourn w ith h er The w hole quarter was filled with
sounds o f sorrow
Thu s the m anne r O f C ass im s deat h was hushed u p and b e
sides his w idow Al i Baba and M o rgian a the slave n o body in
the city suspected the cau se Of it Three or four days after the
funeral Ali Baba removed his few goods O penly to his sister-in
l aw s house i n which he was to l ive in the future ; but the
m oney he had taken from the robbers was carried thither by
night As for C as s im s warehouse Ali Baba put it entirely
u nder the charge o f his eldest son
”
G od
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1
Im
au m , a
M o h amm e dan p ri e s t
.
,
S H O R T S T OR I E S
34
A dead b o dy I excl ai m ed the robber am az ed
”
Ye s ye s answered Baba M u stap h a ;
I se e y ou w ant to
”
kno w m ore but you shal l not
The r o bber felt sure that he w as o n the right track H e put a
p i ece Of go l d into Baba M u s taph a s hand and said to him
I do not w ant to l earn you r secret though you could safely
tru st m e with it The o n ly thing I ask O f you is to show me
”
t h e h ou se w here yo u stitched up the dead body
“
”
I c o ul d not do that replied Baba Mustapha if I wo u ld
I was taken to a certain place whence I was led blindfold to the
”
house and afterw ards brought back again in the same m anner
Well replied the robber
yo u may remember a l ittl e o f
the w ay that yo u w ere led blindfold Come l et m e b l ind yo u r
eyes at the same place We wil l walk together and perhaps y ou
m ay recal l the w ay H ere is another piece o f go l d for yo u
This was enough to bring Baba Mustapha to his feet They
so o n reached the place where M o rgian a had bandaged his eyes
and here h e was blindfolded again Baba Mustapha and the
robbe r w alked o n til l they c am e to C ass im s house w here Ali
Baba now l iv ed H ere the O ld m an stopped and w hen the
thief pulled o ff the band and found that his guide cou l d not
te ll h im whose house it w as h e let h im go But before he
started back for the forest h imself wel l pleased wit h what he
had l earned he marked the door with a piece of chalk which
h e h ad ready i n his h and
S oon after this M o rgiana came o u t upon some errand and
when sh e returned sh e saw the mark the rob ber had made
and stopped to l ook at it
”
What c an this m ean ? she said to herse l f
So mebody
i ntends my m aster h ar m and in any case it is best t o gu ard
”
against the w orst
Then she fetched a piece of chalk and
marked two o r three doors o n each side in the same m anner
saying n o thing to her master o r mistress
.
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A LI B
A B A AN D
F O R TY RO B B E RS
TH E
35
When the robber rej oined his troop in the forest and told o f
his good fortune in meeting the one man that could have helped
him they were al l delighted
”
Comrades said the captain
we have no time t o l ose
Let us s e t Off at once wel l armed and disguised enter the town
by twos and j oin at the great square Meanwhi l e our c o mrade
wh o has brought u s the good news and I wil l go and find o u t
”
the house and decide what had best be done
T WO by two they entered the town
Last o f al l went the
captain and the s py When they came to the first O f the houses
which M o rgian a had marked the spy pointed it o u t But the
captain noticed that the next door was chalked in th e same
manner and asked his guide w h ich ho u se it was that o r the
first The guide knew not what answer to m ake and was still
more puzzled when he and the captain s aw five o r s ix houses
marked after this same fashion He assured the captain with
an oath that he had marked but one and could n o t te ll wh o
had c halked the rest nor could he s ay at w hich house the
cobb l er had stopped
There was nothing to do but to j oin the other robbers and
tel l t h em to go back to the cav e Here they were to l d w hy
they had all returned and the guide was declared by all to be
wo rthy O f death Indeed he conde m ned himself owning that
he ought to hav e been more careful and prepared to recei v e
the stroke which was to c u t O ff his head
The safety o f the troop stil l demanded that t h e second comer
to the c ave shou l d be found and another o f the gang offered
to try it with the same penalty if he should fai l Like the other
robber he found o u t Baba Mustapha and through him the
house w hic h he marked in a p l a c e remo te from sight with red
chalk
But nothing could escape M o rgian a s eyes and when s h e
w ent out not l ong after and s aw the red chalk s h e argued
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S H OR T S T OR I E S
36
with h erself as before and marked the other houses near by in
the same place and manner
The robber when he to l d his comrades what he had done
prided himse l f o n his carefulness and the captain and al l the
troop th o ught they must succeed this time Again they entered
the town by twos ; but when the robber and his captain came
to the street they found the same trouble The captain w as
enraged and the robber as much confused as the former guide
had been Th u s the captain and his troop went back again to
the c ave and the r o bber who had failed w illingly gave himself
u p to death
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RO B B ERS E ! C E P T
TH E
TH E
,
AN D
K
I LL E D
C A P TAI N
,
I
D S CO
V ERE D
BY MORGI AN A
The captain could n o t afford to l ose any more o f his brave
fellows and decided to take upon himself the task in which two
had failed Like the others he went to Baba Mustapha and
was shown the house Un l ike them he put no mark o n it but
studied it carefully and passed it so O ften that he could not
possib ly mistake it
When h e re turned to the troop w ho were waiting for him in
the cave he said
N o w comrades nothing c an prevent o u r ful l revenge as I
am certain o f the house A s I re t u rned I tho u ght O f a way to
”
do o u r work but if any o n e thinks O f a better l et h im speak
H e told them his plan and as they thought it good he
ordered them to go int o the villages abo u t and buy nineteen
mules with thirty-eight l arge l eather j ars o n e ful l O f o il and
the others empty Within two o r three days they ret u rned with
the mules and the j ars and as the mouths o f the jars were
rather too narrow for the captain s purpose he caused them to
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ALI
B
A B A AN D
TH E FO R
TY RO B B ER S
37
be wi dened Having put o ne o f his men into each j ar w ith t h e
weapons which he thought fit and having a seam wide enough
O pen for each man to breathe he rubbed the j ars o n the o u tside
w ith o il fro m the fu ll vessel
Thus prepared they s e t o u t for the t o wn the nineteen mules
l oaded with the thirty seven robbers in j ars and the j ar o f O il
w it h the captain as their driver When he reached Ali Baba s
door he found Ali Baba sitting there taking a little fres h air
after his supper The captain stopped his mules and said
—
I have brought some O il a great w ay to sel l at to morrow s
m arket ; and it is now so late that I do n o t know where to l odge
Wil l yo u d o m e the favor to l et m e pass the night with yo u
Thoug h A l i Baba had seen the captain in the forest and had
heard hi m speak h e c o u l d not know h im in the disguise o f an
o ilmer chant and bade him w e l come H e o pened his gates for
the m u l es t o go into the yard and ordered a slave to put them
i n a stab l e and feed the m when they w ere u n l oaded and then
called M o rgian a tO get a good supper for his gu est Afte r
supper he charged her afresh to take good care o f the stranger
and said to her
T O morrow morning I intend to g o to the bath before day
take c are to have my bathing l inen ready ; give i t to Abdalla
whi
c
h
w
as
his
S
lave
s
name
and
make
me
som
e
good
broth
(
)
”
against m y return
After this he went to bed
In the mean time the captain O f the robbers w ent into the
yard and took o ff the l id o f each j ar an d t ol d h is peop l e what
they m u st do To ea ch i n turn h e said
As soon as I thr ow some stones o u t Of the chamber win
dow where I li e d o n o t fail to come o u t and I will j oin yo u
”
at once
Then h e went i nto the house and M o rgian a sho w ed him
his chamber where he soon put out the light and l aid h im self
down in his clothes
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
38
c arry o u t Ali Bab a s orders
To
’
,
M o rgian a got his bathing linen
eady and bade Abdalla to set on the pot for the broth ; but
soon the l amp went out and there w as no more Oil in the ho u se
nor any candles S he knew not what to do till the slave
reminded her o f the o il-j ars in the yard S he thanked him for
the thought took the o il—pot and went o u t When s h e came
nigh the first j ar the robber within said softly : I s it time ?
O f course s h e was surprised to find a man in the j ar instead
o f the O il but s h e s aw at once that s h e must keep silence as
Ali Baba his family and s h e herself were in great danger
Therefore s h e answered without showing any fear : Not yet
”
but presently
In this manner s h e went to all the j ars and
gave the same answers til l s h e came to the j ar o f o il
By this means M o rgian a found that her m aster had admitted
to his house thirty-eight robbers o f whom the pretended o il
m erchant their captain w as o n e S he made what haste s h e
c oul d to fill her o il-pot and returned to her kitchen lighted h er
l amp and taking a great kettle went back to the oil-j ar and filled
it Then sh e s et the kettl e o n a large wood fire and as soon as
it boil ed went and poured enough into every j ar tO S tifi e and
destroy the robber within
When this deed worthy o f the courage of M o rgiana was
done without any noise as S he had planned s h e retur n ed to the
kitchen with the empty kettle put o u t the lamp and left j ust
enough o f the fire to ma k e the broth Then sh e s at silent
re s ol v ing not to go to rest til l s h e had seen through the window
that O pened o n the yard whate v er might happen there
It was not long before the captai n Of the robbers got up and
seeing that all was dark and quiet gav e the appointed signal by
throwing little stones some o f which hit the j ars as b e doubted
n o t by the sound they ga v e
A s there was no re s ponse he
threw stones a second and a third time and cou l d not imagine
why there was no answer to his signal
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A LI B
A B A AN D
TH E
F O R TY RO B B ERS
39
M uch alarmed he went softly down into the yard and going
to the first j ar to ask the robber if he w as ready smelt the h o t
boiled o il which sent forth a steam o u t o f the j ar From this
b e s u spected that his plot w as found out and looking into the
j ars o ne by one he found that al l his gang were dead E nraged
to despair he forced the l ock o f a door that led fro m the yard
to the garden and m ade h is escape When M o rgian a s aw hi m
go sh e went to bed w e ll p l eased that s h e had saved he r m aster
and his family
A l i Baba rose before day and went to the baths without
knowing o f what had happened in the night When he returned
e
he was very much surprised to s e the oil j ars in the yard and
the m ul es in the stable
G o d preserve you and al l you r family said M o rgian a when
she was asked what it meant ; yo u will know better when yo u
”
have seen what I have to sh o w yo u
S o saying sh e l ed him to the first j ar and asked him to se e
if there was any Oil When he saw a man instead he started
back in alarm
D O not be afraid
said M o rgian a ; he c an do neither you
nor anyb o dy else the l east harm He is dead Now look into
all the other j ars
A li Baba was more and more amazed as he went o n and
saw all the dead men and the sunken O i l-j ar at the end
H e stood looking from the j ars to M o rgian a till he found
“
”
words to ask : And wha t is become Of the merchant ?
Merchant !
answered s h e ;
he is as much o ne as
”
I am
Then she l ed hi m into the house and told of al l that sh e
h ad done from the first noticing o f the c h alk -mark to the
death o f the robbers and the flight o f their captain O n hear
ing o f these brave deeds from M o rgian a s o wn lips Ali Baba
said to her
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SH OR
0
4
T S T OR I E S
God by your means has delivered me fro m death F o r the
first token o f W hat I o w e you I give you your liberty from this
”
moment til l I can fully reward yo u as I intend
Near the trees at the end o f Ali Baba s long garden he and
Abdalla dug a trench l arge enough to hold the bodies o f the
robbers When they were buried there A l i Baba hid the j ars
and weapons ; and as the mules w ere o f no use to him he sent
the m at different times t o be so l d in the m arket by his slave
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TH E
C A P TAI N
D
I S C O V ERE D
BY
MO RG I AN A
AN D K
I LL ED
The captain o f the forty robbers had returned to his cave in
the forest but found himself so l onely there that the p l ace
became frightfu l to him H e reso l ved at the same time to
avenge the fate o f his comrades and to bring about the death
F o r this purpose he returned to the town dis
O f Ali Baba
guised as a merchant o f S ilks By degrees he brought fro m his
c avern many sorts o f fine stuffs and to di s pose of these he took
a w arehouse that happened to be opposite C as s im s w hich
Ali Baba s son had occupied S ince the death o f his u ncl e
H e took the name of G ogia Houssain and as a newcome r
w as very ci v il to the m erchants near him Ali Baba s son was
and the n e w m erchant
o n e o f the first to converse with him
w as m ost friendly Within two o r three days Ali Baba came to
see his s o n and the captain o f the robbers knew him at once
and soon l earned from his so n wh o he was From that time
forth he w as stil l more po l ite to Ali Baba s so n wh o soon felt
bound to repay the many kindnesses o f his new friend
As his o w n house w as small he arranged with his father
that o n a certain afternoon w hen he and the merchant were
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SH OR
42
T STO RI E S
a good dancer and o n this occasion outdid herself in gra c efu l
and s u rprising motions At the l ast s h e took the tabor fro m
A b dalla s hand and held it out like those wh o dance for
money
Ali Baba put a piece O f gold into it and so did h is s o n
When G ogia Houssain saw that S he w as coming to him he
pulled out his purse from his bosom to make her a present ;
but while he was putting his hand into it M o rgian a with cour
age worthy o f her s elf plunged the poniard into his hea rt
”
Unhappywoman ! exclaimed Ali Baba what have you
”
?
done to ruin me an d my family
It was to preserve not to ruin you answered M o rgian a
Then she sho w ed the dagger in G ogia H o u s s ain s garment and
said : L o ok wel l at him and you wil l s e e that he is both the
pretended oil-merchant and the captain o f the band o f forty
robbers A S soon as you told me that he would eat no salt with
”
y ou I suspected who it was and when I s aw him I knew
“
Ali Baba embraced her and said : M o rgiana I gave you
y o ur l iberty before and promised you more in time ; now I
”
w o ul d make you my daughter-in—law Consider he said turn
“
ing to his s on
that by m arrying M o rgian a you m arry the
preserver o f my family and yours
The son w as all the more ready to carry o u t his father s
wishes because they were the same as his o wn and within a
few days h e and M o rgian a were married but before this the
captain o f t h e robbers was buried w ith his comrades and s o
secretly was it done that their bones were not found till many
years had passed when no o n e had any concern in making this
strange story kno
For a whole year Ali Baba did not visit the robbers cav e
At the end of that time as nobody had tried to disturb him he
m ade another j ourney to the forest and standing before the
”
entrance to the cave said : O pen S esame
The door opened
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A LI B
A B A AN D
THE
F O R TY RO B B ERS
43
at once and fro m the appearance of everything within the
cavern b e j udged that nobody had been there since the captain
had fetched the goods for his shop From this time forth he
took as much o f the treasure as his needs demanded S ome
years l ater he carried his so n to the cav e and taught hi m the
secret which b e handed down in his family wh o used their
good fo rtune wisely and l ived in great ho no r and sp lend o r
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III
RI P V A N
.
W I N K L E (1 8 1 9 )
l
W A S H INGTO N I R V ING ( 1 7 8 3 — 1 8 5 9 )
BY
T h e H u ds o n River and the K aatskill M ou ntai ns
w ere first brought into l iterature t h rough this story Irving
be i ng the first American m aster o f l oca l c o l or and loca l tradi
ti o n S ince 1 8 7 0 the A m erican short story fo ll o w ing the
exa m p l e of I rving has been the l eading agency by whi ch the
South the West and Ne w England have m ade known and th u s
perpetuated their lo c al s c enery l egends c u stoms and dial ect
Irving h o w ever see m ed afraid o f dial e c t There w ere it is
tr u e m any l egends about the H u ds o n before Irving was bo rn
but they had fo u nd no expression in literature Mrs J o siah
Quincy wh o made a voyage up the Hudson i n 1 7 8 6 wrote :
O u r captain had a legend for every scene either supernatu ral
or traditional or o f actual o ccurrence during the war and not
a m o untain reared its head u n c onnected w ith some m arvel l ous
”
story
Irving therefore did n o t h ave to manufacture l ocal
traditions ; he o nly gave them w ider currency and fitted t h e m
more artistically into their natu ral settings
Irving c h o se for his setting the twenty years t h at e m bra c e
the R evo l utionary War because the n um ero u s social and political
changes that took p l ace then enabled him to bring R ip back
”
after his S leep into a world not realized Yo u will appreciate
much better the art of this time-setting if you wil l try you r
hand o n a somewhat S imilar story and place it betw een 1 8 2 0
S
etti ng
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1
F
“
ro m
w ith w h ic h
y tify th
h lp
th
m
s
an
e
Th e
I
rv in
Sk e tc h
g f
,
o llo w in
e re ade r, are
s
.
Boo
g
h e re
k
a
”
.
p
Th e
as s i n
o m itte d
.
e lab o rat e
g f hi
Th y
K n ic
k
e rb o c
k
e r n o te s
t h e t im e , s o u
as
on
of
e
are
h in dran c e s
gh t
to
n o w rath e r
R I P VAN W I N KL E
45
and 1 8 4 0 w h en rail ro ads te l egraph l ines and transatl antic
steam ers m ade a n ew worl d o u t o f the O ld ; o r if your story
takes p l a c e in the S outh you m ight m ake your backgr o und
in c lude the interva l between 1 8 5 5 and 1 8 7 5 when slave ry was
ab ol ish ed when the old plantation system was ch anged w hen
the na m es of new her o es emerged and w h en new socia l and
p oli ti c al and industria l prob l ems h ad to be grapp l ed with
Plot The p l ot i s divided i nto two al m ost equa l parts which
”
we m ay call befo r e and after taking
A recent critic has
“
said :
The actual forward movement o f the p lo t does not
begi n u nti l the sentence In a l ong ramb l e o f the kind o n a
fine autumna l day R ip had u n cons c ious ly scramb l ed to o n e o f
the highest parts o f the Kaatskill M ou ntains
The critic has
m issed I think the main st ru ctu ra l excel len c e o f the story
Da m e Van Wink l e the ch i ldren who h u ng around R ip his
own c h i l dren h is dog the social club at the inn w ith the por
trait o f George the Third Van Bum m el and Ni cho l as Vedder
a ll h ad t o be m ent i oned before R ip began the ascent o f the
mou ntain O th erwise w hen he retu rned we shou l d have had
no m eans of m easuring the swift passage o f time during his
sleep E ach i s a skillful ly s e t timepiece o r milepost w hich o n
R ip s return m isleads the poor fel low at every turn and thus
“
pr o duces the exact kind O f total ity o f e ffect that Irving
i ntended The forw ard m ove m ent o f the p l ot begins with this
c areful p l anning of the route that R ip is to take o n his return
trip wh en t w enty years shall have done their w ork Cut o u t
these p oin ts de refi n e and see h ow e ffe c tively the forward
mo vement o f th e p lo t i s retarded
Cna ra eters R ip was the first chara c ter i n American fi c tion
t o be known far beyond o u r o w n borders and he remains o n e
In the cl ass wit h hin be l ong Ja m es Feni
o f the best known
m ore C o oper s Leatherstocking ( or Natty Bumppo ) Harriet
Beecher S towe s Uncl e Tom Joe l Chand l e r Harris s Uncl e
R emus and Mark Twain s Huckleberry Fi r m and To m S awyer
He has been cal l ed u n-American and so he is and so I rving
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46
SH O R
T STORI ES
p l ai n ly i ntended hi m t o be If o n e insists o n find i ng a b i t of
distinctive Americanism somewhere in the story he will find
it not in R ip b u t in the number and rapidity of the changes
that Amer i can l ife underwent during the twenty years that
se rve as background to the sto ry George Willia m Curtis calls
”
R ip the constant and unconsci o us satirist o f American life
but surely Irving would hav e smiled at finding so purposefu l
a mission l aid upon the stooping shoulders o f his vagab o nd
ne er-d o-w e ll hero R ip is no satirist conscious or u nconscio u s
He i s a provincial Dutch type s uch as Irving h ad seen a
h undred times ; but he is so l o v able and is sketched so l ovingly
t h at we h ardly realiz e t h e consummate art the human sym
pat hy and the keen powers o f obse rvation that have gone into
his m aking E very o the r character in the st o ry including Wo l f
“
i s a side l igh t o n R ip O f The Legend o f Sl eepy Ho llo w
I rv i ng said : The sto ry is a mere whimsi c a l band to conne c t
”
t h e des c r i pt i ons o f s c enery cu stoms manners e tc
The em
p h as i s i n o ther w ords w as put o n the setting O f R ip Van
Wink l e m igh t b e not have said The description s o f scenery
custo m s m anners etc are but so many channels thr ou gh w hich
the ch aracte r o f R ip finds o u tl et and expressi o n
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W ho eve r has m ade a v o yage up the Hudson m u st re m e m ber
the K aatskill M ou ntai ns They are a dismembered branch of
th e great Appal ach ian fa m ily and are seen away to the w est
o f t h e r i ver swelling u p t o a nob l e h eight and l ording it over
th e s u rr o und i ng co untry E ve ry ch ange o f season every change
of w eat h er i ndeed every h ou r o f the day produces some
change in the magical hues and s h apes o f these mountains and
they are regarded by al l the good wives far and near as per
When the w eather is fair and settled they
f e ct baro m eters
are cl oth ed in b l ue and purple and print their bold o u tlines
but sometimes when the rest o f
o n the c l ear evening s k y ;
the l andscape is c l oudless they wil l gather a hood o f gray
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WI N KL E
RI P V AN
47
vapors about their summits which in the last rays o f the
setting s u n will glow and light u p like a crown o f glory
At the foot o f these fairy m ountains the voyager may have
descried the light smoke curling up from a village whose shingl e
roofs glea m among the trees j ust w here the blue tints o f the
up l and m elt away into the fresh green o f the nearer l andscape
It is a l ittle village o f great antiquity hav ing been founded by
s o me o f the Dutch colonists in the early time o f the province
j ust about the beginning of the government O f the good Peter
S tuyvesant ( m ay he rest in peace and there were some of the
houses of the original settlers standing within a f e w years built
hav ing latticed
o f smal l yellow bricks brought from Holland
windows and gable fronts surmounted with weathercocks
In that same village and in one of these very houses ( which
to tell the precise truth was sadly time-worn and weat h er
beaten) there lived many years since while the country was
yet a pro v ince o f Great Britain a simple good-natured fel l ow
of the name o f Rip Van Wink l e He was a descendant o f the
Van Winkles w h o figured so gallantly in the chivalrous days o f
Peter S tuyv esant and accompanied him to the siege of Fort
Christina He inherited however but l ittle o f the martial char
acter of his ancestors I have observed that he w as a simple
good-natured man ; he was m oreo v er a kind neighbor and an
obedient henpecked husband Indeed to the latter circu m stance
might be owing that m eekness of spirit which gained hi m such
univ ersa l popularity ; for those men are most apt to be o b s e
h
u
i
and
conciliating
abroad
w
o are under the discip l ine o f
o
u
s
q
shrews at home Their tempers doubtless are rendered p l iant
and malleable in th e fiery furnace o f domestic tribu l ation ; and
a curtain lectu re is worth al l th e ser m ons in the worl d for
teaching the virtues o f patience and l ong-su ffering A term a
gant wife may therefore in some respects be considered a
t ole rab l e blessing and if s o R ip Van Wink l e w as thri c e b l essed
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
48
Certain it i s that he w as a great favorite among a ll the
good wives of the village wh o as usua l with the amiab l e s ex
t o ok his part i n all fami ly squabb l es ; and neve r fai l ed when
ever th ey tal ked those matters over in thei r even i ng gossipings
to l ay al l t h e blame o n Dame Van Wink l e The children o f
the vi ll age too w o ul d sho u t with j oy w h enever he approached
H e assisted at their sports made their p l aythings taught the m
t o fly kites and shoot marb l es and to l d the m l ong stories o f
ghosts wit ch es and Indians Whenever he went dodging about
the vil l age he w as s u rrounded by a troop o f the m h anging
o n his skirts clambering on his back and playing a thousand
tricks o n hi m with impunity ; and not a dog wou l d bark at
h im throughout the neighborh o od
The great error in R ip s c omposition was an i ns u perab l e
aversion to a ll kinds of profitab l e labor It could not be fro m
the want o f assiduity o r perseverance ; for h e w ould sit o n a
w et ro ck w it h a ro d as l ong and heavy as a Tartar s l ance
and fish al l day w ithout a m urmur even tho u gh he should not
be encouraged by a S ingl e nibb l e H e w ould carry a fo wl ing
piece On his shou l der for hours together t rudging t h rough
w oods and swamps and up hil l and down dal e to sh o ot a few
squirre l s o r wi l d pigeons H e w ould ne v er refuse to assist a
neighbor even i n the roughest toi l and was a foremost m an at
al l c ountry fro l ics f o r husking Indian c o rn o r building stone
fences ; the women o f the village too used to employ h im to
ru n their errands and to do such litt l e O dd j obs as their l ess
obliging husbands would n o t do for them In a word R ip w as
ready to attend to anybody s business b u t his o wn ; b u t as
to doing family duty and keeping his farm in o rder h e fo u nd
i t i m po ssible
In fact h e declared it w as of no u s e t o w ork on h is farm ;
i t was the most pestilent l ittl e piece of ground in the whole
cou ntry ; eve rything ab o ut i t went wrong and w o ul d g o w rong
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S H O RT ST O RI E S
50
R ip s so l e domestic adherent was
dog Wo l f w h o w as as
much henpecked as his master ; for Dame Van Wink l e regarded
them as companion s in idl eness and even looked upon Wo l f
wit h an evi l eye as the cause o f his master s going so O ften
astray True it is in all points of spirit befitting an honorable
dog he w as as courageous an animal as e v er scoured the woods
— but what courage can with s tand the ever-duri n g and al l
besetting terrors o f a woman s tongue ? The moment Wolf
entered the house his crest fell his tail droo ped to the ground
he sneaked about w ith a gallows
o r curled between his legs
air ca s ting many a S idelong glance at Dame Van Winkle and
at the least flourish o f a broom s tick or ladle he wou l d fly to
the door with yelping precipitation
Times grew worse and worse with R ip Van Wink l e as years
of matrimony rolled o n ; a tart temper ne v er mellows vit h age
and a sharp tongue is the only edged too l that grows keener
with constant u s e For a l ong while he used to console himse l f
when dri v en fro m home by frequenting a kind of perpetua l
club of the sages philosophers and other idle personages o f
the village which held its ses s ions o n a bench be f ore a small
inn designated by a rubicund portrait of His Maj esty George
the Third H ere they used to S it in the shade through a l ong
lazy summer s day tal k ing l istlessly o v er v illage gossip or tel l
ing endless sleepy stories about nothing But it would have
been worth any statesman s money to hav e heard the profound
discussions that sometimes took place when by ch ance an o ld
newspaper fel l into their hands from some passing trav e l ler
How solemnly they would listen to the contents as drawled out
by Derrick Van Bummel the school-master a dapper l earned
l ittl e man wh o was not to be daunted by the most gi gantic
word in the dictionary ; and how sagely they would deliberate
upon public e v ents some months after they had taken place
The opinions of this j unto were completely contro l led by
h is
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RI P V AN
W I N KL E
5
1
Nich o l as Vedder a patriarch of the vi l lage and l and l ord of the
inn at the door o f which he took his seat from morning til l
night j ust moving su ffi ciently to av oid the s u n and keep in the
shade o f a l arge tree ; s o that the neighbors c ou l d tel l the hour
by his movements as accurately as by a sun-dial It is true he
was rarely heard to speak but smoked his pipe i ncessantly
His adherents h owe v er ( fo r e v ery great man h as his adh er
ents) perfectly understood him and knew how to gather his
O pinions When anything that was read o r related displeased
him he was observed to smoke his pipe vehement ly and to
send forth s ho rt frequent and angry pu ffs ; but w h en p l eased
he would i nha l e the smoke slowly and tran quilly and emit it
in li gh t and placid cloud s ; and sometimes taking the pipe from
his m outh and l etting the fragrant vapor curl about his nose
w ould grav ely nod his head in token o f perfect approbation
Fro m even this stronghold the unlucky R ip was at l engt h
ro u ted by h is termagant wife who wo u ld sudden ly break in
u pon t h e tranquil l ity o f the assemblage and cal l the members
al l to naught ; nor was that august personage Nicho l as Vedder
himself sacre d from the daring tongue o f this terrible V irago
w h o charged him outright with encouraging h er hu sband in
habits of idleness
Poor R ip was at l ast reduced al most to despair ; and his
on ly a l ternative to escape fro m the l abor O f the farm and
clamo r o f his W ife was to take gun in hand and strol l away
into the woods Here he would someti mes seat himsel f at t h e
foot o f a tree and share the contents o f his wallet with W ol f
w ith who m he sympathized as a fell ow-su fferer in persecution
”
“
Poor Wo l f he w ou l d s ay thy mistress l eads thee a dog s
l ife o f it ; but never mind my l ad whilst I li v e thou shal t ne v er
”
w ant a friend to stand by thee ! Wo l f would wag his tail lo ok
wistfull y in his master s face and if dogs can feel pity I verily
believe h e recipro c ated the senti m ent w it h al l h is h e art
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S H OR T S T O R I E S
2
5
In a l ong ramb l e o f the kind o n a fine autumnal day R ip
h ad unconscious ly scramb l ed to o n e o f the highest parts o f the
Kaats k ill Mountains H e was after his favorite spo rt o f sq u irre l
sh o oting and the stil l solitudes had echoed and re echoed w ith
the reports o f his gun Panting and fatigued he threw himself
l ate i n the afternoon o n a green knol l covered with mo u ntain
herbage that crowned the brow of a precipice Fro m an o pen
i ng between the trees he could overlook al l the lower co u ntry
for many a m ile o f rich woodland H e s aw at a distan c e the
l ordly H u dson far far belo w him moving o n its silent but
m aj est ic course w ith the reflection o f a purple cloud o r the
sai l o f a l agging bark here and there sleeping o n i ts gl assy
boso m and at l ast l osing itse l f in the blue h ighlands
O n the o ther S ide he l ooked down into a deep mountain
gl en w i l d l one ly and shagged the bottom fi l led with fragm ents
from the impending cliffs and scarcely lighted by the reflected
rays o f the setting s u n For som e time R ip l ay m using o n thi s
scene ; evening was gradually ad v ancing the mountains began
to throw their long blue shadows over the valleys ; h e s aw that
it wo ul d be dark l ong before he could reach the vil l age and
he h eaved a heavy sigh when he thought o f encountering the
terrors of Dame Van Wink l e
As h e w as about to descend he h eard a voice fro m a dis
”
tance hall ooing
R ip Van Wink l e ! R ip Van Wink l e ! H e
l ooked round but co ul d s e e nothing but a c row winging its
so l itary flight acro ss the mountain H e thought his fancy must
have deceived him and turned again to des c end w hen h e h eard
the same cry ring through the sti ll evening air :
R ip Van
Winkle ! R ip Van Wink l e l
at the same time Wolf bristled
u p his back and giving a lo w grow l skulked to his master s
side l ooking fearfully down into the glen R ip now felt a vagu e
apprehension stealing o v er him ; he l ooked anxiously in the
and perceived a strange figu re s l o wly toi l ing
s a m e direction
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RI P V AN
W I N KL E
53
u p th e rocks and bend ing u nder t h e w eight o f s o methi ng h e
ca rri ed o n his ba ck He was surprised t o see any h u man be i ng
i n thi s lo nely and unfrequented p l ace ; but supposing it to be
s om e one of the neighborhood in need of his assistan c e he
h astened do w n to yie l d it
O n nearer approa ch h e w as stil l m ore s u rprised at the singu
H e w as a short square
lari ty of t h e stranger s appearan c e
b u il t Ol d fe llo w w ith thick b u shy hai r and a grizz l ed beard
His dress w as of the antique D u t c h fashion : a c l ot h j erkin
strapped round the w aist severa l pairs of breeches the oute r
o ne of am p l e vo l u m e decorated w ith r ow s of b u ttons down the
sides and b u n ch es at t h e knees H e bore o n h is sho ul der a
st ou t keg t h at seemed f ull o f l iqu o r and made signs f o r R ip
t o appr o ac h and assist hi m with the l oad Though rather shy
and distru stfu l o f this ne w acquaintance R ip complied with his
u su al al ac ri ty ; and m ut u ally re l ieving o n e another they cl a m
bered u p a narrow gu lly apparent ly the d ry bed o f a mo untain
t o rrent As they ascended R ip every now and then h eard l ong
rol l ing peals l ike distant thunder t h at seemed to i ssue o u t o f
a deep rav i ne o r rathe r cl eft between l ofty rocks t o ward which
the i r ru gged path c onducted H e paused fo r a moment but
s u pp o sing it to be the m uttering o f o n e o f those transient
th u nder-showers whic h often take p l ace i n m ountain h eigh ts
he pr oc eeded Passing thro u gh the ravine they came to a
ho llow l ike a s m al l amphitheatre s u rrounded by perpendicular
precipices over the brinks Of w hich i m pending trees shot thei r
branches s o that yo u on ly caught glimpses o f the azu re sky
and the bright evening cl o u d During the w ho l e time R ip and
his c o m panion had labored on in silence ; fo r thoug h the former
m a rvel l ed greatly w h at could be the obj e c t o f carrying a keg o f
l iq u or up this wild mountain yet there w as something strange
an d in c o m prehensible ab o ut the u nkn o wn
that i nspired awe
an d ch e cked fa m i l ia ri ty
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
54
O n enter i ng t h e am p hi theatre new obj e cts o f wonder pre
sented themsel v es O n a l eve l spot i n the center was a co m
f
o
d
pany o d loo k ing pers o nages playing at ninepins They were
dressed in a quaint outlandish fashion ; some wore short doub
lets others j erkins w ith l ong kni v es in their belts and most o f
them had enormous breeches o f similar style with that o f the
guide s Their visages too were peculiar ; o n e had a l arge
beard broad face and small piggish eyes ; the face o f another
seemed to consist entirely o f nose and was surmounted by a
white sugar-loaf hat s e t o ff with a little red cock s tai l They all
had beards O f various shapes and colors There was o ne wh o
seemed to be the commander He was a stout o ld gent l eman
with a weather-beaten countenance ; he wore a laced doublet
broad belt and hanger high crowned h at and feather red stock
ings and high heeled S hoes with roses in them The who l e gro u p
reminded R ip O f the figures in an o ld Flemish painting in the
parlor o f Dominie Van S h aick the village parson which had
been brought over from Holland at the time o f the settl ement
What seemed particularly O dd to R ip was that th ough these
fo lks were evidently amusing themselves yet they m aintained
the gravest faces the m ost mysterious silence and w ere withal
the m ost me l ancholy party o f pleasure he had ever w itnessed
Nothing interrupted the stil l ness of the scene but the noise o f
the balls which whenever they were ro l led echoed a l ong the
mo u ntains l ike rumbling peals O f thunder
A S R ip and his companion approached them they suddenly
desisted from their play and stared at him with such fixed
statue-lik e gaz e and such strange uncouth l ack-l ustre co u n te
nances that his heart turned within him and h i s knees smote
togeth er His companion now emptied the contents o f the keg
into l arge fl ago n s and made signs to him to wait upon the com
pany He obeyed with fear and trembling ; they quaffed the
li qu o r in pro fou nd silence and then retu rned to the i r game
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W I N KL E
RI P V AN
55
By degr ees Ri p s awe and appreh ension subsided H e even
ventured when no eye was fixed upon him to taste the bever
age which h e found had much o f the fla v or o f excellent Hol
l ands He was naturally a thirsty soul and was soon tempted
to repeat the draught O ne taste provoked another ; and he
reiterated his visits to the fl ago n s o O ften that at length his
senses were overpowered his eyes swam in h is head his head
gradually declined and he fel l into a deep S leep
O n waking he found himsel f on the green knol l w hence he
had first seen the o ld man of the glen H e rubbed his eyes
it was a bright sunny morning The birds were h Opp ing and
twittering among the bushes and the eagle was wheeling al oft
”
and breasting the pure mountain breeze
S urely thought
”
R ip I hav e not slept here all night He recalled the o c cur
The strange man with a keg o f
re n ces before he fel l asleep
l iquor — the m ountain rav ine — the wi l d retreat am ong the
—
—
rocks the wo e begone party at ninepins the fl ago n
Oh !
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that fl ago n ! that wicked fl ago n ! thought R ip
w h at excuse
”
?
shall I make to Dame V an Wink l e
H e looked round for his gun but in p l ace o f the clean we ll
oiled fowling-piece he found an O ld fi relo ck lying by him the
barre l incrusted with rust the l ock falling o ff and the stock
w orm -eaten H e now suspected that the gra v e roisterers of the
mountain had put a trick upon him and having dosed him
with liquor had robbed him o f his gun Wolf too had dis ap
y
after
a
squirre
l
or
a
re d but he might h ave strayed aw a
e
p
partridge H e whistl ed after him and shouted his name but
all in vain ; the echoes repeated h is whistle and shout b u t no
dog w as to be seen
He determined to revisit the scene of the l ast evening s
gambol and if he m et w ith any o f the party to demand his
dog and gun As he r ose to walk he found himself stiff in
the joints and wanti ng in his u sual activity
These m ountain
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S H O RT STO R I E S
56
beds do not agree with me t hou gh t R ip
and if th is fr olic
shou l d l ay m e u p with a fit o f the rheumatism I shall have a
”
b l essed ti m e wi t h Da m e Van Winkle
Wit h som e diffi cul ty
he got down int o the glen ; he found the gully up w hich h e
and his c o m panion h ad ascended the preceding evening ; but
to his ast o nish m ent a m o u ntain strea m was now foaming down
it l eaping fro m rock to rock and filling the glen with babb l ing
m urmu rs He h o wever made shift to scramble up its sides
wo rking his toi l s om e w ay through thickets o f birch sassafras
and w it ch-h az e l and someti m es tripped up o r entangl ed by the
wil d grapev i nes that tw isted their c oi l s o r tend ril s fr o m tree
to tree and spread a kind o f network in his path
At l ength he reached to wh ere the ravine had opened thr o ug h
the cliffs t o the a m phitheatre ; b u t n o traces o f such opening
re m ai ned The r o cks presented a h igh impenetrable w all o ver
w hic h th e t o rrent ca m e tumbling in a sheet o f feathery foam
and fe ll into a broad deep basin b l a ck from the shadows o f
the s u rr ou nding forest Here then p o or R ip was bro u ght to
a stand H e again called and whistl ed after his dog ; he w as
only answered by the cawing o f a flock o f idle crows sp orti ng
high i n air about a dry tree that overhung a sunny precipice ;
and w ho secure in their e l evation see m ed to look down and
s c off at t h e poor man s perp l exities What was to be d o ne ?
the m orning was passing away and R ip felt famished fo r
want o f h i s breakfast He gri eved to give up his dog and
gun ; he dreaded to meet his wife ; but it would not do to
sta rve among the mountains H e shook his head shou l dered
the ru sty firelo c k and with a h eart ful l o f trouble and anxiety
turned his steps homeward
As he appr o ached the village he m et a number of peop l e
but none whom he knew which somewhat surprised him for
he had thought himsel f acquainted with every o n e in the
country r o und Their dress too was o f a different fas hio n
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S H O RT S T ORI E S
8
5
and apparently abandoned This desolateness overcame al l h is
connubial fears — h e called l oudly for his wife and chi l dren
the lone ly chambers ran g for a moment with his v o ice and
t h en again al l w as silence
H e now hurried forth and hastened to his O ld res o rt the
village inn — but it too was gone A large rickety wooden
building stood in its place with great gaping windows some
o f them broken and m ended with Ol d hats and petticoats and
over the door was painted
The Union Hotel by Jonathan
D ool ittl e
Instead o f the great tree that used t o shelter th e
quiet littl e D u t c h inn of yore there now was reared a tall
naked po l e with something o n the top that l ooked like a red
night cap and from it was fluttering a flag o n which w as a
singul ar assemb l age of stars and stripes — al l this was strange
and i ncomprehensib l e He recognized o n the S ign however
th e ruby face o f King George under which he had smoked
s o m any a peaceful pipe ; but even this w as singul arly m eta
m o rph o se d The red coat w as changed for one o f blue and
bu ff a sword was held in the hand instead o f a sceptre the
h ead was decorated with a cocked hat and underneath was
painted in large characters G ENERAL WA S HINGTO N
There was as u sual a crowd o f folk about the door but
none that R ip reco l lected The ve ry character o f the people
seemed changed There w as a busy bustling disputatious
tone about it instead o f the accustomed phlegm and drowsy
tranquillity H e looked in vain fo r the sage Nicho l as Vedder
with his broad face double chin and fair long pipe u ttering
clouds o f tobacco -smoke instead o f idle speeches ; o r V an Bum
mel the schoolmaster doling forth the contents o f an ancient
newspaper In place of these a lean b ilio u S-looking fe l low
with his po ckets full o f hand-bills was haranguing vehemently
about rights o f citizens — elections — members of congr e s s
l iberty Bunker s Hi ll — heroes o f seventy-six — and other
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RI P V A N
W I N KL E
59
words w h ich were a perfect Babylonish j argon to the bewildered
Van Winkle
T h e appearance o f R ip with his long grizz l ed beard his
ru sty fow l ing-piece his uncouth dress and an army o f women
and children at his heels soon attracted the attention of the
tavern-po l iticians They crowded round hi m eying h i m fro m
head to foot with great curiosity The orator bustled up to
“
him and drawing him partly aside inquired o n which side he
”
voted ?
R ip stared in va c ant stupidity Another short but
busy l ittl e fe llow pulled him by the arm and rising o n tiptoe
”
inq u ired in his ear Whether he w as Federa l o r De m ocrat ?
R ip w as equally at a l oss to comprehend the question ; when
a knowing se l f-imp o rtant O ld gentl eman in a sharp cocked hat
made his way through the cro w d putting them to the right and
left w ith his elbows as he passed and planting himself before
Van Wink l e with o n e ar m akimbo the other resting o n his
c ane his keen eyes and S harp hat pen etrating as it were into
h is very soul demanded in an austere tone w hat brought hi m
to the election with a gun o n his shoulder and a mob at his
”
?
heels and whether he meant to breed a riot in the village
A l as ! gentlemen cri ed R ip somewhat dismayed
I am
a poor quiet man a native o f the pla c e and a lo y al s u bj e c t of
the king God bless him
Here a general shout burst from the bystanders
A tory !
”
a to ry ! a S py ! a refugee ! hustle him ! away with him !
It
was w ith great di fficulty that the self-important m an in the
cocked hat restored order ; and having assumed a tenfold
austerity o f brow demanded again o f the unknown c ulprit what
he c ame there for and whom he was seekin g ? The poor m an
h u m b ly assured him that he m eant no harm but mere ly came
there in searc h o f so m e of h is neighbors who u sed to keep
abo u t the tavern
Well
w h o are they
name the m
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S H O R T S T OR I E S
60
R ip betho ught hi m se l f a moment and inqu i red W h ere s
Nicho l as Vedder
T h ere w as a sil en c e for a l ittle wh i l e when an old m an rep l ied
in a thin piping voice
Nicho l as Vedder ! why he is dead
and gone these eighteen years There was a wooden to mbstone
in the churchyard that used to te ll all abo u t him b u t that s
ro tten and go ne too
Where s Br o m D u tcher
O h h e w ent o ff t o the army in the beg i nning o f the war ;
s om e say he was killed at the stor m ing o f S tony Point — others
say he w as drowned in a squal l at the foot o f Ant o ny s Nose
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—
I don t know
h e never came back again
”
?
Where S Van Bummel the school m aster
H e went Off to the wars too was a great mil itia general
”
and is now in Congress
R ip s heart died away at hearing o f these s ad changes in his
h o me and friends and finding himself thus alone in the w or l d
Every answer puzzled him too by treating o f such enormous
l apses o f time and o f matters which he c ould n o t understand
war — Congress
S tony Point ; he had no courage to ask after
any more friends but cried o u t in despair Does nob o dy here
”
?
know R ip Van Winkle
O h R ip Van Wink l e
excl aimed two o r three
O h to be sure ! t h at s R ip Van Winkle yonder l eaning
”
against the tree
R ip l ooked and beheld a precise counterpart of himself as
he w ent up the mountain : apparently as lazy and certainly as
ragged The poor fel lo w was now comp l etely confounded
H e d ou bted his o wn identity and whether he was himse l f or
an o t h er m an In the midst of his bewilderment the m an in th e
co cked hat dem anded who he was and what was his name ?
”
“
God knows exclaimed he at h is wit s end ; I m not
myself
I m so m eb o dy e l se — that s me yonder
n o — that s
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RI P
VAN W I N KL E
6
1
somebody else got into my shoes
I was myself l ast night but
I fel l asleep o n the mountain and they v e changed my gun
and everything s changed and I m changed an d I can t tell
”
what s my name or wh o I am !
The bystanders began now to look at each other n o d w ink
S ignificant ly and tap their fingers against their foreheads
There was a whisper al so about securing the gun and keeping
th e o ld fellow from doing mischief at the very suggestion of
which the sel f-impo rtant man in the cocked hat retired with
some precipitation At this critica l moment a fresh come ly
w oman pressed through the throng to get a peep at the gray
bearded man S he had a chubby child in her arms wh ic h
”
frightened at his l ooks began to cry
Hush R ip cried she
”
hush you l ittle foo l ; the Old man won t hurt you
The name
o f the c hild
the air of the mother the tone o f her voice al l
awakened a train o f recollections in his m ind
What is you r
”
?
name my good woman
asked h e
“
”
Judith G arde m e r
”
?
And your father s nam e
Ah poor man R ip Van Wink l e was hi s name b u t it s
twenty years since he went away from home with his gun and
never has been h eard o f since — his dog came ho m e w i thout
him ; but w hether he shot himself o r was carried away by the
”
Indians nobody c an tell I was then but a l ittle girl
R ip h ad but o n e question more to ask ; and he p u t it w ith
a falterin g voice :
Where s your mother ?
O h sh e too had died but a short time since ; s h e broke
”
a blood-vesse l in a fit o f passion at a N e wE n gland peddler
There was a drop o f co m fort at l east in this intelligence
The honest man cou l d contain himse l f n o l onger He caught
”
his daughter and he r child in his arm s
I am your father !
cried h e
Young R ip Van Wink l e o nce — o ld R ip Van
”
?
W i nk l e n o w ! D o es nob o dy k n ow p oo r R ip Van Wink l e
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
62
All st oo d a m azed unti l an o l d woman totter ing o u t fro m
among the crowd put her hand to her brow and peering u nder
it in h i s fa c e for a m o ment exc l aimed Su re enough it is R ip
Van Wink l e
it is himself We l c om e home again o ld neighbo r
-Why w here have you been these twenty l ong years ? ”
R ip s sto ry was soon told for the who l e twenty years h ad
been to hi m b u t as on e nigh t The neighb o rs stared when they
heard it ; some were seen to w ink at each other and put their
tongu es in their cheeks ; and the self-important man in the
cocked hat w h o when the a l arm w as over had returned to
the field screwed down the corners O f his mou th and shook
—
his head
u pon w hich there w as a general shaking o f the
head throughout the assemblage
It was determined however to take the O pini o n o f o ld Peter
V an derdo n k who was seen s lo wly advancing up the road
He
was a descendant of the hist orian o f that na m e who wrote o n e
of the earliest a c co u nts o f the provin c e Peter was the most
ancient inhabitant o f the village and well versed I n al l the
wonderful events and traditions of the neighborhood H e rec o l
le c te d R ip at once and corroborated his story in the most satis
factory m anner H e assured the company that it was a fact
handed down from his ancestor the historian that the K aatsk ill
M o untains had al ways been haunted by strange beings That
‘
it was afl irm e d that the great Hendrick Hudson the first dis
coverer o f the river and co u ntry kept a kind o f vigi l there
e v ery twenty years with his cre w of the Hal f—moon ; being
per m itted in this way to revisit the s c enes of his enterprise
and keep a guardian eye u pon the ri ver and the great city
cal led by his name That his fathe r h ad once seen them in
their o ld D u tch dresses playing at ninepins in a hollow o f the
mou ntain ; and that he himself had heard one summer after
noon the sound o f their balls like distant peals of thunder
T o m ake a long story short the co m pany broke up and
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WI N KL E
RI P V AN
63
returned to the m o re important c oncerns o f th e el ection R ip s
daughter took him home to li v e with her ; she had a snug we l l
furnished house and a st ou t cheery farmer for a h u sband
whom R ip recolle cted for o ne o f the u r c hins that u sed t o climb
upon h is back As t o R ip s s o n and heir w ho was the ditto of
hi m se l f seen leaning against the tree he was emp lo yed to w ork
o n the farm ; but evi n ced an hereditary disp o siti o n to attend
to anything e l se but his business
R ip no w resumed his o ld walks and habits ; he soon fo und
m any o f his former cronies though all rather the worse for the
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wear and tear of time ; and preferred making friends among
th e ris i ng generati o n with whom he soon grew into great favor
Hav ing nothing to do at home and being arrived at that
h appy age when a man c an be i d l e with impunity he took his
place once m o re on the bench at the inn door and was rever
e n ce d as o n e o f the patriarchs o f the village and a chronic l e o f
“
”
the old times before the war
It was some time before he
could get into the regu l ar track of gossip o r could be made to
comprehend the strange events that had taken place during his
torpor How that there had been a re v olutionary war — that
the count ry had thrown off the yoke of old England — and
that instead of being a subj ect of his Maj esty George the
Third he was now a free citizen of the United S tates R ip in
fact was no po l itician ; the changes o f states and empires made
but l ittl e impression o n him ; but there w as o n e S pecies o f
despotism under which he had long groaned and that was
petticoat government Happily that was at an end ; he had
got his neck o u t o f the yoke o f matrimo ny and could go in
and o u t W hene v er b e pleased without dreading the tyranny of
Dame Van Winkle Whene v er her na m e was mentioned h o w
e v er he shook his head shrugged his shou l ders and cast u p
his eyes which might pass either for an expressi o n of r esigna
ti on to h is fate o r j oy at his de l iveran c e
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
64
He u sed to tel l his story to every strange r that arrived at
Mr Doolittle s hote l H e was o bserved at first to vary o n
some points e v ery time he to l d it whi ch was doubtless owing
to his having s o recently awaked It at l ast settl ed d o wn pre
c ise ly t o the ta l e I have re l ated and n o t a man
woman o r
child in the neighborhood b u t knew it by hea rt S ome always
pretended to doubt the real ity O f it and insisted that R ip had
been o u t o f his head and that this w as o n e point o n w h ich he
a l ways remained fl igh ty The old Dutch inhabitants however
al mo st u niversally gave it fu ll c redit E ven to this day they
never hear a thunder storm o f a su m mer aftern o on ab o ut the
K aatsk ill but they s ay H endrick H u dson and his cre w are at
their ga m e o f ninepins ; and it is a comm o n wish of all hen
pecked h u sbands in the neighborhood when life hangs heavy
o n their hands that they might h ave a qui eting d r a u g h t o ut o f
R ip Van Wink l e s fl agon
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
66
Poe s strengt h did not lie in the creation o f
character H e is SO intent o n the de v elopment of the windin gs
and unwindings o f his story that the character s b ecome mere
puppets originated an d controlled by the needs of the p l ot
Jupiter deser v es mention as o n e of the earliest attempts made
by an American S hort story writer to portray negro character
But Jupiter has been so far surpa s s ed in breadth and reality by
Joel Chandler Harris Thomas Nelson Page and a score o f
others as to be al most negligible in the count In defense O f
Jupiter s barbarous lingo which has been often criticized it
should be remembered that Poe intended him as a repre s enta
”
tive o f the Gullah ( or Gul l a) dialect
It is the negro dialect
“
says Joel Chandler Harris
in its most primitiv e state — the
Gullah talk of some o f the negroes o n the S ea Islands being
merely a confused and untranslatable mixture O f E nglish and
”
African words
William Legrand though not a great o r notable chara cter in
any way is admirab l y fitted to do what is required o f him in the
story Like Poe he was solita ry proud quic k-tempered and
subj ect to perv er s e moods of alte rnate enthusiasm and melan
”
choly
H e had also Poe s passion for puzzles Jupiter is
hardly more than an awkward tool fashio ned to display Le
grand s analytic and directi v e genius ; and the other character
in the story like Dr Watson in Conan Doyle s S herlock Holmes
stor i es 1S introduced merely to as k such questions as mu s t be
answered if the reader is to follow intelligently the unfolding of
the plot They are agents rather than characters !
Cna ra eterr
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W hat h
He
wh at h o ! thi s f e ll o w is dan c i n g
h ath b e e n b itte n by th e T aran tul a
All in
o
!
m ad !
.
th e
Wr g
on
Many years ago I contracted an intimacy with a Mr William
Legrand He w as of an ancient Huguenot family and had
once been wealthy ; b u t a series o f misfortunes had reduced
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TH E G O LD
—
67
B UG
him to want To av oid the m o rtifi c atio n consequent upon his
disaster s he left N e w O rleans the city of his forefathers , and
took up his residence at S ulli v an s Is l and near Charl eston
S outh Carolina
This island is a v ery singular one I t consists of l i ttl e else
than the sea sand and is about three mi l es l ong Its b readth
at no point exceeds a quarter o f a mile It is separated from
the mainland by a scarcely perceptible creek oozing its w ay
through a wilde rness o f reeds and S lime a fav orite resort of
the marsh-hen The vegetation as might be supposed is scant
or at least dw arfi sh N 0 trees Of any magnitude are to be seen
Near the western extremity where Fort Moultrie stands and
where are some m i serable frame buildings ten anted during
summer by the fugitives fro m Charleston dust and fever may
be found indeed the bristly palmett o ; but the whole i s l and
with the exception o f this western point and a line o f hard
white beach o n the seacoast is covered with a de n se u nder
growth O f the swee t myrtle so much prized by the h o rtic u ltu r
is ts o f E ngland
The shrub here often attains the height o f
fifteen o r twenty feet and forms an almost impenetrable
C oppice
burdening the air with its fragrance
In the utmost recesses of this C oppice not far from the
eastern o r more remote end of the island Legrand had built
himself a smal l hut which he occupied when I first by mere
accident made his acquaintance This soon ripened into friend
—
ship
for there w as muc h in the recl use to excite interest and
esteem I found him well educated with unusual powers of
mind but infected with misanthropy and Subj ect to perverse
m oods O f alternate enthusiasm and melancholy H e had with
him many books but rarely employed them His chief amuse
m ents were gunning and fishing or sauntering along the beach
and through the m y rtle s in que s t of shells or entomological
specimens ; — his collection o f the l atter might have been env ied
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
68
In these excursions he w as usually ae c o m
i
o ld negro
w
h
by
an
called
Jupiter
had
been
m
anu
a
e
o
n
d
p
m itte d before the reverses of the fami ly but wh o cou l d be
induced neither by threats n o r by promises to abandon w h at
he considered his right of attendance upon the footsteps of his
young M assa Will
It is not improbable that the re l atives
of Legrand conceiving him to be somewhat unsettl ed in inte l
l ect had contriv ed to instil this obstinacy into Jupiter with a
view t o t h e supervision and guardianship of the wanderer
The winters in the l atitude o f S ulliv an s I s l and are seldo m
ve ry severe and in the fa ll of the year it is a rare event in
deed when a fire is considered necessary About the middle o f
O ctober 1 8
there occurred howe v er a day o f re m arkable
chilliness Just before s u nset I scrambled my way through the
evergreens to the hut o f my friend whom I had not V isited fo r
severa l weeks
my residence being at that time in Charleston
a distance o f nine miles from the island while the facilities of
passage and repassage were very far b ehind those of th e present
day Upon reaching the b u t I rapped as was my custom and
getting no reply sought for the key where I krie w it was
se c reted unlocked the door and went in A fine fire was b l az
ing upon the hearth It was a nove l ty and by no means an
u ngrateful o n e I threw Off an overcoat took an armchair by
the crackling l ogs and awaited patiently the arri v al o f my hosts
S oon after dark they arri v ed and gav e me a most cordial
w el come Jupiter grinning from ear to ear bustled about to
prepare some marsh hens for supper Legrand was in o n e O f
—
fi
t
s
his
how else S hal l I term th e m P— O f enthusiasm He
had found an u nknown bivalve form ing a new genus and
m ore than this h e had hunted down and secured w ith Jupi
ter s assistance a s ea ra aaens which he belie v ed to be totally
new but in respect to whic h he wished t o have m y O pini o n on
the morrow
S wamm e rdam m
by a
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T H E G O LD
—
69
BUG
And w hy not to-night
I asked rubbing my hands ove r
the blaze and wishing the whole tribe o f s ea ra ba i at the devil
”
Ah if I had only known you were here ! said Legrand
but it s so l ong since I saw you ; and how cou l d I f o resee
that yo u wou l d pay me a visit this very night o f al l others ?
A S I was coming home I met Lieutenant G
from the
fort and ve ry fo ol ishly I lent him the bug ; s o it wil l be
impossible fo r you to s e e it unti l th e morning S tay here
t o-night and I will send Jup down fo r it at sunrise It is the
l oveliest thing in creation !
What
sunrise
—
Nonsense ! no l
the bug It is o f a brilliant gold co l or
about the size o f a l arge hickory-nut — with two j et-black
spots near o n e extremity o f the back and another somewhat
l onger at the other The a n ten n a ar e
“
Dey aint n o tin in him Massa Will I keep a te ll in o n
”
y o u here interrupted Jupiter ; de bug is a g ool e-bug solid
inside and all s e p him w ing — n eb er fee l
e b e ry bit o f him
”
half so h ebby a bug in my l ife
Well suppose it is Jup replied Legrand so m ewhat more
“
earnestly it seemed to m e than the case demanded
is that
any reason for your letting the birds burn ? The co l or
here
“
—
h e turned to me
is really almost enough to warrant Jupiter s
idea You never s aw a more brilliant metallic lustre than the
scales emit — but o f this yo u cannot j udge til l tom o rrow In
”
the m eantime I can give yo u some idea o f the shape
S aying
this he seated himself at a small table o n wh ich were a pen
and ink but no paper H e l ooked fo r so m e in a drawer but
fo und none
Never m ind said h e at l ength
this w i ll answer
and
he drew from his waistcoat pocket a scrap o f w h at I t oo k
to be very dir ty foolscap and made up o n it a rough drawing
wi t h the p en While he did this I retai ned m y seat by the
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S H O R T S T OR I E S
0
7
fire f or I was still chilly When the design was com p l ete h e
handed it to me without rising As I received it a l ow growl
Jupiter
was heard succeeded by a scratching at the door
ope n ed it and a large Newfoundland belonging to Legrand
r u shed in l eaped upon my S houlders and loaded me with
c aresses ; for I had shown him much attention during previous
visits When his gambols were o v er I looked at the paper
and to speak the truth found myse l f not a l ittl e puzzled at
w hat my friend had depicted
“
”
We ll !
I said after contemp l ating it for some minutes
this is a strange s ea ra é a n s I must confess ; new to me ; never
saw anything like it before — unless it was a skull o r a death s
head whic h it more nearly resemb l es than anything else that
”
has come under my observation
A death s-head
echoed Legrand
O h yes — wel l it
has something of that appearance upon paper no doubt The
two u pper black spots l ook like eyes eh ? and the longer o n e
at the bottom like a mouth
and then the shape of the whole
is oval
“
Perhaps so said I ; b u t Legrand I fear yo u are n o
artist I must wait until I see the beetle itself if I am to form
”
any idea of its personal appearance
Well I don t know said he a l ittle nettled
I draw
tolerably — r/z e zdd do it at l ea s t — have had good masters
”
and flatter myself that I am not quite a blockhead
”
But my dear fellow you are j o k ing then said I ; thi s
is a very passable s t a ll — indeed I may say that it is a very
ex cellen t skul l according to the vulgar notions about such speci
m ens o f physiology and your s eara bd n s must be the queerest
Why we may get up
s ea ra ba a s in the world if it resembles it
a very thrilling bit O f superstition upon this hint I presume
l
you will cal l the bug s ea ra ba a s eap a t nom i n zlc or someth i ng of
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1
S ea m ed ?“
p
ca
nt
no m i n i s ,
de ath
’
sh e ad
b e e tle
”
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.
TH E G O LD
—B
UG
71
that kind — there are many similar titles in the Natural His
tories But where are the a n ten n a you spoke o f
”
“
The a nten na ! said Legrand wh o seemed to be getting
unaccountab ly warm upon the subj ect ; I am sure you must
I made the m as distinct as they are in the
s e e the a n ten n a
”
original insect and I presume that is su fficient
“
”
“
We ll w ell I said
perhaps you ha v e — stil l I don t s e e
”
the m ; and I handed him the paper without additiona l remar k
not wishing to ru ffle his temper ; but I was much surpri s ed
at the turn affairs had taken ; his ill humor puzzled m e — and
as for the drawing of the beetle there were positively n o a n
ten n a visible and the whole did bear a v ery close resemblance
to the ordinary cuts o f a death s-h e ad
H e received the pape r ve ry peevishly and was about to
crumple it apparently to throw it in the fire when a casual
glance at the design s eemed sudden ly to rivet his attention In
an instant his face gre w v iolently red
in another as excessively
pale F o r some minutes he continued to scrutinize the drawing
m inutely where he s at At length he arose took a candle from
the tab l e and proceeded to seat himself upon a s e a-chest in the
farthest corner o f the room Here again he made an anxiou s
examination of the paper ; turning it in all directions H e said
nothing however and h is conduct greatly astonished me ; yet
I thought it prudent not to exacerbate the growing moodiness
of his temper by any comment Presently h e took from his
coat pocket a wallet placed the paper carefully in it and
deposited both in a writing-desk which he locked H e now
grew more composed in his demeanor ; but his original air of
enthusiasm had quite disappeared Yet he seemed not s o much
su l ky as abstracted As the e v ening wore away he became
more and more absorbed in revery from which no sallies o f
mine could arouse him It had been my intention to pass the
night at the hut as I had frequently done before but seeing
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S H O RT ST O RI E S
72
my h ost in this mood I deemed it proper to take l eave He
did not press me to remain b u t as I departed he shook m y
h and with even more than his usua l cordiality
It was about a month afte r this ( and d u ring the inte rva l I
had seen nothing O f Legrand) when I re c eived a visit at
Charleston from his man Jupiter I had never seen the good
o ld negro l ook s o dispirited
and I feared that so m e seri ou s
disaster had befallen my friend
“
”
Well Jup said I
what is the matter now ? — ho w is
y o ur master ?
Why t o speak de tro o f massa hi m not s o be rry w e ll as
”
mo ught be
N o t w el l ! I am truly sorry to hear it What d o es he
co m p l ain o f
Dar ! dat s it ! — him n eb er plain of no tin — but hi m berry
”
sick fo r a ll dat
Very sick Jup i ter ! — wh y did n t yo u s ay so at once ? I s
”
he c onfined to bed ?
No dat h e aint — h e aint find nowb ar — dat s j ust whar
de shoe pin ch — m y mind is got to be ber ry hebby bout poor
”
Massa Wi ll
“
Jupiter I sho u ld like to understand what it is yo u are talk
ing about Yo u s ay your master is sick Has n t he told y ou
what ai l s hi m ?
Why m assa taint wo rf while for to git mad bout de m atter
— but
— Massa Wil l s a
ffi
at
all
aint
de
matter
w
id
h
i
m
n
n
o
y
den what make hi m go bout l ooking dis here w ay wid he head
down and he so l diers up and as white as a gose ? And t h en
he keeps a syphon al l de time
”
Keeps a w hat Jupiter ?
Keeps a syphon wid de figgu rs o n de s l ate — de queerest
I se gittin to be skeered I tel l yo u
figgu rs I e bb e r did see
Hab f o r to keep m ighty tight eye p o n hi m n o o v e rs Todde r
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S H O RT STO R I E S
74
How I know ? why cause he talk about it in he sleep
”
dat s h o w I nose
Well Jup perhaps yo u are right ; but to what fortunate
circumstances am I to attribute the honor of a visit from you
”
?
to day
What de m atter massa
Did you bring any message from Mr Legrand
No m assa I bring dis here p issel
and here Jupiter
handed me a note which ran thus
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D E AR
W hy h ave I n o t s ee n yo u fo r s o l o n g a ti m e ?
I h o p e yo u h av e n o t b ee n s o f o oli s h as to tak e O ffen s e at an y littl e
bru s q u eri e o f m i n e ; b u t n o that is i m p r o b abl e
Sin ce I s aw yo u I h av e h ad g re at c au s e fo r an x i e ty I hav e s o m e
thin g to tell y ou ye t s carc el y kn ow how to tell it o r whe ther I s h ould
tell it at all
I hav e n ot b e e n q uite well for s o m e days p as t an d p o o r Old J u p
ann oy s m e al m o s t b e y o nd en duranc e by h is we ll -m e ant attenti o ns
W o ul d yo u b eli ev e it ? -h e had p re p ared a huge s ti ck th e o th er
day with whi c h t o c h as ti s e m e f o r gi v in g h im th e s li p and s p e n din g
the day S Ot S am o n g th e hill s o n th e m ainlan d I v erily b eli ev e
that m y ill l o o k s al o n e s av e d m e a fl o gg i n g
I have m ade n o additi on to my c ab ine t s inc e we m e t
I f you c an in an y way m ak e it c o n v e n i e n t co m e o ve r with
J u p ite r D e c o m e I wi sh to s ee yo u to n iglz t u p o n b u s in e ss o f
i m p o rtanc e I assure yo u that it is o f th e li ignes t i m p o rtan ce
E v er y o urs
W ILLIA M LE GRAND
MY
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There was something in the tone of this note which gave me
great uneasiness Its who l e style differed materially from that
o f Legrand What could he be dreaming of ? What new
crotchet possessed his excitab l e brain ? What business of the
cou l d b e possibly hav e to transa c t ? Jupi
h ighest importance
ter s account o f him boded no good I dreaded lest the con
tin ue d press u re o f misfo rtune h ad at l ength fairly unsett l ed the
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G O LD
TH E
I
—
BUG
75
r eas o n of my fri end Withou t a m om ent s hesitati on therefore
I prepared to acco m pany the negro
Upon rea ching the wharf I noticed a scythe and three
spades all apparently new lying in the bottom Of the boat i n
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which we were to embark
I inquired
What is the meaning o f al l this Jup
”
Him syf e massa and S pade
”
?
Ve ry true ; but what are they doing here
Hi m de syfe and de spade what Massa Wil l s is pon my
buy i ng for him in de town and de debbil s o wn lo t o f money
”
I had to gib for em
But what in the name of al l that is m ysterious is y ou r
”
Massa Wil l going to do with scythes and spades ?
Dat s more dan
know and debb il take m e if I d o n t
be l ie v e t is m ore dan h e kn o w t oo B u t it s all cum Ob de
”
bug
Findin g that no satisfaction was to be obtained o f Jupiter
”
whose whole intellect seemed t o be absorbed by de bug I
now stepped into the boat and made sail With a fair and
str o ng b reeze we soon ran int o the l itt l e c ove to the northward
o f Fo rt Moultrie and a w a l k of some two miles brought u s t o
the hut It was about three in the afternoon when we arrived
Legrand had been awaiting us in eager expectation He grasped
my hand with a ner v ou s emp ressei n en t which a l arm ed me and
strengthened the suspicions already entertained His c o u n te
nance was pale even to ghastliness and h is deep-se t eyes glared
with unnatural l ustre After some inquiries respecting his
health I a s ked him not knowing what better t o s ay if he h ad
yet obtained the s ea ra ba ns from Lieutenant G
O h yes h e replied coloring violently I go t it from hi m
the next morning Nothing should tempt m e to part with that
”
sea ra ea n s
Do yo u know that Jupiter is quite right about i t ?
”
?
I n w hat w ay
I asked with a sad foreboding at h ea rt
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S H O RT ST O R I E S
6
7
In suppos i ng i t to be a bug o f rea l geld
He said th i s
with an air o f profo u nd seriousness and I felt inexpressib ly
shocked
“
This bug iS to make my fortune he continued with a
“
triumphant smile
to reinstate me in my family possessions
I s it any wonder then that I priz e it ? S ince Fortune has
thought fit to bestow it upon me I hav e only to u se it properly
and I shall arrive at the gold o f which it is the index J u piter
bring me that s ea ra ba as
What ! de bug massa ? I d rudder not go fer tru bble dat
”
o u mus git him fo r your o wn se l f
bug
H
ereupon
Legrand
y
arose with a grave and stately air and brought me the beetle
from a glass case in which it was enclosed It was a beautifu l
sea ra ea ns and at that time unkno wn to naturalists
o f course
a great prize in a scientific point o f V iew There were two
round b l ack spots near o ne extremity o f the back and a l ong
o n e near the other
The scales w ere exceedingly hard and
gl ossy w ith al l the appearance o f burnished gold The w eight
o f the insect w as very remarkab l e and taking a ll things into
consideration I could hardly blam e Jupiter for his O pinion
respecting it ; h i t w hat to make o f Legrand s agree m ent with
that O pini o n I could n o t for the life of me te ll
I sent for you said he in a grandiloquent tone w hen I
had completed my examination of the beetle
I sent for you
that I m ight hav e your counsel and assistance in furtheri ng the
views o f Fate and O f the bug
”
My dear Legrand I cried interrupting him
are
o
u
y
certainly u nwell and had better use some l ittle precautions
Yo u shall go to bed and I will remain with yo u a few days
u ntil you get over this You are feverish and
Feel my pulse said he
I felt it and to s ay the truth found n o t the slightest
i ndication O f fever
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TH E G O LD
—B
UG
77
B u t yo u may be il l and yet have no feve r A ll o w m e
this once to prescribe for you In the first p l ace go to bed
In th e next
he interposed I am as well as I can
Yo u are m istaken
expect to be under the excite m ent which I suffer If yo u really
wish m e wel l you wil l re l iev e this excite m ent
”
And how is this to be done ?
Ve ry easily Jupiter and m yself are going u po n an exp e
dition into the hi ll s u pon the mainland and in this expedition
we shal l need the aid o f some person in who m we can confide
Yo u are the on l y o ne we c an tru st Whether we succeed o r
fail the ex c ite m ent which y ou n o w per c eive i n me wil l be
”
eq u ally allayed
I am anxious to ob l ige yo u in any way I replied ; b u t
do you mean to s ay that this infernal beetl e has any c onnection
”
with yo u r expedition into the hi l l s
”
It has
Then Legrand I c an become a party to no s u ch abs u rd
pro c eeding
I am s o rry — very sorry — for we shal l have to try it by
”
o u rse l ves
“
T ry it by yourse l ves ! The man is surely m ad l — but
”
—
?
stay
how lo ng d o yo u propose to be absent
Pr o bab ly all night We S hall start i m m ediate ly and be
”
back at all events by s u n rise
And wi ll y ou pr o mise m e upon yo u r h o n o r t h at wh en this
freak o f yo u rs is over and the bug bus i ness (go o d God settl ed
to your satisfaction yo u will then return h o me and fol low m y
advice i mpli citly as that o f your p h ysician
“
Yes ; I promise ; and no w let u s be o ff f o r we have n o
”
time to l ose
With a heavy heart I accompanied m y friend We started
ab ou t fou r o clo ck — Legrand Jupiter the dog and myself
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
8
7
J u pite r h ad wit h hi m the scythe and spades — the w h o l e o f
which he insisted upon carrying m ore thro u gh fear it seemed
to m e o f t rusting either of the im p l e m ents w ithin reach o f h is
master than fro m any excess o f indust ry or compl ai s an c e His
demeanor w as d ogged in the extreme and dat d
d bug
were the so l e w ords which escaped his lips d u r i ng the journey
For m y o wn part I had charge o f a couple o f dark l anterns
whi l e Legrand contented himself with the s ea f a ea ns which h e
carried attached to the end o f a bit of whip-cord ; twir l ing it to
and fro with the a i r o f a conj uror as he went When I
O bserved this l ast p l ain evidence o f my friend s aberration o f
m ind I coul d scar c ely refrain from tears I thought it best
however to humo r h is fancy at least for the present or unti l
I could adopt some more energetic measures with a chance o f
success In the meantime I endeavored but al l in vain to sound
him in regard to the O bj ect o f the expedition Having succeeded
in inducing me to acco m pany him he seemed unwilling to hold
conversation upon any topic o f minor importance and to all my
“
questions vouchsafed no other reply than We S hall s e e 1
We crossed the creek at the head o f the island by means o f
a skiff and ascending the high grounds o n the shore of the
mainland proceeded in a northwesterly direction through a
tract of c o u ntry excessively wild and desolate where no trace
Legrand le d th e w ay
o f a human fo o tstep was to be seen
with decision ; pausing only for an instant here and there to
consult what appeared to be certain landmarks o f his own
c ontrivance upon a former occasion
In this manner w e j ourneyed for about tw o hours and the
s u n w as j ust setting when we entered a region infinitely more
dreary than any yet seen I t was a species of table-land near
the summit o f an almost inaccessible hill densely wooded fro m
base to pinnacle and interspersed with huge crags that appeared
to l ie l oosely upon the soil and in many cases were prevented
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G O LD
TH E
-
BUG
79
fro m precipitating themselves into the v a l leys below mere ly by
the support o f the trees against which they recl ined Deep
ravines in va ri ous directions gave an air of sti ll sterner so l e m
to
the
scene
ni t
y
The natu ra l p l atform to whi ch we h ad cl a m bered was thick ly
overgrown with bramb l es thro u gh which we soon discovered
that it wou l d h av e been impossib l e to force o u r w ay b u t fo r the
scythe ; and Jupiter by direction o f his master proceeded to
c lear for us a path to th e foot o f an i m mense ly l arge tulip-tree
whi c h stood with so m e eight or ten oaks upon the l eve l and
far su rpassed them al l and al l oth er trees which I h ad then ever
seen in the beauty of its fo l iage and for m in the w ide spread of
its branches and in the genera l m aj esty o f its appearance When
w e reached this tree Legrand turned to Jupiter and asked h im
if he thought he could c l imb it The Ol d man seemed a l ittle
staggered by the question and for some m o m ents made no
rep ly At l ength h e approached the huge t runk walked slo wly
around it and examined it with m inute attention W h en h e had
c omp l eted his scrutiny b e merely said
Yes massa Jup climb any tree he e bb er s e e in he li fe
Then up with yo u as so o n as possible fo r i t w il l s oo n be to o
”
dark to see w h at we are abo u t
How far mus go up massa
inquired Jupiter
Get up the m ain trunk first and then I wi ll tel l yo u which
”
way to go
and here
stop take this beetl e with you
De bug M assa Will l — de goo l e -bug
cried the negr o
drawing back in dis m ay
what fo r m us tote de bug w ay u p
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de tre e
? —
d
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n
if I do !
”
are
afraid
a
great
big
negr
o
l
ike
y
ou
t
o
take
Jup
y
hol d o f a harm l ess l ittle dead beetle why you can carry it up
by this string -but if you do not take it up with you in s om e
w ay I shal l be under the necessity of breaking your head with
this shove l
If
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S H O RT ST O R I E S
80
What de m atte r n o w massa
sa i d J u p evidently s h am ed
i nto co m pliance ; a l ways want fur to raise fuss w i d old nigger
Was o nly fu nn in anyhow jl/e feered de b u g ! w h at I kee r for
”
de bug ? H ere h e took cautious l y ho l d o f the extre m e en d o f
the stri ng and m aintaining the i nsect as far from his pers o n as
ci rcum stances wou l d perm it prepared to ascend the tree
In youth the tu l ip tree o r [ irioden dron Tn lzjeifera the m o st
m agnifi c ent o f A m erican foresters has a trunk peculiarly smooth
and o ften r i ses to a great h eight w i th ou t l atera l bran ch es ; but
i n i ts ripe r age th e bark be com es gnarl ed and u neven w hile
many short l i m bs m ake their appearance on the stem T h u s
the di fficulty of ascension in the present case l ay more in s e m
b l ance than i n real ity Em braci ng t h e h uge cylinder as clo se ly
as p o ssib l e wi t h his arm s and knees seizing with his h ands
s o me proj e c tions and restin gh is naked toes u pon others Jupi
te r afte r o n e o r two narro w escapes from falling at l ength
wri ggl ed h i m sel f i nto the first great fork and seemed to consider
th e wh ol e b u s i ness as virt u a l ly a cc o m p l ished The me of the
a chi eve m ent w as in fact n o w over a l th ou gh the climber w as
s om e sixty o r seventy feet fro m the gr o und
”
Which way m us go now Massa Will ? he asked
Keep u p the l argest branch — the one on this side sa id
Legr and The negro obeyed hi m promptly and apparently w ith
but l ittl e troub l e as c ending h igh er and h igher unt il no glimpse o f
his squat figure c ould be obtai ned thr o ugh the dense foliage which
enveloped i t Presentl y his voice w as h eard i n a s ort o f h alloo
”
How m uch fudder is got for go ?
”
How high up are you ? asked Legrand
”
replied t h e negro ; c an see de sky fru de
Ebb er so fur
”
top o b de tree
Never mind the sk y but attend to what I s ay Look down
the trunk and count the limbs below you on this side H OW
”
?
many l im bs have you passed
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S H O RT ST O RI E S
82
By yo u rse l f
wh at do yo u m ean
Why I m ean de bug T is eerry hebby bug S pose I drop
him down fuss and den de limb wo n t break w id j ust de w eigh t
”
o b o ne nigger
Yo u infernal scoundrel !
c ri ed Legrand apparently much
“
relieved w hat do yo u mean by telling me such nonsense as
that ? As s u re as yo u l et that beetl e fall I ll break your neck
Look h ere Jupiter ! do you hear me
Ye s massa need n t hollo at poor nigger dat s ty l e
We ll ! no w l isten — if yo u wil l venture out o n the l imb as
far as yo u think safe and not let go the beet l e I ll make yo u a
”
present o f a S i l ver dollar as soon as you get down
I m gwine Massa Will — deed I is rep l ied the negro very
”
promptly
m ost o u t to the e e n d now
here fair ly screamed Legrand
do yo u
Ou t to Me en d
”
?
say yo u are o u t to the end o f that limb
S o o n be to de e en d massa
O h l Lo rgo l—a-marcy !
what is dis here pon de tree
”
”
?
Well ! cried Legrand highly delighted what is it
Why taint n u ffi n but a skull
somebody bin l ef hi m
head u p de tree and de crows done gobb l e e b e ry bit o b de
m eat o ff
A skull you s ay — very wel l
h o w is it fastened to the
”
l imb
What h olds i t o n ?
S ure nu ff massa ; mus lo ok Why dis be rry eu rous s ar
c u m s tan ce p o n m y w ord — dare s a great big nail i n de skul l
”
w hat fastens o b it o n to de tree
”
“
?
—
We ll now Jupiter do exact ly as I tel l yo u
d o you h ear
”
Yes m assa
Pay attention then — fi n d the l eft eye o f the skull
Hum ! h oo ! dat s good ! why dar aint no eye l ef at all
Curse your stupidity ! do you kno w your right hand fro m
”
o
u
r
left
?
y
? ”
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TH E G O LD
—
83
BUG
Yes I nose dat
nose all bo u t dat
t is m y l ef hand
wh at I chops de wo o d wid
To be sure ! y ou ar e l eft-handed ; and your l eft eye i s on
the same side as y ou r l eft hand Now I suppose yo u can find
the l eft eye of t h e sku ll o r t h e p l ace w here the l eft eye h as
”
?
been Have y ou found i t
Here was a l ong pause At l ength the negro asked I s de
l ef eye o f de sku ll p o n de same side as de l ef h and of de
sku ll to o ? -cau se de sk ull aint got not a bit Ob a h and at
al l — n ebb e r mind ! I go t de l ef eye no w — here de l ef eye !
”
what m ust do wid it ?
“
Let the beetl e drop thro u g h i t as fa r as th e st ri ng will
reach
but be c arefu l and not l et go you r ho l d of th e
string
Al l dat done Massa Wil l ; migh ty ea sy ting fo r to p u t de
bug fru de hole
l ook o u t for him dar be l ow !
During this colloquy no portion of Jupiter s person c o u ld
be seen ; but the beetle which he had s u ffered to descend
was now visib l e at the end o f the string and g l istened l ike a
globe O f burnished gold in the l ast rays o f the setting s u n
some o f which still faintly illumined the eminen c e u pon w hich
we stood The sea ra ba n s hung quite cl ear o f any branches
and if allowed to fall wo ul d have fall en at o u r feet Legrand
immediately took t h e scythe and cl eared with it a circu l a r
space three o r four yards in diameter j u st beneath the insect
and h aving ac co m plished this ordered Jupiter to l et go t h e
string and c ome down from th e tree
D riving a peg w ith great nicety i nt o the gr o und at the
precise spot whe r e the beet l e fel l m y friend n o w prod uc ed
fr om his po cket a tape measure Fastening o ne en d o f this at
that point o f t h e trunk o f the tree which was nearest t h e peg
he unro ll ed it ti ll i t reached the peg and thence farther u m
ro ll ed it in the dire c tio n already establis h ed by the two points
—
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S H O RT ST O RI E S
84
of the tree and the peg for the distance of fifty feet — Jup i te r
clearing away the brambles with the scythe At the spot thus
attained a second peg was dri v en and about this as a centre
a rude circle about four feet in diameter described Taking
now a spade himself and giving o n e to Jupiter and o n e to me
Legrand begged us to s e t about digging as quickly as possible
To speak the truth I had no especial re l ish for such amuse
ment at any time and at that particular moment wou l d mo s t
willingly hav e declined it ; for the night was coming on and I
fel t much fatigued with the exercise already taken ; but I saw
no mode of escape and w as fearfu l of disturbing my poor
friend s equanimity by a refusal Could I h ave depended in
deed upon Jupiter s aid I would ha v e had no hesitation in
attempting to get the lunatic home by force ; but I was too
wel l assured o f the old negro s disposition to hope that he
wou l d assist me under any circumstances in a personal con
test with his master I made no doubt that the latter had been
infected with some o f the innumerable S outhern superstitions
about money buried and that his fantasy had received c o n
fi rm atio n by the finding of the s ea ra lf a n s o r perhaps by Jupi
“
”
ter s obstinacy in maintaining it to be a bug o f rea l gold
A mind disposed to lunacy would readily be led away by such
suggestions espe c ially if chiming in with favorite precon c eived
ideas ; and then I called to mind the poor fellow s speech about
“
”
the beetle s being the index o f h is fortune
Upon the wh o le
I was sadly vexed and puzzled but at l ength I concl uded to
make a virtue o f necessity — to dig with a good will and th u s
the sooner to convince the V isionary by ocu l ar dem o nstration
of the fallacy o f the O pinions he entertained
The lanterns ha v ing been lit we al l fel l to work with a zeal
worthy a more rational cause ; and as the glare fel l upon o u r
persons and implements I could not help thinking how pic tu r
esque a group we composed and how strange and s u sp i ci ou s
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gi
An
o ri
fo r
Poe
s
z l/iew sp ap e r
F
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O
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C
.
x
illu s trat i o n f o r
T h e G o l d-B u g,
u b l is h e d with t h e t e t
o n e—
h u n dre d-do llar- riz e s t o r in t h e Pni la delp /z i a D o lla r
n al
’
p
“
fo r
D arle
S ty lu s , w h i c h
y
W
,
y
e dn e s da
th e
ne
v
p
,
Ju n e
P h ilade lp h ia
pp
er a
( C o u rte s y
of
y
1 8 43
Th e illu s t rat i o n s w e re b y
art is t re t ai n e d b
l
i
l
rat e th e
P
o
e
t
o
u
s
t
y
.
F m fil
M yl d H i t
e are d
ro
.
th e
28 ,
ar
an
a
e
of
th e D
s o ri c al
o lla r
S o c ie ty )
N ew sp ap er
.
gi
o ri
for
Po e s
’
illu s trati o n f o r T h e G o ld-B u g,
o neh u n dre ddo llar- riz e s to r i n
n al
An
N ew sp aper f o r
F
.
O
.
C
.
D arle
S ty lu s , w h i c h
y
W
,
y
e dn e s da
th e
ne
v
p
,
June
P h ilade lp h ia
pp
er a
( C o u rt e s y
of
y
u b lis h e d
th e
x
with th e t e t
Pni la delp ni a D o lla r
T h e illu s t rat io n s w e re b y
artis t re tain e d b y Po e t o illu s t rat e t h e
28 ,
F
M yl
e are d
ro
.
th e
p
ar
1 8 43
m
an d
a
.
fi le
Hi
of
th e D
s t o ri c al
o lla r
S o c i e ty )
N ew sp ap er
.
TH E G O LD
—
85
BUG
o u r l ab o rs must have appeared to any interloper who by
chance might hav e stumbled up o n o u r whereabouts
We dug ve ry steadily for two hours Littl e was said ; and
our chief embarrassment l ay in the ye l pings o f t h e dog w ho
took exceeding interest in o u r proceedings He at l engt h b e
came so O bstreperous that we grew fearfu l O f his giving the
alarm to some straggl ers in the vic inity ; o r rather this w as
the apprehension o f Legrand ; for m yse l f I shou l d have re
o ic e d at any interru ption which might have enab l ed m e to get
j
the w anderer home The noise was at l ength very effe c t u al ly
sil en c ed by Jupiter w ho getting o u t o f the h ol e w ith a dogged
air Of deliberation tied the bru te s m outh up w it h o n e o f h is
suspenders and then returned wit h a grave c h uck l e t o h is task
When the time m entioned had expired we had rea ch ed a
depth o f five feet and yet n o signs o f any treasure becam e
manifest A genera l pau se ensued and I began to h ope th at
the farce was at an end Legrand h owever a l though ev i dently
much disconcerted w i ped h is bro w th o ughtfu lly and re co m
m en ce d We had excavated the entire c ir cl e o f fo ur feet dia m e
ter and n o w we s l ight ly en l arged the l imit and went t o the
farth er depth o f two feet S til l not h ing appeared The go l d
seeker who m I sincere ly pitied at l ength cl ambered fro m the
pit with the bitterest disappoint m ent imprinted u pon eve ry
feature and proceeded s l o wly and re l uctantly to p u t on h is
coat wh ich h e had thr o wn o ff at the begi nning of his l abo r
In the meantime I made no remark Jupiter at a signal fro m
his master began to gather up his tools This done and the
dog having been u nmuzzled we turned in pr o fo und si len c e
towards home
We h ad taken perhaps a d o zen steps in this direction when
with a l oud oath Legrand str o de up to Jupiter and seized hi m
by the collar The astonished negro O pened his eyes and m outh
to the fu ll est extent l et fal l the spades and fel l upon his knees
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S H O R T S T OR I E S
86
sco u ndrel said Legrand hissing o u t the syll ab l es
fro m between his cl enched teeth
you infernal b l ack villain !
speak I tel l you
answer me this instant w itho u t prevari
”
?
c ation
which
which is your l eft eye
O h my go lly Massa Wil l ! aint dis here my l ef eye f o r
”
sartain ? roared the te r r i fied Jupiter placing his hand upon
his rignt organ o f visi o n and holding it there with a desperate
pertinacity as i f i n im m ediate dread o f his m aster s atte m pt
at a go uge
”
I thought s o ! I knew i t ! Hurrah ! vociferated Legrand
l etting the negro go and executing a series o f curvets and
cara co l es mu ch t o the ast o nishment o f his valet wh o arising
fro m his knees loo ked mu tely fr o m his master to myse l f and
then fro m m yself to his master
“
Co m e ! w e m ust go back said the l atter
the gam e s
not up yet
and h e again l ed the way to the tu l ip-tree
J u piter said he w hen w e rea ched its foot
come here !
Was t h e skul l nailed t o the l i m b w it h t h e fa c e ou t w ard o r
”
?
with t h e face to the l imb
D e fa c e was o ut m assa so dat de crows coul d get at de
”
eyes good wido u t any trouble
“
Well then was it this eye o r that through w h ic h yo u
”
?
dropped t h e beetl e
h ere Legrand touched each of J u piter s
eyes
T was dis eye Massa — de l ef eye — ji s as yo u te ll me
and here it was his right eye that the negro indi c ated
”
That wil l do
we m ust try it again
Here my friend about whose madness I now saw or
fancied that I s aw c ertain indication s of method removed the
peg which marked the spot where the beetle fel l to a spot
about three inches to the westward o f its former position
Taking now the tape-measure from the nearest point o f the
tru nk to the peg as before and continuing the extension in a
”
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S H O RT ST O R I E S
88
I st um b l ed and fell forward hav ing caught the toe o f my
b oo t in a l arge ring o f iron that lay half buried in the l oose
earth
We n ow wo rked i n earnest and never did I pass ten m in u tes
During this interval we had fairly
o f more intense excitement
unearth ed an oblong ches t o f wood which from its perfect
preservation and wonderful hardness had plainly been s u b
—
ec
t
e
d
to some mineralizing process
perhaps that o f the
j
bich l oride o f mercury This box was three feet and a hal f
l ong three feet broad and two and a half feet deep It was
firmly secured by bands o f wrought iron riveted and form ing
a kind o f trellis-work over the who l e O n each side o f the
chest near the top were three rings o f iron — s ix in all — by
m eans o f wh i ch a firm hold could be obtained by s ix persons
O ur u tm ost united endeavors served only to disturb the co ffer
ve ry slightly in its bed We at once s aw the impossibi l ity o f
r emo ving s o great a w e ight Luckily the sole fastenin gs o f
the l id consisted o f two S liding bolts These we dre w back
tremb l ing and panting with anxiety In an instant a treasure
o f incalcu l able value l ay gleaming before us As the rays o f
the lanterns fel l within the pit there flashed upwards fro m
a confused heap o f gold and o f j ewels a gl o w and a glare that
abso l ute ly dazzled o u r eyes
I S hal l n o t pretend to describe the feelings with which I
gazed Amazement w as o f course predominant Legrand
appeared exhausted with excitement and S poke very fe w w ord s
Jupiter s countenance wore fo r some minutes as deadly a pallor
as it is possib l e in the nature o f things for any negro s V isage
t o assume H e seem ed s tu pe fi e d thunder stricken Presently
h e fell upon his knees in the pit and burying his naked arms
u p to the elbows in gold let them there remain as if enj oying
the lu xury o f a bath At l ength with a deep sigh he excl ai m ed
as if in a soliloquy :
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TH E G O L D
—
BUG
89
And d i s all cu m ob de goole-bug ! de putty goo l e-bug ! de
poor little goole b u g what I boosed in dat sab age kind o b style !
Aint you shamed ob y o ursel f nigger
answer m e dat
I t became necessary at l ast that I sho ul d ar ou se b o th m aste r
and valet t o the expediency o f removing the treasure It w as
growing l ate and i t behooved u s to mak e exertion that w e
might get everything h o used before day l ight It was di fficu l t
to say what should be done and much time w as S pent in de l ibera
tion — s o confused were the ideas o f all We final ly l ightened
the box by removing two -thirds o f its contents w hen we w ere
enabled with some trouble to raise it fro m the h ol e The
articles taken o u t were deposited among the bramb l es and the
dog l eft to gu ard them with strict orders fr o m Jupiter neither
upon any pretence to stir from the spot nor to open his m outh
unti l o u r return We then hu rriedly m ade for home w ith t h e
chest reaching the hut in safe ty but after ex c essive toi l at
o n e 0 clo ck in the morning
Worn o u t as we were it was not
in human nature to do m ore j ust no w We rested u nti l two and
had supper ; starting for the hil l s immediate ly afterwards armed
with three stout sacks whic h by goo d l uck w ere u po n t h e prem
ise s
A little before four w e arrived at the pit divided the
remainder o f the booty as equally as might be a m ong u s and
leav ing the ho l es unfilled again se t out for the hut at which
for the se cond time we deposited o u r g o lden b u rdens j ust as
the first streaks of the dawn gleamed fr o m over the tree-tops
in the east
We were now thoroughly broken dow n ; but the intense
excitement o f the time denied us repose After an unquiet
slumber of some three or four hours duration we ar o se as if
by preconcert to make examination o f o u r treas u re
The chest had been full to the brim and w e spent the whole
day and the gre ater part of the next night in a s crutiny o f its
contents There had been nothing l ike order o r arrangement
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
0
9
Everything h ad been heaped in pr o miscuously Having as s o rt ed
al l with care we found ourselves possessed o f even vaster w eal t h
than w e had at first supposed In coin there was rathe r more
than four hundred and fifty th o usand dollars — estimating the
value O f the pieces as accurately as we cou l d by the tables o f
the period There w as not a particl e o f sil ver Al l was gold
French S panish and
o f antiq u e date and o f great variety :
German m o ney w ith a few E nglish gui neas and s o me co u nters
s before There were
o f whic h w e had never seen specime n
several very large and heavy coins so worn t h at w e c o u ld m ak e
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nothing of their inscriptions There was no American money
The va l ue o f the j ewe l s we found more di ffic ul ty in esti m ating
There were diamonds — some o f them exceedingly large and
fi n e — a hundred and ten in al l and n o t o n e of the m smal l ;
eighteen rubies o f remarkab l e brilliancy ; three hundred and ten
emera l ds a ll very beautiful ; and twenty o n e sapphires w it h an
opa l T h ese stones had al l been broken fro m their se ttings and
thrown l oose in the chest The settings themse l ves which we
picked o ut from among the o ther gold appeared to have been
beaten u p with h ammers as if to prevent identifi c ation Besides
all this there w as a vast quantity o f solid go l d ornaments
near ly two hundred massive finger and ear rings rich chains
thirty of these if I remember ; eighty-three very l arge and heavy
cru cifix e s ; fi v e g o ld censers o f great value ; a pr o digious golden
punch-b o w l ornamented wit h rich ly chased vine-leaves an d
Ba c chanalian figures ; with two sword handles exquisite ly e m
b o ssed and many other smal ler articles which I cannot reco llect
The weight o f these valu ab l es ex c eeded three hundred and fifty
p ou nds avoirdu pois ; and in this estimate I have not included
seven superb gold watches ; three o f
o n e h undred and nine tyth e n u mber being worth each five hundred dollars
if o n e
Many o f them were very O ld and as time-keepers val ueless the
works having suffered more o r l ess fro m corrosion ; but al l were
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
92
Presently I took a cand l e and Seating myself at the othe r end
o f the room proceeded to scrutinize the parchment more closely
Upon turning it o v er I saw my o wn sketch upon the reverse
j ust as I had made it My first idea now was mere surprise
at the really remarkable similarity O f o u tline — at the si n gular
coincidence i nvo l ved in the fact that unknown to me there
shoul d have been a skul l u pon the other side o f the parchment
immediate ly beneath my figure o f the s ea ra oa n s and that thi s
sku l l not on ly in outline but i n size S hould s o closely resemble
m y dra wing I s ay the singu l arity of this coincidence absolutely
This is the usual e ffect o f such co in c i
s tu p e fi e d m e for a time
The mind struggles to establish a conne c tion
a
de n ce s
sequen c e o f cause and effect
and being unable t o do s o
su ffers a species o f temporary paralysis But when I recovered
fro m this stupor t h ere dawned upon me gradual ly a conviction
which startled me even far more than the coincidence I began
distinct l y positiv ely to remember that there had been n o draw
ing o n the parchment when I made my sketch o f the s ea ra oa n s
I becam e perfectly certain o f this ; for I recollected turning up
first o n e side and then the oth e r i n se arc h o f the c l eanest S pot
Had the sku ll been then there O f cour s e I c ou l d not have failed
to notice it H ere was indeed a mystery which I felt i t im p o s
sible to exp l ain ; but even at that early moment there seemed
to glimmer faintly within the most remote and secret chambers
of my intel l ect a glow-worm -like conception o f that truth which
l ast night s adventure brought to s o magnificent a demonstra
tion I arose at once and putting the parchment securely away
dismissed al l farther reflection until I should be alone
When yo u had gone and when Jupiter was fast asleep I
betook my s elf to a more methodical in v e s tigation of the affair
In the first place I considered the manner in which the parch
ment had come into my possession The spot where we dis
co v ered the s ea ra oa ns was o n the coast of t h e m ainland about
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THE
G O LD
—
BUG
93
a m i l e eastward O f the i sland and but a short distance above
high-water mark Upon m y taking hold o f it it gav e me a sharp
bite w hich caused m e to l et it drop Jupiter wit h his accus
before seizing t h e insect wh ich h ad flown
to m e d caut i on
towards him l ooked about h im for a l eaf o r something o f that
natu re by wh ic h to take hold o f i t I t was at this m oment that
his eyes and mine al s o fe ll u pon the scrap o f parchment which
I then supposed to be paper It w as lying half-buried in the
sand a corner sticking up Near t h e spot where we fo u nd it
I observed the remnants of the hul l o f w h at appeared to have
been a ship s l ong boat The wreck seemed to have been there
for a very great while ; for the resemb l ance to boat timbers
could scarcely be traced
Well Jupiter pi cked up the parchment w rapped t h e beetle
i n it and gav e it to m e S oon afterw ards we turned to go h ome
and o n the way met Lieutenant G
I showed h im the
insect and he begged me to l et h im take it to the fort O n my
consentin g he thrust it forthwit h i nto h is w aistcoat pocket
w ithout the parchment in which it had been wrapped and which
I had continued to hold in my hand during his inspection Per
hap s he dreaded my changing my mind and thought it best to
m ake sure o f the prize at once — you know ho w ent h usiastic
he is o n al l subj ects connected with Natural History At the
same time without being conscious o f it I must have dep o s i ted
the parchm ent in my o wn pocket
Yo u re m e mbe r th at wh en I w ent to the tab l e fo r th e
purpose o f making a sket ch o f the beet le I found no paper
where it w as u sually kept I l ooked in the drawer and found
none there I searched m y pockets hoping to find an old l etter
and then m y hand fel l upon the parchment I thus detai l the
precise mode in which it came into my pos s ession ; fo r t h e
C ircumstances impressed m e with peculiar force
N o doubt yo u will think m e fan ci ful — b u t I h ad a lready
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S H OR T S T O R I E S
94
estab l is h ed a kind of con n ection I h ad put togeth er two li nks
o f a great chain
There w as a boat lying o n a seacoast and
n o t far fro m the boat was a parchment
n ot a p ap er — with
a sk ull depicted on it Yo u wi ll of course ask w here i s the
conne ct i on ? I r e p ly that the sku ll o r death s-head is the well
kno wn emb l e m o f the pirate The flag o f the death s-head is
h o i sted in al l engagements
I h ave said that the scrap was parch ment and not paper
—
Parch m ent is durable
almost imperishable Matters of l ittl e
mom ent are rarely c onsigned to parchment ; since for the m ere
ordinary purposes of drawing o r writing it i s not near ly s o w el l
adapted as paper This reflection suggested some meaning
so m e r e l evancy — in the death s-head I did n o t fai l to O bserve
al s o th e f orm o f the parchment Alth o ugh o n e o f its corners
h ad been by s o me accident destroyed it cou l d be seen that
the or iginal form was ob l ong It was j ust such a s l ip indeed
as m ight h ave been chosen for a memorandum — fo r a re c ord
of something to be l ong remembered and carefully preserved
But I interposed yo u s ay that the skul l was n ot upon
th e parch ment when yo u made the drawing of the beet l e How
then do you trace any connection between the boat and the
S ku ll
since this l atter according to your o wn admission m ust
have been designed ( God only knows h o w o r by whom ) at so m e
period s u bsequent to your sketching the s ea ra lz a n s
“
Ah h ereupon turns the who l e m ystery ; although the secret
at this p o int I had comparati v ely little di ffi cu lty in solv ing
My steps were s u re and could afford but a single result I
reasoned for example thus : When I dre w the s ea ra oa as there
was no S kull apparent on the parchment When I had com
rved you narrowly
the
drawing
I
gave
it
to
you
and
obse
d
l
e
t
e
p
until you returned it Yo u therefore did not design the skull
and no one e l se was present to do it Then it was n o t don e
by hum an agency And neverthe l e ss it was d on e
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S H O RT S T O RIE S
6
9
the strengt h ening of the faint lines in the sku l l ; but o n pe r se
there became vi s ible at the corner
v e rin g in the experi m ent
o f the slip diagonally opposite to the spot in which the deat h s
head w as de l ineated the figure o f what I at first supposed to
be a goat A clo ser scru tiny however satisfied me that it w as
”
intended fo r a kid
“
”
Ha ! ha ! said I to be sure I have no right to l augh at
you — a million and a half o f money is too serious a matter
f o r mirth — but yo u are not about to establish a third link in
your chain : yo u w il l not find any especial connection between
your pirates and a goat ; pirates you know have nothing to
”
do w ith goats ; they appertain to the farming interest
But I have j ust said that the figure was n ot that of a goat
”
—
Well a kid then pretty much the same thing
”
Pretty much but not a l together said Legrand
You m ay
h av e heard of one Cap ta in Kidd I at once l ooked o n the
figure o f the animal as a kind o f punning or hieroglyphical
signature I s ay signature because its position o n the vel l um
suggested this idea The death s-head at the corner diagonally
opposite had in the same manner the air of a stamp or seal
But I was sorely put out by the ab s ence o f al l else — o f the
”
body to my imagined instrument
o f the text for my context
I presume you expected to find a l etter between the stamp
”
and the signature
S o m ething o f that kind The fact is I felt irresistibly im
pressed with a presentiment o f som e vast good fortune im
pending I c an scarce ly s ay wh y Perhaps after all it was
rather a desire than an actual belief - but do yo u know that
Jupiter s S illy words about the bug being o f solid gold had a
remarkab l e effect on m y fancy ? And then the series o f acci
dents and coincidences
these were s o very extraordinary D O
you observe how mere an accident it was that these events
s h ou l d h ave o cc u rred o n the s ole day of al l the year i n whi c h
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T H E G O LD
—
BUG
97
it h as been or may be suffi ciently cool for fire and that w i t h
out the fire o r without the intervention of the dog at the pre
cise moment in which he appeared I should never hav e become
aware of the death s-head and s o ne v er the possessor of the
”
treasure ?
But proceed
I am all impatience
Well ; you have heard O f course the many stories current
the thousand vague rumors afloat about m oney buried some
where o n the Atlantic coast by K idd and his associates The s e
rumors m ust ha v e had some foundation in fact And that the
rumors have existed s o l ong and s o continuously cou l d have
resulted it appeared to m e only from the circumstance o f t h e
buried treasure stil l rema in ing entombed Had Kidd concealed
his plunder for a time and afterwards reclai med it the ru mors
would scarcely hav e reached us in their present unvarying form
You wil l observe that the stories told are al l about money
seekers not about money—fi n de rs H ad the pirate recovere d
his money there th e a ffair would have dropped It seemed
to me that some accident — s ay the l oss o f a memorandum
indicating its locality — had deprived him of the means o f re
covering it and that this accident had become known to his
followers wh o otherwise might ne v er have heard that treasure
had been concealed at all and who busying themse l ves I n va i n
because unguided attempts to regain it had given first birth
and then universal currency to the reports w hich are n o w s o
c ommon Have you e v er heard of any imp o rtant treasure being
”
u nearthed along the coast ?
”
Never
But that K idd s accumu l ations were i m m ense i s w e ll known
I took it for granted therefore that the earth stil l held t h em
and yo u wil l scarcely be surprised when I tell you that I fel t
a ho pe nearl y amounting to certainty that the parchment s o
”
strangel y found invo lv ed a lost record of the place of dep o sit
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
8
9
But ho w did you pro ceed
I held the vellum again to the fire after i n c reas i ng the
heat but nothing appeared I now though t it p o ssib l e that the
coating o f dirt might hav e something to do with the fai l ure ;
SO I carefully rinsed the parchment by pouring warm water
o v er it and hav ing done this I placed it in a tin pan w i th the
S k ull downwards and put the pan upon a furnace of lighted
charcoal In a few minutes the pan hav ing become thor o ughly
heated I removed the slip and to my inexpressib l e j oy fo u nd
it spotted in severa l places with what appeared to be figures
arranged in l ines Again I placed it in the pan and su ffered
it to remain another m inute Upon taking it o ff the w ho l e was
”
j ust as you see it now
Here Legrand having reheated the parchment submitted it
to my in s pection The following characters were rudely traced
in a red tint between the death s -head and the goat
”
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4 )8 1l
I SS ; I ? ;
But said I returning him the slip I am as much in the
dark as e v er Were all the j ewels o f Golconda awaiting me
on my solution o f this enigma I am quite sure that I sh o u l d
”
be u nable to earn them
“
”
And yet said Legrand the solution is by no means so
di fficu l t as you might be led to imagine from the first hasty in
These characters as any o n e migh t
s p ec tio n of the characters
readily guess form a cipher — that is to s ay they convey a
meaning ; but then from what is known of K idd I could not
suppo s e him capable o f constructing any of the more abstruse
cryptographs I m ade up my mind at once that this was o f a
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
1 00
predominant l etters as well as the lea s t frequent
al l I constructed a table th us
,
,
.
Counting
,
Of th e
c
haracte r
8
th e re
are
33
26
1
9
16
1
3
1 2
II
8
N
I
V
O-
F
O
U
N
H
Now in English the l etter which most freq u ent ly o ccurs
is e Afterwards the succession runs thus : a o i d Ii n r s t n
m
x z
l
to
o
a
E
predominates
however
so
remark
c
p
o
y f g
ab ly that an individual sentence of any l ength is rare ly seen in
w hich it i s n o t the prevailing character
Here then w e hav e in the very beginning the ground
work for something more than a mere guess The genera l u s e
which may be made o f the table is obvious — but in this par
As
tic u lar cipher we shall only v ery partiall y require its aid
o u r predominant character is 8 w e will commence by assuming
it as the e o f the natural alphabet T O ver i fy the supposition
l et us O bserve if the 8 be seen often in couples — for e is
doub l ed with great frequency in E nglish — in such words for
example as meet fleet speed seen been agree etc
In the present instance we s ee it dou b led no less than five
ti m es although the cryptograph is brief
Let us assume 8 then as e Now of all w ords in the
l angu age the is most usual ; let us s e e there f ore whether
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TH E
G O LD
—
BUG
10 1
th ere are not repetitions o f any three chara c ters i n the sam e
O rder o f c o llocati on the last o f them being 8 If we dis cover
repeti tio n s o f s uc h l etters so arranged they wi ll most probab ly
represent the word the O n inspection w e find no l ess t h an
seven such arrange m ents the characters being ; 4 8 We m ay
therefore assume that the se m icolon represents t that 4 re pre
sents ll and that 8 represents e
the last being n o w w e l l co n
fir m ed Thus a great step has been taken
B u t having established a singl e w o rd w e are enab l ed t o
estab l is h a vastly imp o rtant p o int ; that is to say severa l c om
m e n c em en ts and terminations o f other w o rds Let us refer for
exam ple to the l ast instance b u t o n e in whic h the c ombinati o n
— not far fro m the end o f the cipher
o
cc
urs
We kn ow
8
;4
t h at the semico l on i mm ediate ly ensuing is the comm en c e m ent
o f a word and of the s ix chara cters s u cceeding this th e w e are
co gniz ant of no l ess th an five Let us set these ch ara cters
d o wn thus by th e l etters we know the m t o represent l eav i ng a
space fo r t h e unknown
t e e th
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Here we are enab l ed at once t o discard t h e a ; as f o r m
ing no portion o f the word co m men c ing with the first t ; since
by experiment o f the entire alphabet for a l etter adapted to th e
vacancy we perceive that no word can be for m ed o f w hi ch thi s
a c an be a part We are th u s narrowed into
,
,
,
,
.
and go ing thr ou gh the al phabet if ne c essa ry as before w e
arrive at the word tree as the so l e p o ssib l e reading We t h us
gain another letter r represented by
w ith the wo rds the
tree in j uxtaposition
L o oking beyond these w o rds for a sho rt d i stan c e w e aga in
see the co m bination ; 4 8 and emp lo y it by w ay o f termin ation
t o what imm ediatel p re c edes We have thus this arrange m ent :
th e tr ee
?34 th e
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v
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S H O R T S T OR I E S
1 02
o r s u bst i tu t i ng the nat u ral l etters wh ere known
,
,
th e
tree
th r
I
?3 h th e
,
it
reads th u s
.
N o w i f i n place of the u nkn o wn c h ar ac te r s we l eave
b l ank spa c es or substitute dots w e read th u s
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,
,
,
,
th e
tree
h the
th r
,
wh en th e word th rongli m akes itsel f ev ident at on c e But
this dis c overy gives us three new l etters 0 n and g rep re
.
,
,
,
,
sented by It and 3
Looking n o w narrowly t h r ou gh the c iphe r for combi
nations o f known c h aracters w e find no t very far from the
begi nning this arrange m ent
.
,
"
,
,
,
,
8
o r egre e ,
whi ch p l a in ly is the c onclu s io n of th e w ord degree and gives
us an o the r l etter d represented by T
F ou r l etters be y ond the wo rd degree we per c eive the
com binatio n
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; 46 (
Trans l ating t h e known characters and representin g th e
u nknown by dots as before we read thus
,
:
,
,
th
rte e
.
an arrange m ent i mm ed i ate ly suggestive Of the wo rd thirteen
and again furnishin g u s with two new characters i and n
represented by 6 and
R eferri ng n o w to th e begi nni ng o f the c ryptograph we
find t h e co mbinati o n
,
,
,
,
,
,
5 3 11 1
T ransl ati ng as befo re w e o btain
,
good
,
w hich assu res u s that the first letter is
wo rds are A good
’
.
A,
S H O RT S T O R I E S
1 04
mean to p u nct u ate it
”
S o m ething o f that kind
”
?
But how is it possible to effect this
I reflected that it had been a p oi n t with the writer to r u n
his words together without division S O as to increase the diffi
culty o f solution Now a not over-acute man in pursuing such
an obj ect would be nearly certain to o v erdo the matter When
in the course o f his composition he arrived at a break in his
subj ect which would naturally require a pause or a point he
w ould be exceedi n gly apt to run his characters at this place
mo re than usually close together If you wil l obser v e the M S
in the present instance you will ea s ily detect fiv e such cases o f
unusual cro wding Acting on this hint I made the div ision thus
? ”
Yo u
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A good gla s s i n tb e D is b op s b os tel i n tb c devil s s ea t
n ortb ea s t a n d by n oi t b
tw en ty on e degrees a n d tb i r teen m i n u tes
—
’
ma i n bra n cb
z
s even t/
b ea d —
s—
lim b
’
ea s t s ide
—
s b oot
m tb e tree
bee-li n e
b
m
t
c
l
f
eft eye
tb rong/z tb e s not
ro
f
f
ee
t
u
t
o
t
f
fif y
Even this division said I leaves m e still in the dark
“
It l eft me also in the dark replied Legrand
for a few
days ; during which I made diligent inquiry in the neighbor
h o od o f S ullivan s Is l and for any bui l ding which went by the
name o f the Bishop s Hotel ; fo r o f course I dropped the
obsolete word hostel Gaining no informati o n o n the subj ect
I was o n the poin t o f extending my sphere o f search and pro
when o n e m orning it
c ee din g in a more systematic manner
entered into my head quite suddenly that this Bishop s Hoste l
might have some reference to an o ld family Of the n ame o f
B e S S Op which time o u t o f mind had held possession of an
ancient manor-house abo u t four mil es to the northward o f the
island I accordingly went over to the plantation and reins ti
At
tu t e d my inquiries among the older n egroes of the place
length one o f the most aged o f the women said that s h e had
o
tb e dea tb
’
a
ro
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T H E G O LD
—B U G
105
h eard o f such a p l a c e as B ess op s Ca stle and thought th at s h e
cou l d guide me to it but that it was not a castle nor a tavern
b u t a high rock
I offered to pay her wel l for her tro u b l e and after so m e
de m ur s h e consented to accompany me to the S pot We f o und
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it without much di ffi culty when dismissing her I proceeded
to examine the place The castl e c onsisted o f an irregu lar
o n e o f the l atter being quite
assemblage o f cliffs and rocks
remarkab l e fo r its height as wel l as for its ins ul ated and a rt i
fi cial appearance I clambered to its apex and then fe l t much
at a loss as to what should be next done
While I was busied in reflection my eyes fe ll on a narro w
l edge in the eastern face o f the ro ck perhaps a yard below the
summit upon which I stood This ledge proj ected about eighteen
i nches and was not more than a foot wide while a niche in the
cliff j ust above it gav e it a rude resemb l ance to o n e o f the h o l
lo w-backed chairs used by o u r ancest o rs I made no doubt that
h ere was the de v il s seat al luded to in the M S and no w I
seemed to grasp the full secret o f the riddle
The good glass I knew could h ave reference to nothing
but a te l escope ; fo r the word glass is rarely emp l oyed in any
other sense by seamen Now here I at on c e saw was a tele
scope to be used and a definite point o f view a dmitting n o
fro m which to use it N o r did I h esitate to belie v e
v a ria tion
that the phrases twenty-o n e degrees and thirteen minutes
‘
and no rth-east and by north were inte nded as directions
for the le v elling o f the glass Greatly excited by these dis
c o v erie s
I hurried ho m e pr oc ured a te l escope and returned
to the rock
I let myself down to the ledge and found that it was
I mpossible to retain a seat o n it unless in o n e particular posi
tion This fact confirmed my preconceived idea I proceeded
to use the glass O f co u rse the twenty—o ne degree s and
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
1 06
thirteen m in u tes co u l d all ude to nothi ng b u t e l evati o n ab o ve
th e visible h orizon sin c e the h oriz o nta l dire c tion w as c l ear ly
i ndicated by the w o rds n o rth-east and by north This l atter
directi on I at once estab l ished by means of a po cket-compass ;
then pointing the glass as near l y at an ang l e o f twenty-one
degrees of elevati o n as I c ou l d do it by guess I m oved it
c autio u sly up o r down unti l m y attention was arrested by a
cir cul a r rift o r O pening in the fo l iage f a l arge tree t h at over
p
topped its fello w s in the distan c e In the c entre of this rift I
per c eived a white spot b u t c o ul d n o t at first distinguish wh at
it w as Adj u sting the fo cu s Of the te l escope I again l o o ked and
n ow m ade i t o u t to be a h um an sk ull
“
O n th is dis co very I w as s o sangu ine as to consider the
en ig m a s olved for t h e p h rase m ain branch se v enth l imb east
side could refer o n l y t o the p o siti o n o f the skul l on the tree
w h i l e shoot fr om the l eft eye of the death s hea
d admitted
al so of b u t o ne interpretation in regard t o a sear ch f or b u ried
treasu re I per c eived that the design was to drop a b ullet fro m
th e l eft eye of the sku ll and that a bee-line or in o the r w o rds
a strai ght line drawn fro m the nearest point o f the t ru nk thr o ugh
th e sh o t ( o r the S pot w here the bullet fe l l) and t h ence
extended t o a distance of fifty feet wou l d indi c ate a definite
point
and beneath this point I thought it at l east p oss ible t h at
a dep o sit o f val ue l ay con c eal ed
“
”
Al l t h is I said is ex c eedingly cl ear and a l though ingen
ious sti ll simple and exp l ic it When yo u l eft the Bishop s H o te l
w hat then ?
Why h aving carefully taken the bearing s o f the tree I
turned h om ewards The instant that I left the devil s seat
however the circular rift vanished ; nor could I get a gl impse
o f it afterwards turn as I would
What seems to me the chief
ingenuity in this who l e b u siness is the fact ( for repeated ex p eri
m ent has con v inced me it is a fact) that the c ir cul ar O p en ing in
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
1 08
obj e ct i f s m all should be z o/i ite ; and there is nothing like y our
hum an skull for retaining and even i ncreasing its whiteness
”
under expos u re to al l vicissi tudes o f weather
B u t y o ur grandi l oq u ence and your c o nduct in swingi ng th e
beetl e
h ow excessively O dd ! I w as sure you were m ad And
why did you insist o n l etting fall the bug instead o f a b ull et
”
fr om t h e sku l l ?
W hy to be frank I fe l t somewhat annoyed by your ev i dent
s u spici o ns t ou ching my sanity and so reso l ved to punish yo u
q u iet ly in m y o wn w ay by a little bit o f sober m ys tificatio n
Fo r th is reason I sw u ng the beetle and for this reason I l et it
fall fr o m the tree An observation o f yours about its great
”
we ight suggested the l atter idea
Yes I perceive ; and now there is on ly one point whi ch
puzz l es me What are we to make o f the ske l etons found in
”
the hol e ?
That is a q u estion I am n o m ore able to answer than yo u r
se l f There see m s however on ly o n e plausible way of ac count
ing fo r the m
and yet it is dreadful to believe in such atrocity
as my s u ggestion wo u l d imp ly It is clear that Kidd
if Kidd
indeed se c reted this treasure w hich I doubt not — it is c l ear
that he m ust have had assistance in the l abor But the w o rst
o f this l abor concluded he may have thought i t expedient to
remove all participants in his secret Perhaps a coup l e o f blows
wi th a m atto ck w ere su ffi cient w hile his c oadj utors were b u sy
”
in th e p i t ; pe rhaps i t re qui red a d oz en
who s h a ll te ll ?
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V
A C H R I S T M AS CA RO L
.
1
4
8
3
(
)
C HARLE S D I C K EN S ( 1 8 1 2 - 1 8 7 0 )
BY
In this m o st fa m ous of Christmas stories Dickens
gi ves us th e very atmosphere o f the season with al l the contrasts
that po v erty and wea l th miser l iness and charity the past and
the future can suggest T hough h e had London i n mind any
great industrial center wo ul d h av e s e rved as wel l fo r Dickens
was thinking primarily o f the relati ons between employe r and
employee That Christmas is better kept in England n o w than
when Dickens wrote is a triumph due more to A Christmas
”
Carol than to any other o n e piece o f prose o r verse
Plot The story was p l anned rather than plotted By cal l ing
it a caro l and dividing it into staves Dickens would have us
think o f it not as a narrative but as a song full o f the j oy and
good will that Christmas ought to diffuse It is a ri ll from the
fountain o f the first great Christmas chant
O n earth peace
”
good wil l toward men
The them e is no t so much the duty of
se rvice as the j oy o f service the happiness that we fee l in mak
ing others happy ; and the four carols mark the four stages in
the conversion o f S cr o oge from solitary selfishness to social
good wil l The p l an i s simp l e but it is su ffused with a l ove and
sympathy that no o n e but D ickens o r O Henry c ou l d have
given it If The Go l d-Bug is a triumph o f the analytic intel
lect this story is a triump h o f the socia l impul ses that m ake the
”
w orl d better
It seems to m e said Thackeray a nationa l
benefit and to every m an and woman wh o reads it a persona l
”
“
kindness Whil e writing it Dickens said : I wept and l augh ed
”
and wept again
And yet the psycho l ogy of the p l ot is as
so u ndly inte l lect u al as the style is emoti o nal Dickens kne w
etting
S
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1 09
S H O RT S T O R I E S
1 IO
th at a flin t-h earted m an l ike S crooge c ould not be ch anged by
fo r c es bro u ght to bear from with ou t The appea l must co m e
fro m w i thin H e mu st himse l f s ee his past his present and his
pro bab l e fut u re but in a ne w l ight and from a wider angl e o f
vis i on The drea m i s o n ly a m eans to this end A man m oves
t o a higher real m O f thought and action n o t by l earn i ng ne w
tr u ths but by seeing the o ld truths differently re l ated
C/z a racters S crooge is o f course the ce ntra l chara c te r He
is al s o a perfect examp l e o f the changing character as contrasted
wi th the stati o nary character In fact all the other characters
re m ain essentially the same while S crooge wh o at the beginnin g
“
is u nfriendly and friendless becomes at the end as good a
friend as good a master and as good a man as the good o l d
city knew or any othe r good o ld city town o r boro u gh in the
”
good Ol d worl d
It i s diffi cu lt t o c reate any kind o f character
whether stationary o r changing but the l atter is the more diffi
cu l t B o th demand rare p o wers o f O bse rvation and interpreta
tion b u t the as c ending o r descending character demands a
kn owl edge of the che m istry o f co nd uc t that o n ly the masters
h ave
The C ratch its must not b e overlooked Tiny Tim s God
b l ess us every one has at l east be come the symbo l o f Christ
m as benevolence wherever Ch ris tm as is c el ebrated i n E ngl is h
speak ing l and s !
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S TAV E O N E
MA R LEY S
G
’
H O ST
Marl ey w as dead to begin with There is no doubt whatever
about that The register o f his burial w as signed by the clergy
m an the cl erk the undertaker and th e chief mourner S crooge
S igned it And S crooge s name was good upon Change fo r
anything he chose to put his hand to
O ld Marl ey was as dead as a d o or-nail
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
I 12
hum an sympathy to keep its distance was what the kno wing
“
ones call nuts to S crooge
O nce up o n a ti m e — O f all the good days i n the year u pon
a Christmas ev e — Ol d S crooge s at b u sy in his counting-house
I t was c old b l eak biting foggy weather ; and the c ity cl ocks
had on ly j ust gone three but it was quite dark already
T h e door o f S crooge s counting-house was O pen that he
m ight keep his eye upon his cl erk wh o in a dismal littl e cell
beyond a sort o f tank was copying letters S crooge had a very
small fire but the clerk s fire was so very much smaller that it
l ooked l ike o n e coal But he could n t replenish it for S crooge
kept the coal box i n his o wn room ; and s o surely as the
clerk came in with the shove l the master predicted that it
would be necessary fo r them t o part Wherefore the cl erk put
and tried to warm himse l f at the
o n his white comforter
c andle ; i n which effort not being a man o f a strong imagina
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tion he failed
A merry Christmas uncle God save you
cried a cheer
fu l voice It was the voice of S crooge s nephew wh o cam e
u pon hi m so quickly that this was the first intimation S crooge
had o f his approach
Ba h
said S crooge ; humbug
Christmas a humbug u ncle ! You don t m ean that I
am s u re
I do O ut u pon mer ry Christ m as ! What s Christmas time
to you but a time for paying bills without money ; a time fo r
findin g yourself a year older and not an hour richer ; a time
for balancing your books and having e v ery item in e m through
a round dozen o f months presented dead against yo u ? If I had
m y wi ll e v ery idiot wh o goes ab o ut with Merry Christmas
on his l ips should be boiled with his own pudding and buried
”
with a stake o f holly thro u gh his heart ! H e should !
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CH R I S TMA S CA RO L
A
3
1
Uncl e !
Nephew keep Christmas in your own way and l et m e
”
keep i t in mine
Keep i t ! B u t y o u don t keep it
Let m e l eave it alone then M u ch go o d m ay i t do y ou !
”
M u ch good it has ever done you !
There are many things from w h ich I migh t have der i ved
good by which I hav e not profited I dare s ay Christmas
among the rest But I am sure I have always thought o f
Christmas time w hen it has come round — apart from the
veneration due to i ts sacred origin if anything bel onging to it
as a good time ; a kind forgiving
ca n be apart from that
c h ari tab l e pleasant time ; the only time I know O f in the l ong
c al endar o f the year when men and women see m by o n e con
sent to open their shut-u p heart s freely and to think o f peop l e
be l ow them as if they really were fellow-trav ellers to the grave
and not another race of creatures bound o n other j ourneys
And therefore unc l e though it has never put a scrap o f gold
o r si l ver in my pocket I b e lie v e that it b a s done me good an d
”
w ill do me good ; and I s ay G o d bless it !
The clerk in the tank in v oluntarily applauded
”
Let me hear another sound from yon said S crooge and
you l l keep your Christmas by l osing your situation
Y ou re
q u ite a powerfu l speaker S ir he added turning to his nephew
”
I wonder you don t go into Parl iament
Do nt be angry uncl e Co m e ! Din e wit h u s to -m orrow
S crooge said that he would see him — yes indeed he did
He w ent the whole length o f the expression and said t h at h e
w o u ld se e hi m in that extremity first
”
”
But why ? c ried S cro oge s nep h e w
W hy ?
”
Why did yo u get married ?
”
Because I fe ll in love
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S H O RT ST O R I E S
1 14
Bec au se you fe ll in l o v e
grow l ed S crooge as i f that w er e
the only o n e thing in the world more ridiculous than a mer ry
Ch ristmas
Good afternoon !
“
Nay uncle but you never came to se e me before t h at
”
h appened Why give it as a reason fo r not coming now ?
”
Good afternoon
I want nothing from yo u ; I ask nothing o f yo u ; why
”
cannot we be friends ?
”
Good afte rnoon
I a m sorry with all my heart to find yo u s o resolute We
h ave never had any quarrel to which I hav e been a party B u t
I h ave made th e trial i n homage to Ch rist m as and I ll keep
my Christmas hu m o r to the l ast S 0 A M e rry C hri stm as
u ncl e
Good aftern o on !
And A Happy Ne w Year !
Good afternoon !
His nephew l eft t h e room without an angry wo rd n o twith
standing The cl erk in l etting S crooge s nephe w o u t had let
two other people in They were portly gent l e m en p l easant to
behold and now stood with their hats o ff in S crooge s office
They had books and papers in their hands and bowed to him
”
Sc rooge and Marley s I bel ieve said o ne of the gentl e
m en referring to h is l ist
H ave I th e p l eas u re o f add r e s s i ng
”
?
Mr S crooge o r Mr M ar l ey
Mr Marley has been dead these seven years He di ed
seven years ago this very night
At this festiv e season o f the year Mr S cro o ge said th e
gentleman taking up a pen it is m o re than usual ly desirab l e
that we S hould make some slight pro v ision for the poor and
destitute wh o suffer great ly at the present time Many th o u
sands are in want o f common necessaries hu ndreds o f th ou sands
”
are i n want of common co m fo rts s ir
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I I
S H O RT S TO R I E S
6
T h e c l erk pr o m i sed th at he w o ul d ; and S crooge walked out
w ith a grow l The o ffice was c l osed in a twinkling and the
clerk w ith the l ong ends O f his white comforter dangling belo w
his waist ( for he boasted no great coat) w ent down a s l ide at
the end of a l ane o f boys twenty times in honor O f its being
Christmas e v e and then ran home as hard as he cou l d pe l t to
play at b l ind-man s—buff
S crooge t o ok his melancho ly dinner in his u sua l melancho ly
tavern ; and having read all the newspapers and beguiled the
rest of the evening with his banker s book went home to bed
He l ived in chambers which had once be l onged to his deceased
partner They were a gloo my suite o f rooms i n a l owering
pile of building up a yard The building was old enough n o w
and drea ry enough ; for nobody l ived in it but S crooge the
other rooms being all let o u t as O ffices
Now it is a fact that there w as nothing at all particular
about the kn ocker on the door o f this house except that it was
very large ; al so that S crooge had seen i t night and morning
during his whole residence in that p l ace ; al so that Sc rooge h ad
as l ittle o f what is called fancy about him as any m an i n th e
city of London And yet S crooge having his key in t h e l ock
of the door saw in the knocker without its undergoin g any in
te rm e diate process of change not a knocker but Marley s face
Marl ey s face with a dismal light about it li k e a bad lobster
in a dark cellar It w as n o t angry o r ferocious but it looked
at S crooge as Marley used to l ook — with ghostly spec tacles
turned up upon its ghostly forehead
As S crooge l ooked fixedly at this phenomenon it was a
”
knocker again He said Po o h pooh ! and closed the doo r
with a bang
The sound resounded through the house l ike thunder E very
roo m above and e v ery cask in the wine -merchant s cellars
belo w appeared to have a separate pea l o f echoes of its own
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A C H R I S TMA S CA RO L
S cr o oge
1 17
not a man to be frightened by echoes H e
fastened the door and wal ked acro ss the hall and up the stairs
S l o wly too trimming his cand l e as h e went
Up S crooge went no t caring a button for its being very
dark Darkness is cheap and S crooge liked it But before he
shut his hea v y door he walked through his rooms to see that
a l l w as right He had j ust enough recollection o f the face to
desire to do that
S itting-room bedroom lumber-room all as they S hou l d be
Nobody u nder the table nobody under the sofa ; a smal l fire in
the grate ; spo o n and basin ready ; and the little saucepan o f
gruel ( S crooge h ad a cold in his head) upon the hob Nobody
under the bed ; nobody in the c loset ; nobody in his dressing
gown whic h was hanging up in a suspicious attitude against
the wall Lumber-room as usual O ld fi re-guard old shoes t wo
fi sh baskets washing-stand o n three l egs and a poker
Quite satisfied b e c l osed his door and l ocked himse l f in ;
double-l ocked h imself i n whic h w as not his custom Thus
secured against surprise he took o ff his cravat put on his
dressing-gown and slippers and his night-cap and sat down
before the very l ow fire to take his gruel
As he threw h is head back I n the chair his glance happened
to rest upon a be l l a di s used bell that hung I n the room and
comm u nicated for some purpose now forgotten with a cham
ber in the highest story o f the building It w as with great
astonishment and with a strange inexplicable dread that as
he l ooked he s aw this bell begin to swing S oon it rang out
l oudly and so did ev e ry be ll in the house
This was succeed ed by a clanking noise deep down below
as if some person were dragging a heavy chain over the cask s
in the wine merchant s cellar
Then he heard the noi s e much l ouder on the floors below ;
then coming up the stairs ; then coming straight towards his door
w as
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1 1
S H O RT S T O R I E S
8
It came o n through the hea v y door and a spectre passed
into t h e r oom before his eyes And upon its coming in the
dying flam e l eaped u p as though i t c ried
I know him !
”
Marl ey s ghost !
The same face the very same M arl ey in his pigtai l usua l
w aistcoat tights and boots His body w as transparent ; s o
that S crooge observing him and looking through his w aistcoat
c ou l d see the two buttons o n his coat behind
Sc r o oge had often heard it said that Marl ey had no bowels
b u t he had never believed it u nti l n o w
N o nor did he believe it even now Tho u gh he l ooked the
phanto m through and through and saw it standing before him
th o ugh he felt the chilling influence o f its death-co l d eyes
and noticed the very texture o f t h e folded ker chief b ou nd about
its h ead and c hin — h e was still incredul o us
How now !
said S crooge causti c and col d as ever
”
W h at do yo u want w ith me ?
M uch !
Marley s voice no doubt abo u t it
Who are yo u
Ask m e who I w as
”
Wh o w ere yo u th en ?
I n l ife I w as your partner Jacob Mar l ey
”
?
Can yo u
c an yo u s it down
”
I c an
Do it then
S cro oge asked the question because he did n t know whether
a ghost so transparent might find himself in a condition to take
a chair ; and felt that in the event o f its being impossible it
m ight invo l ve the necessity o f an embarrassing explanation
But the ghost s at down o n the O pposite side of the fireplace as
if he were quite u sed to it
Yo u don t be l ieve in me
”
I don t
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S H O RT ST O R I E S
1 20
O b l ind man b l ind man ! not to know that ages of in ce s
sant labor by immortal creature s for thi s earth must pass in t o
eternity before the good o f which it is susceptible is al l deve l
O ped Not to know that any Christian spirit wor k ing kindly in
its little sphere w hatever it may be will find its mortal life to o
short for its vast means o f usefulness Not to know that no
S pace o f regret can make amends for o n e l ife s O pportunities
m isused ! Yet I was l ike this man ; I once w as like this man !
“
But you were al ways a good man of business Jacob
faltered S crooge wh o now began to apply this to himself
”
Business !
cried the ghost wringing its hands again
Mankind was my business The common w el fare was my
business ; charity mercy forbearance bene v olence w ere al l
my business The dealings o f my trade were but a drop of
”
water in the comprehensive ocean o f my business
S crooge was very much dismayed to hear the spectre going
o n at this rate and began to quake exceeding l y
”
Hear me ! My time is nearly gone
I will But don t be hard upon me ! Don t be flowery
”
Jacob ! Pray !
I am here to n ight to w arn you that you have yet a chance
and h ope o f escaping my fate A chance and hope o f my
”
procuring E benezer
Yo u were always a good friend to me T h ank e e !
You wil l be haunted by Three S pirits
I s that the chance and h O p e yo u mentioned Jacob ? I
I
”
think I d rather not
“
Without their visits you cannot hope to shun the path I
tread E xpect the first to-morrow night when the bell tolls
O ne E xpect the second o n the next night at the same hour
The third upon the next night when the last stroke o f Twel v e
has ceased to vibrate Look to see me no more ; and look that
for your o w n sake yo u remember what has passed between us
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A CH R I S TMA S CA RO L
121
It w alked backward from him ; and at every step it took
the window raised itse lf a little so that when the apparition
reached it it was wide open
S crooge closed the window and examined the door by which
the Ghost had entered I t was double locked as he had l ocked
it with his o w n hands and the bolts were undisturbed S crooge
”
tried to s ay
Humbug ! but stopped at the first syllab l e
And being fro m the emotion he had underg o ne o r the fatigu es
o f the day
or his glimpse o f the invisibl e w orld o r the d u l l
conversation of the Ghost o r the l ateness o f the hour much in
need o f repose he went straight t o bed w ith o ut undressing
and fe ll as l eep o n the instant
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S TAV E TW O
TH E
FI R S T
OF TH E
T H R E E S P I R IT S
When S crooge awoke it was so dark that l ooking o u t of
bed he could scarcely distinguish the transparent window from
the opaque walls o f his chamber u nti l sudden ly the churc h
clock tolled a deep dull hollow melancholy O N E
Light flashed up in the roo m upon the instant and the cu r
tains of his bed were drawn aside by a strange figure
like a
child : yet not so like a child as like an Old man viewed thro u gh
some supern atura l medium which gave h im the appearan ce
and being diminished to a
o f having receded fro m the view
child s proportions Its hair which hung about its neck and
down its back was white as if with age ; and yet the face had
and the tenderest bloom was o n the sk i n
no t a wrinkle in it
It held a branch o f fresh green h olly in its hand ; and in
singular contradiction o f that wintry emblem had its dress
trimmed wit h summer flowers But the strangest thing about
it w as that fr om the cro wn of its head there sprung a bright
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S H O RT ST O RI E S
1 22
c l ear j et o f l igh t by wh i ch all th is w as visib l e ; and w hich w as
d ou btl ess the occ asion of its using in its d ull er mom ents a
great exting u isher fo r a cap w hi c h it no w he l d u nder i ts arm
”
Are y ou the S pirit sir who se comi ngwas fo retold t o m e ?
”
I am !
”
W ho and what are y ou ?
I a m the Gh o st o f C h r i st m as Past
”
?
Long past
No Y o ur past The things t h at y ou will see wi t h me are
s h ad ow s o f the things t h at h ave been ; they w i ll have n o co n
sc io u s n e s s of us
Sc ro o ge t h en m ade bold to i nquire wh at business b rou gh t
him there
Your w e l fare R ise and w al k w ith m e
It w oul d h ave been in vain fo r Sc rooge to plead that th e
w eath e r and the hour were not adapted t o pedestrian purposes ;
that the bed was w arm and th e ther mom eter a l ong w ay be l o w
f reezing ; that he w as c l ad b u t l ightly i n h is s l ippers dressing
go wn and nightcap ; and that h e h ad a co l d u pon h i m at that
The grasp though gent l e as a w o m an s h and was not to
ti m e
be resisted H e rose ; but find i ng that the S pirit m ade to w ards
t h e windo w cl asped its robe i n supp l ication
”
I a m a mortal and l iab l e to fal l
Bear but a touch o f m y h and tlz ere said the S piri t l ay i ng
it upon his heart and yo u sha ll be u phel d in m ore than this
As the w ords were sp o ken they passed t h ro u gh the wall and
s to o d in t h e busy thoro u ghfares o f a c ity
It w as m ade p l ain
eno u gh by the dress i ng o f th e sh o ps t hat h ere t oo it w as
Christ m as ti m e
The G ho st st o pped at a c e rtain w are ho use door and asked
S crooge if he knew it
Kno w i t ! Was I apprent i ced here !
They w ent in At sight o f an old gentleman in a We l sh wig
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
1 24
th e ho usemaid with her cousin the baker In came th e c oo k
with her brother s particular friend the milkman In they all
c am e o n e after another ; some shyly some bo ldly some grace
fu l ly some awkwardly s o me pushing some pul l ing ; in they al l
cam e anyho w and eve ryhow Away they al l went twenty
coup l e at o nce ; hands half ro u nd and back again the other
way ; do wn the middle and u p again ; round and round in va ri
o ld top couple always
o u s stages o f a ffectionate grouping ;
turnin g up in the wrong place ; new top coup l e starting Off
again as soon as they got there ; al l top couples at l ast and
not a b o ttom o n e to help them When this result was brought
about o ld Fezziwig clapping his hands to stop the dance cried
”
o u t Wel l done ! and the fiddler plunged his hot f ace into a
pot o f porter especially provided for that purpose
There were more dances and there were forfeits and mo re
dances and there was cake and there was negus and there
was a great piece o f Cold R oast and there was a great piece o f
Cold Boiled and there were mince -pies and p l enty o f beer
But the great effect o f the evening came after the R oast and
Boi l ed when the fidd l er struck up S ir R oger de Coverley
Then Ol d Fezziwig stood o u t to dance with Mrs F e z z iwig T o p
c oup l e too ; with a good st iff pie c e of work c u t o u t for them ;
three o r four and twenty pair o f partners ; people wh o were
and had no
n o t to be trifl e d w ith ; peop l e wh o w ou ld dance
notion o f walking
But if they h ad been twice as many — fou r ti m e s — o ld
Fezziwig woul d have been a match for them and s o would
Mrs Fezziwig As to b er s h e was worthy to be his par tner in
eve ry sense o f the term A positive light appeared to iss u e from
Fezziwig s calves They shone in every part o f the dance Yo u
could n t have predicted at any gi v en time what would become
And when O ld Fezziwig and Mrs Fezziwig had
o f em next
go ne al l thr ou gh th e dance — advance and ret i re turn your
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CH R I S T MA S CA RO L
A
1 25
partner bow and courtesy co ck s c re w thread the need l e and
back again to yo u r place
F e z z iwig c u t
cut so deftly
that he appeared to wink with his l egs
When the clock struck elev en this domestic bal l broke up
Mr and Mrs Fezziwig took their stations o ne o n either side
the door and S haking hands with e v ery person individually as
he o r s h e went o u t wished him or her a M erry Christmas
When everybody had retired but the two prentices t h ey did
the same to them ; and thus the chee rfu l voices died away
and the lads were l eft to their beds which were under a co u nter
in the back shop
A smal l matter said the G h ost to m ake these silly folks
H e has spent but a few p o unds of your
so full of gratit u de
m ortal m oney — three o r four perhaps Is that s o much that
”
?
he dese rves this praise
”
It is n t that said S cro o ge h eated by the r emark and
speaking unconscio u sly l ike his former not his l atter se l f
“
it is n t that S pirit He h as the power to render us h appy o r
unhappy ; to make o u r service l ight o r burdensome a p l easure
or a t o i l S ay that his power lies in words and l ooks ; in things
so s l ight and insignificant that it is impossible to add and count
em u p : what then ? The h appiness he gives is q u ite as great
as i f it co st a fortune
He fe l t the S pirit s gl an c e and sto pped
”
?
What is the matter
Nothing pa rticu l ar
”
S omething I think ?
No no I s ho u l d l ike to be able to say a w o rd o r t wo to
m y clerk just n o w That s all
”
”
My time grows short observed the S pirit
Quick !
This was not addressed to S crooge o r to any one whom he
cou l d s e e but it produced an immediate e ffect For again he
s aw himself
He was older no w ; a man in the pr im e o f li fe
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
1 26
He w as n o t alo ne but sat by t h e s i de o f a fair y ou ng gi r l in
a black dress in wh o se eyes there w ere tears
”
It m atters l itt l e s h e said soft ly to S cro oge s forme r se l f
To you very little An o ther id ol has disp l aced m e ; and if it
c an comfort you in time to co m e as I wo ul d h ave tri ed t o do
”
I h ave no j ust ca u se t o grieve
”
What Id ol has disp l aced you ?
A go l den one Yo u fear t h e w o r l d too m uch I have seen
your n o b l e r aspirat i ons fall o ff o n e by o n e until the m aster
”
passion Gain engr o sses you Have I not ?
What t h en ? E ven i f I have gr o wn s o m uch w is er what
then ? I a m n o t ch anged towards yo u Have I eve r s ough t
”
release fr o m o u r engage m ent ?
”
I n wo rds n o Never
In w h at then ?
In a changed nature in an al tered sp i rit ; i n an o t h er at m os
h
re o f l ife ; an o ther Hope as i ts great end
I
f
yo
u
w
ere
free
e
p
t o-day to-m orrow yesterday can even I be l ieve that yo u w ou l d
choose a dowerl ess gir l ; o r choosing her d o I not kn ow th at
y ou r repentance and regret w ou l d s u rely follow ? I do ; and I
rel ease y ou W i t h a fu ll heart f or the l ove of hi m yo u o n c e
”
w ere
S pi rit ! re mo ve me from th is p l a c e
I to l d yo u these w ere s h ad o ws o f the things that have been
said the G ho st
That they are w hat they are do not b l am e
me !
R e m ove m e ! S crooge ex cl ai m ed
I cannot bear it !
”
Leave me ! Take me back Haunt m e no l onger !
As he struggled with the S pirit he w as conscious of being
exhausted and overcome by an irresistible drowsiness ; and fu r
ther o f being i n his own bedroom He had bare ly time to ree l
to bed before he sank into a heavy s l eep
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
1 28
A tremendous family to pro v ide fo r ! S pirit conduct m e
wh ere you will I went forth last night o n comp ul sion and I
l earnt a lesson which is working no w To—night if y ou h ave
aught to teach me l et m e profit by i t
Touch m y robe
S crooge did as he was told and held i t fast
The roo m and its contents al l vanished instant ly and they
st o od in the city streets upon a snowy Christmas m orning
S cro oge and the Ghost passed on in v isib l e straight to
S crooge s clerk s ; and o n the threshold o f the door the S pirit
smiled and stopped to bless Bob C ratch it s dwelling with the
sprinklings o f his torch Think o f that ! Bob had but fifteen
1
Bob
a week himself he pocketed o n S aturdays but fifteen
copies o f his Christian name ; and yet the Ghost o f Christmas
Present b l essed his four-roomed house !
Then up rose M rs Cratchit C ratchit s wife dressed o u t but
poor ly in a twice-turned gown but brav e in ribbons which are
cheap and make a goodly sho w for S ixpence ; and sh e l aid the
cl oth assisted by Belinda Cr atchit se c ond O f her daughters
also brave i n ribbons ; while Master P eter Cratchit plunged a
fork into the saucepan o f potatoes and getting the corners of
his monstrous shirt-collar ( Bob s pri v ate property conferred
upon his s o n and heir in honor of the day) into his mouth
rej oi c ed to find himself so gallantly attired and yearned to
show his linen in the fashionable Parks And now two smaller
C ratc hits boy and girl came tearing in scream ing that outside
the baker s they had smelt the goose and known it for their
basking in luxurious thoughts o f sage and onion
o wn ; and
these young C ratchits danced about the table an d exalted
Master Peter Cratchit to the skies w hil e he ( not proud al
though his c o llars n e arly choked hi m) b l e w the fire unti l the
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S h illin
g
s
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tf
—
AND
IN C A M E L I TT L E
B OB
1
S H O RT S T O R I E S
0
3
Ma rth a d i d n t li ke to see h i m disappointed i f i t w ere o n ly
i n j o ke ; so she came o u t prematurely from behind the cl oset
door and ran into his ar m s whi l e the two young C ratchits
h u stled Tiny Tim and bore him o ff into the wash -h ou se that
he might hear the p u dding s inging in the copper
“
”
And how did l ittl e Tim beha v e ? asked Mrs Cratchit
when s h e had rallied Bob o n his credulity and Bo b had hugged
his daughter to his heart s content
“
”
As g o od as gold said Bob
and better S omeho w h e
gets thoughtfu l sitting by himse l f s o much and thinks the
strangest things you ever heard H e told me coming home
that he hoped the people s aw him in the church be c ause he
was a cripple and it might be pleasant to the m to remember
up o n Christ m as day wh o made l am e beggars walk and blind
”
men se e
Bob s voi c e was tremulous when he told them this and
tre m b l ed more when he said that Tiny Tim was growing
strong an d hearty
His active littl e crutch was heard upon the floor and back
came Tiny Tim before another word w as spoken escorted by
his brother and S ister to his stool beside the fire ; and while
Bob turning up his cuffs
as if poor fe l low they were capa
ble o f being made more shabby — compounded some hot mix
ture in a j ug with gin and l emons and stirred it round and
round and put it o n the hob to simmer Master Peter and the
two ubiquitous young C ratch its went to fetch the goose with
1
which they soon returned in h igh procession
Mrs Cratchit made the gravy ( ready beforehand in a little
saucepan) hissing hot ; Master Peter mashed the potatoes wit h
in credible vigo r ; Miss Be l inda sweetened up the apple-sauce ;
Martha dusted the hot p l ates ; Bob took Tiny Tim beside him
in a tiny corn er at the table ; the two yo u ng C ratchi ts s e t chairs
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Th e
g
oose
h ad b e e n
coo
k
ed
’
i n th e b ak e r s
ov e n ,
fo r
e conom
y
.
A C H R I S T MA S CA RO L
1
3
I
for eve rybody not forgetting themse l ves and m ounting guard
upon their posts c ra mm ed spoons into their mouths lest they
shou l d shriek for goose before their turn came to be helped
At l ast the dishes were s e t o n and grace was said I t was s uc
c e e de d by a breathless pause as Mrs Cratchit looking slowly
al l al ong the c arving knife prepared to plunge it in the breast ;
but when S he did and when the long-expected gu sh o f stu ffing
iss u ed forth o n e murmur o f delight arose al l round the board
and even Tiny Tim excited by the two young C ratchits beat
and feeb ly c ried
o n the table with the handle o f his knife
Hurrah !
There never was such a goose Bob said he did n t believe
there ever was such a goose c ooked Its tenderness and flav or
size and cheapness were the themes o f universal admiration
Eked o u t by app l e-sauce and m ashed potatoes it was a s u ffi
cient dinner for the who l e family ; indeed as Mrs Cratchit
said w ith great del ight ( surveying one small atom o f a b o ne
u pon the dish) they had n t ate it all at l ast ! Yet ev e ry on e
had had eno u gh and the youngest C ratch its in particu l ar were
steeped in sage and onion to the eyebrows But now the plates
being c hanged by Miss Belinda Mrs Cratchit left the room
alone
too nervous t o bear witnesses
to take the pudding
u p and bring it in
S uppose it should not be done enough ! S uppose it shou l d
break in turning out ! S uppose somebody shou l d have got
o v er the wall o f the back yard and stolen it w hi l e they were
merry with the goose
a supposition at which the two young
C ratch its be c ame l ivid ! Al l sorts o f horrors were supposed
H all o ! A gr eat dea l of steam ! The p u dding was o u t o f
the C o pper A smell l ike a w ashing-day ! That was the c lo th
A smell like an eating-house and a pastry-c o ok s next door to
each other with a laundress s next door to that ! That was
the p u dd i ng ! In h alf a min u te M rs Cratc hit entered
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
32
flushed but smil ing proudly
with the pudding l ike a spe ck l ed
cann o n-ba ll s o hard and firm blaz m g in half of half a quartern
of ignited brandy and bedight with Christmas holly st uck i nt o
the top
O a wo nderfu l pudding ! Bob Cratchit said and calmly
too that he regarded it as the greatest success achieved by
Mrs Crat ch it since their marriage Mrs Cratchit said that
now the weight w as Off her mind she would confess she had
h ad her d o ubts about the quantity Of flour Ev erybody had
something to s ay about it but nob o dy said o r tho u ght it was
at a ll a s m al l pudding for a l arge family Any Cratchit w ou l d
h ave b lushed to hint at such a thing
At l ast t h e dinner was all done the cl oth was cleared the
h ea rt h swept and the fire made up The compound in the
jug being tasted and considered perfect app l es and oran ge s
were put u pon the tab l e and a shovel ful o f chestnuts on
t h e fire
Then al l the Cratchit family drew r o und the hearth in wh at
B o b Cratchit called a circle and at Bob C ratch it s e l bo w stood
—
the fami ly display of glass
two tumblers and a c ustard cup
with ou t a hand l e
These h eld the hot stuff fro m the j ug however as w e ll as
go l den gob l ets would have done ; and Bob served it o u t with
beaming looks while the chestnuts on the fire sputtered and
crack l ed noisily Then Bob proposed
A M er ry Christmas to us al l m y dears God b l ess u s
Which al l the fami ly re-e choed
G o d b l ess u s every o n e ! said Tiny Ti m the l ast of al l
He s at very close to his father s side upon his litt l e stoo l
B o b h e l d his withered littl e hand in his as if he l oved the chi l d
and w is h ed to keep hi m by his side and dreaded t h at h e m ight
be taken fr om h im
S crooge raised his h ead speedily on hearing his own na m e
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
34
worked at a stretch and h o w s h e meant to lie abed to
morrow morning for a good l ong rest ; to—morrow being a holi
day s h e passed at home Also how s h e had seen a countess and
a lord some days before and h ow the l ord was much about as
tall as Peter
at which Peter pulled up his collars so high that
you could n t have seen his head if you had been there All this
time the chestnuts and the j ug went round and round ; and by
and by they had a song about a lost child travelling in th e snow
from Tiny Tim wh o had a plaintive l ittle voice and sang it very
w ell indeed
There w as nothing o f high mark in this They wer e not a
handsome family ; they were not wel l dressed ; their shoes were
far from being water-proof their clothes w ere scanty ; and
Peter might have known and very likely did the inside o f a
pawnbroker s But they were happy grateful p l eased with o n e
another and contented with the time ; and when they faded
and l ooked happier yet in the bright sprink l ings o f the S pirit s
torch at parting S crooge had his eye upon them and especially
o n Tiny Ti m u ntil the l ast
It was a great surprise to S crooge as this scene vanished to
hear a hearty laugh It was a much greater surprise to S crooge
to recognize it as his o wn nephew s and to find himself in a
b ri ght dry gl eaming room with the S pirit standing smi l ing by
his side and looking at that same nephew
It is a fair even-handed nob l e adj ustment o f things that
while there is infection in disease and sorrow there is nothing
in the world so irresistibly contagious as l aughter and good
humor When S crooge s nephew laughed S crooge s niece by
m arriage l aughed as heartily as he And their assemb l ed friends
being not a bit behindhand laughed out lustily
H e said that Christmas w as a humbug as I li ve ! c ri ed
”
H e be l ieve d it to o !
S c rooge s nephew
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A C HR I S T M AS
CA RO L
1
35
More sham e for him Fred ! said S crooge s niece in dig
Bless those women ! they never do anything by ha lves
nan tly
They are al ways in earnest
S he was very pretty exceedingly pretty With a dimp l ed
surprised-looking capita l face ; a ripe l itt l e mouth that seemed
made to be kissed — as no doubt it was ; al l kinds o f good
little dots about her chin that melted into o n e another when sh e
laughed and the sunniest pair o f eyes yo u e v er saw in any l ittle
creature s head Altogether s h e was what you would have called
pro v oking but satisfacto ry too O perfectly satisfactory !
”
He s a comica l old fellow said S crooge s nephew that s
the truth ; and not s o pleasant as he might be However his
o ffences carry their o wn punishment and I have noth ing to s ay
against him Who suffers by his ill whims ? H imself always
H ere he tak es it into his head to dislike u s and he won t come
and dine with u s What s the consequence ? H e don t l ose
much o f a dinner
Indeed I think he l oses a very good dinner interru pted
S crooge s niece Eve rybody else said the same and they must
be allowed to have been competent j udges because they had
j ust had dinner ; and with the dessert upon the table w ere
clustered ro u nd th e fire by lamplight
We l l I am very glad to hear it said S crooge s nephew be
cause I hav e n t any great faith in these young housekeepers
What do you s ay Topper
Topper clearly had his eye on one of Scrooge s niece s s is
ters fo r he answered that a bachelor was a w re tc h e d outcast
who had n o right to express an opinion o n the subj ect Whereat
S crooge s niece s sister —the plump o n e with the lace tucker
not the o n e with the roses
blushed
After tea they had some music For they were a musical
family and knew w h at they were about w hen they sung a Glee
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
36
Cat ch I c an assu re yo u — especially Topper wh o c ould
grow! a w ay in the bass l ike a good one and never swe ll the
l arge veins i n his forehead o r get red in the fa c e over it
B u t they did n t devote the whole evening to music After a
whi l e they p l ayed at forfeits for it is good to be children some
times and never better than at Christmas wh en its m ighty
Founder was a chi l d himse l f There was first a game at blind
man s-bu ff though And I no more be l ieve Topper was real l y
blinded than I believe h e had eyes in h is boots Be c ause the
w ay in w hich he w ent after that plump sister in the l ace tucker
w as an o u trage on th e credu l ity o f h um an nature Knocking
down the fi re-irons tum bling o v er the chairs bu m ping up
against the p i ano s mo thering him se l f among the curtains
w herever sh e w ent th ere w ent he ! H e al ways knew w here
the p l u m p s i ster was H e w ou l d n t c atch anybody e l se If yo u
h ad fallen up against him as s o me o f th em did and stood th ere
h e would have m ade a feint o f endeavoring to seize you w hich
w ould have been an affront to your understanding and w ou l d
in stantly have sidled o ff in t h e direction of the p l ump sister
”
Here is a new game said S crooge
O ne hal f-hour S pi rit
on ly o n e !
It w as a Game cal led Y es and No w here S crooge s nephew
had to think of something and the rest must find o u t what ; he
on ly answering to their questions yes o r no as the case w as
The fire o f questioning to which he was exposed elicited from
him that h e w as thinking o f an animal a live anima l rather a
disagreeab l e animal a savage animal an animal that growled
and grunted sometimes and talked sometimes and l ived in
London and walked about the streets and was n t made a S how
of and was n t l ed by anybody and did n t l ive in a m enagerie
and w as never ki l led in a m arket and was not a horse or an
ass o r a c ow or a bull o r a tiger o r a dog o r a pig or a cat
o r a bear At every ne w q u estion put to him this nephew b u rst
or
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
38
S TA V E F O U R
TH E
LA S T
O F TH E S
P I R IT S
The Phantom slowly grav ely s ilently approached When it
came near him S crooge bent down upon h is knee ; for in the
air through which this S pirit moved it seemed to scatter gloom
and mystery
I t w as S hrouded in a deep b lack garment which concealed
its head its face its form and left nothing o f it visible save o n e
outstretched hand H e knew no more for the S pirit neither
spoke nor moved
I a m in the presence o f the Ghost o f Christmas Yet To
Come ? Ghost o f the Future ! I fear you more than any
spectre I have seen But as I know your purpose is to do
m e good and as I hope to liv e to be another man f rom what I
was I am prepared to bear you company and do it with a
”
?
thankfu l heart Will yo u not speak to me
It gave him no reply The hand was pointed straight before
them
“
Lead o n ! Lead o n ! The night is waning fast and it is
”
precious time to me I know Lead o n S pirit !
They scarce ly seemed to enter the city ; for the city rather
seemed to spring up about them But there they were in the
heart o f it ; o n Change amongst the merchants
The S pirit stopped beside o n e little k not of business men
O bserving that the hand was pointed to them S crooge advanced
to listen to their talk
No said a great fat man with a monstrous ch in I don t
know muc h about it either way I o nly know he s dead
”
When did he die ? inquired another
”
Last night I believe
Why what w as the m atter wit h h im I thought he dnever d i e
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CH R I S TMA S CA RO L
A
39
1
knows said the first with a yawn
”
?
as k e d a red What h as he done with his money
faced
gentl em an
I have n t heard said the man with the l arge chin
Co m
pany perhaps H e has n t l eft it to me That s a ll I know
By by
Scrooge w as at first i nclined to be surprised that the S pirit
should attach importance to conversation apparently s o triv ial ;
but feeling assured that it must hav e some hidden purpose he
It cou l d scarce ly
se t him s elf to consider what it was like l y to be
be supposed to have any bearing o n the death o f Jacob his o ld
partner for that was Past and this Ghost s provin c e was the
Future
H e l ooked about in that very p l ace fo r his own im age ; but
another man stood in his accustomed co m er and tho u gh the
clock pointed to his usual time o f day for be i ng there he saw
no l ikeness o f himself among the m ul titudes that poured in
through the Porch It gave h i m l ittle surprise h owever ; for h e
h ad been revo lving in his mind a change o f life and he tho ught
and hoped he s aw his new -born resolutions carried o u t in this
They l eft this busy scene and w ent into an obscure pa rt o f
the to wn t o a lo w shop where i ron Ol d rags bott l es bones
and greasy o ffa l were bought A gray-haired rascal of great
age sat sm o king his pipe
S crooge and the Phantom cam e into the presence o f this m an
just as a woman w ith a heavy bund l e slunk into the shop But
s h e had scarce l y entered when another woman similarl y l aden
came in too ; and sh e was cl ose ly followed by a man i n faded
b l ack After a short period o f b l ank astonishment in which the
o l d man wit h the pipe h ad j oined the m t h ey al l t h ree b u rst into
a laugh
”
Let the charwoman alone to be the first ! cried s h e wh o
h ad entered first
Let the laundress a l one to be the second ;
G od
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
1 40
and l et t h e u nde rtake r s man a lo ne to be th e third L oo k h e r e
old J o e h ere s a chan ce ! If w e h ave n t a ll t hree m et h e r e
w i thout m ean ing it
Yo u c ou l d n t have m et i n better p l ace Yo u w ere m ade
free of it l ong ago you know ; and t h e o t h er two ain t strangers
”
?
?
What have yo u got to se l l W h at h ave yo u go t to se ll
”
Hal f a m in ute s patience Joe and yo u shal l s e e
What o dds then ! What o dds Mrs Di l ber
said the
wo m an
Eve ry person has a right to take c are o f th emsel ves
H e al ways did ! Who s the wo rse fo r the l oss of a fe w things
”
l ike these ? N o t a dead m an I supp o se
Mrs Dilber w hose manner was re m arkab l e for general
”
N O i ndeed m a a m
p ropitiat ion sai d
If he wanted t o keep em afte r he was dead a w icked Old
If he had been
s c re w why was n t h e nat u ra l i n his l ifetime ?
h e d h ave had someb o dy to l ook afte r h i m when he was struck
wi t h Deat h instead o f l y i ng gasp i ng ou t h is l ast t h e re a l one
”
by himsel f
It s the tr u est wo rd that ever w as sp o ke ; it s a j udg m ent
”
on h i m
I w is h it was a l ittl e heavier j udg m ent and it sh o uld have
been y ou m ay depend upon it if I c o uld have l aid my h ands
o n anything else
O pen that bund l e old J o e and let me know
the val ue of it S peak out p l ain I m not afr ai d t o be the first
”
nor afraid for the m to s e e it
J o e w ent d o wn o n his knees for the greate r c onvenience o f
O pening the bund l e and dragged o ut a l arge and heavy ro ll o f
s ome dark stu ff
What do yo u cal l this ? Bed-cu rtains
A h ! Bed -cu rtains ! Don t drop t h at oi l u p o n t h e b l ankets
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b l ankets
W ho se e l se s do you thi nk ? He i s n t l ike ly to take cold
H is
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
1 42
Past i t rather Peter answered shutting up h is book
B u t I think he h as walked a little s l ower than he used these
”
few l ast even i ngs mother
I have known him walk with — I have known him wal k
”
w ith Tiny Tim upon his shou l der ve ry fast indeed
”
”
And so hav e I cried Peter
O ften
And so have I excl aimed another S O had all
But he was very l ight to carry and his father loved him so
—
th at it was no trouble
no trouble And there is your father
”
at the door !
S he hurried o u t to m eet him and l ittl e Bob in h is comforter
he had need o f it poor fel l ow
came in His tea was ready
fo r him o n the hob and they all tried wh o shou l d he l p him to
i t most Then the tw o young C ratch its got upon his knees and
l aid each chi l d a l ittle cheek against his face as if they said
Don t mind it father Don t be grieved l
Bob was very cheerfu l w ith them and spoke p l easantl y to al l
the fami ly H e l ooked at the w ork upon the table and praised
the industry and speed o f Mrs Cratchit and the girls They
w ould be d o ne lo ng before S unday he said
”
S unday ! Yo u went to day then R obert ?
”
Ye s my dear
returned Bob
I wis h you coul d have
gone It w o ul d have done you good to see how gr een a
p l ace it is B u t you ll se e it often I pr o mised hi m that I
wou l d walk there on a Su nday My l itt l e l ittl e chi l d ! My l ittl e
”
chi l d !
H e broke down al l at once He could n t help it If h e c ou l d
have helped it he and the chil d w o u ld have been farth e r apart
perhaps than they were
”
S pe c tre said S crooge something informs m e that our
parting moment is at hand I know it but I know not h o w
Tel l me what man that was with the c o vered face w hom we
”
saw ly ing dead ?
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A CH R I S T MA S
C
A RO L
1 43
The Ghost of Christmas Y et To Come conveyed him to a
dismal wretched ruinous churchyard
The S pirit stood among the graves and pointed down to O ne
Before I draw nearer to that stone to which you point
answer me o n e question Are these the shadows o f the things
that Will be o r are they shadows o f the th ings that May be
only
S till the Ghost pointed downward to the grav e by which it stood
Men s courses will foreshadow certain ends to which if
persevered in they must lead But if the courses be departed
from the ends will change S ay it i s t h us wi t h wh at yo u
show me !
The S pirit was immovab l e as ever
S crooge crept towards it trembling as h e went ; and fo ll o w
ing the finger read upon the stone O f the negl ected grave his
EB ENE ZE R S CROO GE
o wn name
A m I that man who l ay upon the bed ? No S pirit ! O no
no S pirit hear m e ! I a m not the man I was I wil l not be the
man I must have been but for this intercourse Why show me
this if I am past all hope ? Assure me that I yet m ay change
”
these shadows you h ave s ho wn me by an a l tered l ife
For the first time the kind hand faltered
I w i ll honor Christmas in my h eart and try t o keep it all
th e year I wil l l ive in the Past the Present and the Future
The S pirits of all three shal l stri v e within me I wil l not shut
o u t the l ess o ns that they teach
O tel l me I may s ponge away
the writing o n this stone
Holding up his hands in o n e l ast prayer to hav e his fate
reversed he saw an alteration in the Phanto m s hood and dress
It shrunk collapsed and dw i nd l ed down int o a bedpost
Yes and the bedp o st was his o w n The bed was his o wn
the room was his o wn Best and happiest o f a l l the Time befo re
h i m was hi s o wn t o m ake a m ends i n !
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
1 44
He was checked in his transports by the ch u rches ri nging o u t
t h e lu stiest peals h e had e v er heard
R unning to the window he opened it and put out his
head No fog no m ist no night ; c l ear bright sti rring go l den
day !
What s to —day
cried S crooge calling downward to a
b oy in S unday c l othes who perhaps h ad loi tered i n t o lo ok
about h im
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Eh ?
What s to day my fine fel low
T O-day ! Why C HRI S T M A S DAY
It s Christ m as day ! I h ave n t missed it Hall o my fine
”
fe llow !
Hallo
D O you kno w the Po ul terer s in the next street b u t o n e at
the corner ?
I S hould hope I did
An intelligent boy ! A re m arkable boy ! Do yo u kno w
whether they v e sold the prize Turkey that was hanging up
”
there ? N o t the littl e prize Turkey
the big one ?
”
?
What the o n e as big as m e
What a delightf ul b oy It s a p l eas ur e t o tal k t o him Yes
my buck
I t s h anging there n o w
”
I s it ? Go and buy it
1
Walk ER
exclaimed the boy
N O no I am in earnest
Go and buy it and tell em to
bring i t here that I may giv e them the direction where to take
it Come back with the man and I 11 gi v e yo u a shill ing
Come back with him in l ess than five m inutes and I ll gi ve
”
you half a crown !
The boy was O ff like a shot
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1
Walk e r !
”
or
H oo
k y W lk
e
a
er
!
m e an s
Wh
y!
at a s t o r
”
S H O RT S T O R I E S
1 46
Let hi m in ! It is a mercy he did n t shake his arm o ff He
Nothing c o uld be heartier His
was at home in fi v e minutes
nie c e l ooked j ust the same S O did Topper when b e came S o
did the p l ump siste r w hen s li c came S o did every o n e when
tb ey came
Wonderfu l party w onderfu l games w onderfu l
unanimity won—der-ful happiness !
But he was early at the o ffice next morning O he was early
there ! I f he could only be there first and catch Bob Cratchit
com ing late ! That was the thing he had set his heart upon
And he did it The clock struck nine No Bob A quarter
past No Bo b Bob was full eighteen minutes and a hal f b e
hind his time S crooge s at with his doo r w ide open that he
might s ee him come into the Tank
Bob s hat was o ff before he opened the door ; his comforter
t o o H e was on his stoo l i n a j i ffy ; driving away with his pen
as if he were t rying to overtake nine o clock
”
Hallo ! growled S crooge in his accustomed voice as near
as he could feign it
What do yo u m ean by coming h ere at
”
?
this time o f day
I a m very sorry s ir I a m behind my time
Yo u are ? Yes I think you are S tep this way if yo u
”
p l ease
It s o nly once a year s ir It shall not be repeated I was
making rather m erry yesterday s ir
“
Now I ll tel l yo u what my friend I am not going to
stand this sort of thin g any longer And therefore S crooge
continued leaping from his stool and giv ing Bob such a dig in
the wai s tcoat that he staggered back into the Tank again
”
and therefore I am about to raise your salary !
Bob tremb l ed and got a little nearer to the ru ler
”
A merry Christmas Bob ! said S crooge with an earnest
ness that could not be mistaken as he clapped him o n the back
A merrier Christmas Bob my good fellow than I have given
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A CH R I S TMA S CA RO L
1 47
you for many a year ! I l l raise your sal ary and endeavor to
assist your struggling family and we will discu s s your affairs
this very afternoon o v er a Christmas bowl of smo k ing bishop
Bob ! Make up the fires and buy a second coal scuttl e before
you dot another i Bob Cratchit
S crooge was better than his word H e did i t all and infinitely
more ; and to Tiny Ti m wh o did N OT die he was a second
father H e became as good a friend as good a master and as
good a man as the good o ld city knew o r any other good old
c ity town o r borough in the good old worl d S ome people
l au ghed to s ee the al teration in him but his o wn heart laughed
and that was quite enough for him
He had n o further intercourse with spirits but l ived in that
respect upon the tota l-abstin e nce principle ever afterw ard ; and
it was a l ways said o f him that he knew how to keep Christmas
wel l if any m an aliv e p o ssessed the know l edge May that be
tru l y said o f u s and al l of u s ! And so as Tiny Tim O bserved
God bless us e v ery o n e
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V I
T H E G REAT S TO N E FA CE
.
BY
1
1
8
5
0
(
)
N ATHANIE L H AWTH O RNE ( 1 8 0 4— 1 8 6 4)
The Profile Mountain a huge w ork of Nature in
”
her mood of maj estic playfulness seems to have given the
suggestion The Profile Mountain is a part of Cannon Moun
tain which is o n e o f the White Mountains of N e w Hampshire
But the l arger background is to be sought in the interp l ay o f
the spiritual and physical forces whic h Hawt h o rne has here
staged in allegory The m ountain is the symbo l o f a l ofty ideal
that b l esses those that follow its beckoning and m arks the
degree o f failure o f those that slight o r ign o re it
Plot The plan o f the sto ry is as simp l e and beautifu l as the
”
teaching is profound and h elpful
M r H awthorne writes
Mrs Hawthorne says he is rather ashamed o f the mechanical
”
structure o f the story the moral being so plain and m anifest
”
But what is the plain and manifest moral that the struct u re
o f the story i s de s igned to bring o u t ?
O ne interpreter says
That the l ast S hal l be first
another That success is not
”
to be measured by human standards
The centra l thought
seems to me to be l arger than either o f these and to include
both It is rather the assimilati v e power of a l ofty ideal and is
best phrased in 2 Corinthians iii 1 8 : But w e al l with open
face beholding as in a glass the glory o f the Lord are changed
into the same image from glo ry to glory
By setting his ideal
high and by loo k ing and longing E rnest grew daily in S piritual
s tature and w as saved from being the victim o f the popular and
etti ng
S
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1
p
F
ro
m
“
e rm i s s io n
C o m p an y
,
p
Im g
by p
i l
f H w th
Th e S n ow
o f,
an d
u b lis h e rs o
a
s
e , an d
ec a
a
O th e r
o rn e s
1 48
ce
g m
W k
arran
’
Twi -T
e
e nt
or
s
.
Tl
H gh t
o ld
w it h ,
a es
ou
.
U s e d by
on
M iffi in
I
S H OR T S T O R I E S
0
5
Embosomed am o ngst a fami ly o f l ofty m ountains there was
a vall ey so spacious that it contained many thousand inhabit
ants Som e o f these good peop l e dwe l t in lo g hu ts w ith the
b l a ck f o rest a ll ar ou nd t h e m on t h e steep and diffi c u l t h il l
sides O thers h ad thei r h o m es in co m fortab l e far m-h o u ses
and cu l tivated th e r ich soi l o n the gent l e l p es o r l eve l s u r
faces o f the val l ey O th ers again were co n gregated into
popu l o u s vi ll ages wh ere some w ild h igh l and rivu l et tumb l ing
do w n fro m i ts birt h p l a c e in the u ppe r m ou ntain region had
been c aught and tam ed by h u m an cu nning and c o mpe lled t o
turn t h e m achinery o f cotton factories T h e i n h abitants o f
this vall ey i n short w ere n um er ou s and o f m any mo des of life
But all of them gr o wn people and chi l dren h ad a kind o f
fa mil iarity with the Great S tone Face al thou gh some possessed
the gift o f distinguishing t h is grand natural phenomenon m ore
perfe c tl y than many o f their neighbors
The G r eat S tone Face then was a work of Nat u re i n h e r
m ood o f m aj estic playfu l ness form ed o n the perpendi cu lar
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side o f the mountain by some immense rocks which had been
thrown together i n s uch a position as when viewed at a pro per
distance precisely to rese m ble the features O f the human co u n
It seemed as i f an enormo u s giant o r a Titan h ad
t en an ce
sculptured h is o wn l ikeness o n the precipice There was the
broad arch o f the forehead a hundred feet in height ; the nose
with its long bridge ; and t h e vast l ips w hich if they co ul d
have spoken would h ave ro lled their thunder accents fro m one
end o f the valley to the other Tru e it is that if the spectator
approached too near he lost t h e outline o f the giganti c visage
and c ould discern on lya heap of ponder o u s and gigantic rocks
pi l ed in chaotic ru in one upon another R etra c ing h is steps
h owever the wondro u s features w o ul d again be seen ; and th e
farther h e withdre w from them the m ore l ike a h uman face
w ith all i ts original divinity intact did they appear ; u ntil as it
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T H E G RE AT S T O N E FAC E
1
51
rew
dim
in
the
distance
with
the
clouds
and
g
l
orified
vapor
g
the Great S tone Face
o f the m ountains c l ustering abo u t it
see m ed p o sitively to be al ive
It w as a happy l ot for chi l dren t o gr ow up t o m an ho od o r
w omanhood with the Great S tone Face before their eyes fo r
al l the feat u res w ere noble and the expression was at once
grand and sweet as if it were the glow o f a vast warm heart
that embra c ed al l m ankind in its affections and had room fo r
more It was an education on l y to l ook at it Ac c ording to
th e belief of many peop l e t h e va ll ey owed much o f its fertility
to this benign aspect that was c ontin u a ll y bea m in g over it
ill uminating the c l o u ds and infusing its tenderness int o the
s unshine
As we began wit h say in g a m oth er and her l ittl e boy s at
do o r gazing at the Great S tone Face and
at their cottagetalking abo ut it The child s name was E rnest
”
Mother said he while the Titanic visage smiled o n h im
I wish that it could speak for it looks so ve ry kindly that its
voice must needs be p l easant If I were to see a man with
”
s u ch a fa c e I should lo v e hi m dear ly
If an o ld prophecy shou l d com e to pass answered his
mother we m ay see a m an s om e ti m e or other with exactly
”
s u ch a face as that
“
”
?
What prophecy do you m ean dear mother
eagerly
”
inquired E rnest
Pray tel l m e all abo u t it !
S o his mother told him a sto ry that he r o wn m o ther had
told to her when she herself w as younger than l itt l e E rnest ;
a story n o t o f things that were past but O f what was yet to
come ; a sto ry neverthel ess so very Ol d that even the Indians
who fo rmerly inhabited this valley had heard it from thei r
forefathers to whom as they affi rmed it had been murm ured
by the mountain streams and whispered by the wind a m ong
the treetops The purport was that at s om e fut u re day a
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1
S H O RT S T O R I E S
52
child sh o ul d be born hereab o uts
,
wh o
w as desti ned t o be com e
the greatest and noblest personage o f his time and whose
co u ntenance in manhood shoul d bear an exact rese m b l ance
t o the Great S tone Face Not a few o ld-fashioned people and
young o nes l ikewise in the ardor o f their hopes still cherished
an enduring faith in this o ld prophecy But others who had
seen m ore of the world had watched and waited til l th ey w ere
weary and h ad be h eld no m an with such a face no r any m an
that proved to be much gre ater o r nobler than h is neighbors
c on cl uded i t to be nothing but an id l e tal e At all eve n ts the
great man o f the pro phe cy had not yet appeared
”
O m oth er dea r m other ! c ried E rnest cl apping h is hands
”
?
above h is h ead I do h ope that I shall l ive to see h im
His m o t h er w as an affe c ti o nate and thoughtfu l wo m an and
fe l t that it was wisest not to discourage the generous hopes o f
”
h er l ittl e boy S O s h e only said to him Perhaps you may
And E rnest ne v er forgot the story that his mother to l d him
I t w as a l ways in his mind whenever h e l ooked upon the Great
S to ne Face H e spent his childhood in the l og cottage where
h e was born and was dutifu l to his m other and helpfu l to he r
in m any things assisting h er much with his l ittle hands and
mo re w ith his l oving heart In this m anner fro m a happy yet
o ften pensive child he grew up to be a m ild quiet u nobt ru sive
boy and s u nb ro wn e d with l abor i n the fields but w ith more
inte ll igen c e brightening his aspect than is seen in many lads
wh o h ave been taught at fam ous schoo l s Yet E rnest had had
no teacher save on ly that the Great S tone Fa c e became one to
him When the toi l o f the day was over h e w o u ld gaz e at it
for hours unti l h e began to imagine that th o se vast features
re cogniz ed hi m and gave h i m a smile o f kindness and en c o u r
We must
agem en t responsi v e to his o w n look o f veneration
n o t take upon us to a ffi rm that this w as a mistake although
th e Fa c e m ay ha v e looked no m ore kindly at Ernest t h an at all
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1
S H O RT ST O R I E S
54
Mr G ath e rgo ld h ad become so very rich that i t w o ul d h ave
taken hi m a hundred years only to count his w ealth he be
th o ught himse l f o f his native valley and resolved to go back
thither and end his days where he was born With this
purpose in view he sent a skilfu l architect to build him
such a pal ace as should be fit for a m an o f his vast wealth
to live in
As I h av e said above it had already been rumored in the
v a ll ey that Mr G ath e rgo ld had turned o u t to be the prophetic
personage so l ong and v ainly looked for and that his v isage
was the perfect and undeniable similitude o f the Great S tone
Face Peop l e were the more ready to belie v e that this must
needs be the fact when they beheld the splendid edifice that
rose as if by enchantment o n the site o f his father s old
w eather beaten farm house The exterior was of marble so
dazzlingl y white that it seemed as though the w ho l e stru cture
m ight melt away in the s u nshine l ike those humbler ones
h
r
o
l
d
n
his
y
o
ung
play
days
before
his
fingers
a
t
e
which Mr G
i
g
were gifted with the touch of transmutation had been accus
I t h ad a rich ly ornamented portico
to m e d to build o f sno w
supported by tall pillars beneath which w as a l ofty door
studded with si l ver knobs and made of a kind o f variegated
wood that had been brought from beyond the s e a The win
dows from the floor to the ceiling of each stately apartment
were composed respecti v ely O f but o n e enormous pane of
glass so transparently pure that it w as said to be a finer
mediu m than even the vacant atmosphere Hardly anybody
had been per m itted to s e e the interior O f this palace ; but it
w as reported an d with good semb l ance of truth to be far
more gorgeous than the outside insomuch that whate v er was
iron o r brass in other houses was S il v er or gold in this ; and
Mr G ath e rgo ld s bedchamber especially made such a glitter
ing appearance that no ordinary man would have been ab l e to
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TH E
G RE AT S T O N E FA C E
1
55
c l ose h is eyes there But on the other hand Mr G ath e rgo ld
was n o w so inured to wea l th that perhaps he could not have
cl osed his eyes un l ess where the glea m o f it was certain t o
find its way beneath his eyelids
In due time the mansion was finished ; next came the u ph o l
s te re rs w ith magnificent furniture ; then a whole troop o f black
and white servants the h arbingers o f Mr G ath e rgold wh o in
h i s o wn m ajestic pers o n was expected to arrive at sunset O ur
friend E rnest meanwhile had been deep ly stirred by the idea
that the great man the nob l e man the man o f prophecy after
so many ages o f de l ay was at lengt h to be made m anifest to
h is native valley H e knew boy as he was that there were
a th o usand ways in w hich M r G ath e rgo ld with his vast wealth
m ight transfor m hi m se l f int o an ange l o f b ene fi c e n c e and
assume a contr ol o ver human affairs as wide and benignant as
the smile o f the Great S tone Fa c e F ull o f faith and hope
E rnest doubted n o t that w h at t h e peop l e said was true and
t h at now h e w as to be h o l d the l iving l ikeness o f th o se wondrous
features o n t h e m o u ntain -side Whi l e the boy w as sti ll gazing
up t h e val l ey and fancying as h e alw ays did that the Great
S tone Face returned h is gaz e and l ooked kindly at h im the
ru mb l ing o f w h ee l s w as h eard appr o ach ing swiftly a long the
w inding road
“
”
Here h e c omes !
cried a gro u p O f people who were
assembled to witness the arrival
Here comes the great
Mr G ath e rgo ld
A carriage drawn by four h orses dashed round the turn o f
the road Within it thru st partly o u t of the window appeared
the physiognomy o f a li ttl e o ld man wit h a skin as yel l o w as if
n
h i s o w Midas h and had transmuted it He had a l ow forehead
smal l sharp eyes puckered about with innumerab l e wrinkles
and very thin lips whi ch he m ade still thinne r by pressing the m
f o r c ibly toget h e r
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1
S H OR T S T O R I E S
6
5
T h e very image of the Great S tone Fa c e !
shouted the
peop l e
S ure enough the O ld prophecy is true ; and here w e
have the great man come at l ast !
And w hat greatly perplexed E rnest they seemed a c t u ally to
bel ieve th at here was the likeness which they spoke o f By the
roadside there chanced to be an o ld beggar-wo m an and two
little beggar children stragglers fro m some far-O ff region wh o
as the carriage ro lled onward held o u t their hands and lifted
up their dolefu l voices most pite o us ly beseeching charity A
ye l low claw
the very same that had c l awed together so much
weal th
p o ked itse l f o u t o f the coach-window and dropt some
C opper coins u pon the ground ; s o that though the great man s
name seems to have been G ath e rgo ld he might j ust as suitab ly
h ave been nicknamed S catterCOpp e r S til l ne v ertheless with
an earnest shout and evidently with as much g oo d fait h as ever
the peop l e bel lowed
He is the v e ry image o f the Great S tone Face
B u t E rnest turned sadly fro m the wrink l ed shrewdness o f
that sordid visage and gazed up the valley where amid a
gathering m ist gilded by the l ast s u nbeams he cou l d still dis
tingu is h those g l orio u s features whi ch had impressed them
se l ves into his sou l Their aspe c t cheered him What did th e
benign l ips see m to s ay ?
H e w i ll c om e ! Fear n o t E rnest ; the man wil l come !
The years w ent o n and E rnest ceased to be a boy He had
grown to be a young man now H e attracted little notice from
the other inhabitants of the valley ; fo r they saw nothing
remarkab l e in his way of life save that when the l abor of the
day was over he still loved to go apart and gaze and meditate
upon the Great S tone Face A c cording to their idea o f the
matter it was a folly indeed but pardonable ina s much as
E rnest was industrious kind and neighborly and neglected no
d u ty fo r th e s ak e of i ndulging this id l e h abit T h ey knew no t
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1
S H O RT S T O R I E S
58
o f hard fighting had n o w become an i ll ustrious co mm ander
Whate v er he may be called in history he was known in camps
n
fi
e
ld
and o the batt l e
under the nickname o f O ld Blood and
Th under This w ar-worn veteran being now infirm wit h age
and w ounds and weary o f the turmoil o f a military l ife and o f
the ro l l o f th e dru m and the clangor o f the trumpet that had
so l ong been ri nging in his ears had l ate ly signified a purpose
o f returning to his native val l ey hoping to find repose where
h e rem embered to have l eft it The inhabitants his old neigh
bors and their grown -u p children were resol v ed to welcome the
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enowned warrior with a salute of canno n and a public dinner ;
and all the m ore enthusiastically it being a ffirmed that now at
l ast the l ikeness o f the Great S tone Face had actually appeared
—
o
f
An aid de camp
O ld Blood and Thunder trave ll ing through
th e valley w as said to have been struck w ith the resemb l ance
M o reover the schoo lmates and early a cqu aintances o f the general
w ere ready t o testify o n oath that to the be s t of their re co lle c
t ion the aforesaid general had been exceedingly l ike the m aj estic
i mage ev en when a boy on l y that the idea had nev er occurred
to them at that period Great t h erefore was the excitement
t h roughout the valley ; and many people wh o had never once
thought o f gl ancing at th e Great S tone Face for years before
no w spent their ti m e in gazing at it for the sake o f knowing
exactly how Genera l Blood and Thunder looked
O n the day o f the great festi v al E rnest with al l the o the r
pe o p l e o f the valley l eft their work and proceeded to the spot
where the sylv an banquet was prepared A S he approached
the lo ud voice o f the R e v D r B attle blas t was heard beseeching
a b l essing o n the good things s e t before them and on the dis
tin gu is h e d friend of peace in whose honor they were assemb l ed
The tab l es were arranged in a cleared space o f the woods shut
i n by the surrounding trees except wh ere a vista O pened east
w ard and affo rded a distant view of the Great S tone Face
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T H E G RE AT S T O N E FAC E
1
59
O v er the general s chair which was a relic from the h ome o f
Washington there w as an arch of verdant boughs with the
l aure l profuse ly intermixed and surmounted by his c ountry s
banner beneath which h e had won his victories O ur friend
E rnest raised himself o n his tiptoes in hopes t o get a glimpse
o f the ce l ebrated guest ; but there w as a mighty crowd about
the tables anxious to hear the toas ts and speeches and to catch
any word that might fall from th e general in reply and a volu m
teer company doing duty as a guard pricked ruthless ly with
their bayonets at any particu l arly quiet person among the throng
S o Ernest being of an unobtrusi v e character was thrust quite
into the ba ckground where h e could s e e no more o f O ld Blood
and—Thunder s physiognomy than if it had been stil l blazing on
the battle-fi eld To console himself he turned towards the
Great S tone Face which like a faithfu l and l ong-remembered
friend l ooked back and smiled upon him through the vista o f
the forest M eantime however he could overhear the remarks
o f various individuals w h o were comparing the features o f the
hero w ith the face o n the distant mountain-side
”
cried one man cutting
T is the same face to a hair !
a caper for j oy
”
“
Wonderfully like that s a fact !
responded anothe r
Like ! w hy I cal l it O ld Blood-and-Thunder himse l f in
“
”
a monstrous l ooking-gl ass !
cried a third
And why not ?
He s the greatest man o f this o r any other age beyond
”
a doub t
And then al l three o f the speakers ga v e a great shout which
c ommunicated electricity to the crowd and Called forth a roar
from a thousand voices that went reverberating for miles
a m ong the mountains unti l you might have supposed that the
Great S tone Face had poured its thunder-breath into the c ry
A ll these co m ments and this vast enthusiasm served the more
t o interest our friend ; nor did he think o f questioning that n ow
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
1 60
at l ength the m ountain-visage had found its human c ou nterpart
It is true E rnest had imagined that this l ong-l ooked-for person
age w ou l d appear in the character o f a man of peace uttering
wisdom and doing good and making people happy But tak ing
an habi tua l breadth o f V iew with all his simplicity he contended
that Providence should choose its own method o f b l essing man
kind and could conceive that this great end might be e ffected
e v en by a warrior and a bloody sword sho u ld ins c ru table
wisdom s e e fit to order m atters so
“
”
The general ! the general ! was now the cry
Hush !
”
sil ence ! O ld Blood and Thunder s going to make a speech
Even s o ; fo r the c l oth being remo v ed the general s health
had been drunk amid shouts o f app l ause and he n o w stood
u pon his feet to thank the company
E rnest s aw him There
he was over the shoulders o f the crowd from the two glittering
epaulets and embroidered collar upward beneath the arch of
green boughs wit h intertw ined l au re l and t h e banne r drooping
as if to shade his brow ! A n d th ere too visible in the sam e
glance through the vista of the forest appeared the Great
S tone Face ! And w as there indeed such a resemb l ance as the
crowd had testified ? Alas E rnest could not recogniz e it ! H e
beheld a war worn and weather beaten co u ntenance ful l o f
energy, and expressive o f an iron will ; but the gentle wisdom
the deep broad tender sympathies were altogether wanting in
O ld Blood -and-Thunder s vi s age ; and e v en if the Great S tone
Face had assumed his l ook o f stern command the milder traits
would still hav e tempered it
“
This is not the man o f prophecy sighed E rnest to him
“
se l f as h e made his way out o f the throng
And must the
world wait longer yet ?
The mists had congregated about the distant mountain -side
and there were seen the grand and awfu l features of the Great
S tone Face awful but benignant as i f a m ighty ange l were
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
62
E rnest himself suspect it ; but inevitably as the murmur of a
rivu l et came thoughts o u t o f his mouth that no other human
l ips had spoken
When the peop l e s minds had had a l ittle time to coo l they
were ready enough to ack nowledge their mistake in imagin ing
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-
a similarity between General Blood and Thunder s t ruculent
physiognomy and the benign visage on the mountain-side But
now again there were reports and many paragraphs in the
newspapers a ffi rming that the likeness of the Great S tone Face
had appeared upon the broad shoulders of a certain eminent
h
l
a
t
e
r
o
d
statesman H e like Mr G
and
O
ld
Blood
and
Thun
g
der was a nati v e o f the valley but had left it in his early days
and taken up the trades o f la w and politics Instead o f the rich
m an s wealth and the warrior s sword he had but a tongu e and
i t was mightier than both together S o wonderfully eloq u ent
w as he that whatever he might choose to say his auditors had
n o choice but to believe h im ; wrong l ooked l ike right and right
l ike wrong ; for when it pleased him he could make a kind of
illuminated fog with his mere breath and obscure the natura l
daylight with it His tongue indeed was a magic in s trument
sometimes it rumbled l ike the thunder ; sometimes it warbled l ike
the sweetest mu sic It w as the blast of w ar — the song of
peace and i t seemed to have a heart in it when there was no
such matter In good truth he was a wondrous man ; and
when his tongue had acquired him all other imaginable s u c
ces s — when it had been heard in halls of s tate and in the
courts o f princes and potentates — after it had made him
known all over the world e v en as a voice crying from shore
to S hore
it finally persuaded his countrymen to select him
for the Presidency Before this time — indeed as soon as he
began to grow celebrated — h is admirers had found o u t the
resemb l ance bet ween hi m and the Great S tone Face ; and s o
much w ere they stru ck by it that throughout the country this
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TH E G RE AT S T O N E FAC E
16
3
distingui shed gentleman was known by the name o f O l d S tony
Phiz The phrase was considered as gi v ing a highly favorab l e
aspect to his political prospects ; for as is l ikewise the case
with th e Popedom nobody e v er becomes President witho u t
tak ing a name other than h is own
While his friends were doing their best to m ake h i m Presi
dent O ld S tony Phiz as he was called s e t o u t o n a visit to the
v alley where he was born O f course he had no other obj ect
than to shake hands with his fello w-citizens and neither thought
nor cared about any e ffect which his progress through the coun
try might have upon the e l ection Magnificent preparations w ere
made to receive the illustrious statesman ; a cava l cade o f ho rse
men s e t forth to meet him at the boundary l ine o f the S tate
and all the people left their business and gathered along the
wayside to s ee him pass Among these w as E rnest Though
m ore than once disappointed as w e have seen he had such a
hopefu l and c on fi ding nature that he was a l ways ready to believe
in w hatever seemed beautifu l and good H e kept h is heart con
tin u ally O pen and thus was sure to catch the blessing from o n
h igh when it should come S O now again as buoyantly as ever
he went forth to behold the l ikeness o f the Great S tone Fa c e
The cavalcade came prancing along the road w ith a great
clattering o f hoofs and a mighty cloud o f dust whic h rose u p
s o dense and high that the visage O f the m o u ntainside w as
completely hidden from E rnest s eyes Al l th e great men o f
the neighborhood were there o n horseb ack : militia o fli ce rs in
u niform ; the member o f Congress ; the sheriff o f the coun ty ;
the editors of newspapers and many a farmer too had mounted
his patient steed with his S unday co at upon his back It really
was a very brilliant spectacl e especially as there w ere num er
o us banners fl aun tin g over the cavalcade on so m e o f which
w ere gorgeous portraits of the illustrio u s states m an and the
Great S tone Face s m iling familiarly at one another l ike two
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S H O R T S T O RI E S
164
brothers If the pictures were to be trusted the mutual resem
blance it must be confes s ed was marvellous We m ust not for
get to m ention that there was a band o f music which made the
e ch oes o f the mountains ring and reverberate w it h the l oud
triump h o f its strains ; so that ai ry and sou l-thrilling mel odies
br o ke o u t among a ll the heights and hol l ows as if every nook
o f his native valley had found a voice to w elcome the distin
i
s h e d g u est
u
But
the
grandest
e
f
fe
c
t
was
when
the
far
o
ff
g
mountain precipice flung back the music ; fo r then the Great
S tone Fa c e itself seemed to be swelling the triumphant chorus
in ackn o w l edgment that at length the man O f prophecy w as
com e
A ll this while the people were throwing up their hats and
shouting w ith enthusiasm s o contagious that the heart o f E rnest
kindled up and he likewise threw u p his hat and shouted as
l oudly as the loudest Huzza for the great man ! Huzza for
”
O ld S tony Phiz !
But as yet he had not seen hi m
”
H ere he i s now ! cried those wh o stood near E rnest
There ! There ! Look at O l d S tony Phiz and then at the
O ld Man o f the Mountain and see if they are not as like as
tw o twin brothers
In the midst o f al l this gallant array came an O pen barouche
drawn by four white horses ; and in the barouche with his
massive head uncovered s at the illustrious statesman O ld
S tony Phiz himself
”
Confess it said o ne o f E rnest s neighbors to him ; the
Great S tone Face has met its m atch at last !
N o w it m ust be owned that at his first glimpse of the coun
t e n ance wh ic h was bowing and smiling from the barouche
Ernest did fancy that there was a resemblance bet ween it and
the Old familiar face upon the m ountain-side The brow with
its massive depth s and l oftiness and al l the other features in
deed were bo l dly and strongly he w n as if in emulation o f a
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S H O RT ST O R I E S
1 66
w as an aged man B u t n o t in vain h ad h e gr ow n o ld ; m ore
than the white h airs o n h is head w ere the sage th o ughts in his
m ind ; h is wrinkles and furrows w ere ins criptions that Ti m e
had graved and in which he had written l egends o f wisdo m
that had been tested by the tenor of a life And E rnest had
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ceased to be obscure Unsought for undesired had come the
fame w hich so many seek and made him known in the great
world beyond the limits of th e valley in which he h ad dwelt so
quietly College professors an d even the active men of cities
came from far to see and converse with E rnest ; for the report
had gone abroad that this S imp l e husbandman had ideas un l ike
those of other men n o t gained from books but O f a h igher
t o ne
a tranquil and familiar maj esty as if he had been talk
ing with the angels as his daily friends Whether it were sage
statesman o r phil anthropist E rnest re c eived these visitors with
the gentle sincerity that had characterized him fr o m boyho o d
and spoke free ly with them o f whatever came uppermost or
l ay deepest i n his heart o r their o wn While they talked to
geth er his fac e wou l d kindle unawares and shine upon them
as with a mild evening light Pensive with the fu l ness of such
discourse his gu ests took leave and went their way ; and pass
ing up the valley paused to l ook at the Great S tone Face
imagining that they had seen its likeness in a human c o u n te
nance but c ould not remember where
While E rnest had been growing up and growing o ld a boun
tiful Pro v idence had granted a new poet to this earth H e
likewise was a native o f the valley but had spent the greater
part o f his life at a distance from that romantic regio n pouring
out his sweet music amid the bustle and din o f cities O ften
howev er did the mountains which had been fami l iar to him I n
his childhood lift their snowy peaks into the cle a
r a
tmosphere
o f his poetry Neither was the Great S to ne F ace forgotten fo r
the po et had c e l ebrated it in an ode w hi ch w as grand en ou gh
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G RE AT S T O N E FAC E
TH E
167
to h ave been u ttered by its o wn maj estic l ips This man o f
genius w e m ay say had come down fro m h eaven with wo n
If he sang o f a mo untain the eyes of a ll
de rf u l endowments
mankind beheld a mightier grandeur reposing o n its breast o r
soaring to its summit than had before been seen there If his
theme were a l o v ely lake a celestial smile had n o w been thrown
over it to gleam forev er on its surface If it were the vast o ld
se a even the deep immensity o f its dread bosom seemed to
swell the higher as if mo v ed by the emotions o f the song
Thus the wor l d assumed another and a better aspect fro m the
hour that the poet blessed it with his happy eyes The Creator
had bestowed him as the last best touch to his o wn handiwork
Creation was not finished till the poet c ame to interpret and so
complete it
The effect was no l ess high and beautiful when h is human
brethren were the subj ect o f his verse The man or wo m an
sordid with the common dust o f life who crossed his dai ly
path and the l itt l e child who p l ayed in it were gl o rified if he
behe l d them in h is m ood o f poetic faith He showed the go l den
links of the great chain that intertwined them with an angel ic
kindred ; h e brought o u t the hidden traits o f a ce l estial birth
that made them worthy o f such kin S ome indeed there were
wh o thought to S how the soundness o f their j udgment by affi rm
ing that all the beauty and dignity o f the natura l w orl d existed
on ly in the poet s fancy Let suc h m en speak for themse lv es
who u n doubtedly appear to have been spawned forth by Nature
with a contemptuous bitte rness ; sh e having plastered them up
out o f her refuse stu ff after al l the swi ne were m ade As
respects all things else th e p oe s ideal was the truest truth
i
The songs o f this poet found thEiF way to Ernest H e read
them after his customary toil seated o n the bench before his
cottage-door where for such a length o f time he had filled his
re p o se with thought by gazi ng at the Great S tone Face And
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1
S H O RT S T O R I E S
68
as h e read stanzas that caused the sou l to thrill within h i m
he lifted his eyes to the vast countenance bea m ing o n hi m s o
ben i gnantly
O m aj estic fr i end h e mu rmured addressing the Great
“
”
S tone Face is not this man w orthy to resemble thee ?
The Fa c e seemed to smile but answered not a word
Now it happened that the poet though he dwelt so far away
had not o nly heard o f E rnest but had meditated much upon
his character unti l he deemed nothing s o desirable as to meet
this m an whose untaught w isdom w alked hand i n hand with
the nob l e simplicity o f his l ife O ne summer morning therefore
he t o ok passage by the railroad and in the decline of the after
noon alighted from the cars at no great distance f rom E rne s t s
cottage The great hotel which had formerly been the palace
of Mr G ath e rgo ld was close at hand but the poet with his
carpet-bag on h i s arm inquired at once where Ernest dwelt
and was resolved to be accepted as his guest
Approaching the door he there found the good o ld man
holding a volume in his hand which alternately he read and
then w ith a finger between the l eaves l ooked l ovingly at the
Great S tone Face
Good evening said the poet
Can you gi v e a traveller a
night s l od ging
Willingly answered E rnest ; and then he added smiling
Methinks I nev er saw the Great S tone Face look s o hospitably
”
at a stranger
The poet sat down on the bench beside h im and he and
Ernest talked together O ften had the poet held intercour s e
with the wittiest and the wisest but never before with a man
like E rnest whose thoughts and feelings gushed up wit h suc h
a natura l freedom and wh o made great truths so familiar by
his s im ple utterance of them Angels as had been so often
s aid seemed to ha v e wrought with him at his l abor in the fields ;
now
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1
S H O RT S TO RI E S
70
i n m e the l ikeness
the Great S tone Face And y ou are
disappointed as formerly with M r G ath e rgo ld and O ld Blood
and-Thunder and O ld S tony Phiz Ye s Erne s t it is my doom
Yo u m u st add my na m e to the illust rious three an d record
anoth e r fai l ure o f your hopes For — in shame and sadness
do I speak i t E rnest — I am not worthy to be typified by
yonde r benign and maj estic image
“
”
And wh y ? asked E rnest H e pointed to the vo l ume
”
?
Are n o t those thoughts div ine
They have a strain o f the Div inity replied the poet
You
can h ear in them the far-Off echo of a heavenly song But my
life dear E rnest h as not corresponded wit h my thought I
h ave had grand dreams but they hav e been on ly dreams
—
be c au se I have lived
and that too by my o wn choice
among p o or and m ean realities S ometimes even — shall I
dare to say it ? — I l a ck faith in the grandeur the beauty and
the go o dness w hich my o wn works are said to have made
mo re evident in nature and in human l ife Why then pure
seeker o f the good and true shouldst thou h Op e to find me
”
in yonde r im age o f the di v ine ?
T h e poet spoke sadly and his eyes were dim with tears
S o l ikewise were those o f E rnest
At the h ou r o f sunset as had l ong been his frequent cu stom
Ernest w as to discourse to an assemblage o f the neighboring
inhab i tants in t h e open air H e and the poet arm in arm still
talking together as they went al ong proceeded to the spot It
was a s m al l nook among the hil l s with a gray precipice behind
the stern front of which was relieved by the p l easant fo l iage
of many creeping plants that made a tapestry fo r the naked
rock by h anging t h eir festoons fr om all its ru gged angles At
a small e l evation above the ground s e t in a rich framework o f
v erdure there appeared a niche spacious enough to admit a
hu m an figure with freedom for such gestures as spontan eousl y
of
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TH E G RE AT S T O N E FAC E
1
7
1
accompany; earnest thought and genuine emotion Into this
natura l pulpit E rnest a s cended and threw a look of familiar
kindness a round upon his audience They stood or s at o r
reclined upon the gra ss as seemed good to each wit h the
departing sunshine falling oblique ly o v er them and mingling
its subdued cheerfulness with the solemnity o f a gro v e o f
ancient tree s beneath and amid the boughs o f whic h the
golden rays were constrained to pa s s I n another direction
was seen the Great S tone Face with the same cheer combined
with the same solemnity in its benignant aspect
Ernest began to speak giving to the peop l e o f w h at was in
his heart and mind His w ords had power because they
ac corded with his thoughts ; and his thoughts had reality and
depth because they harmoniz ed with the life wh ich he had
a l ways lived It was not mere breath that this preacher uttered ;
they were the words of life because a l ife of good deeds and
holy love was melted i nto them Pearls pure and rich had
been dissolved into this precious draught The poet as he
listened felt that the being and character o f E rnest were a
nobler strain o f poetry than he had e v er written His eyes
gl istening with tears he gazed reverentially at the venerable
man and said within himself that neve r was there an aspect so
worthy o f a prophet and a sage as that mild sweet th oughtfu l
countenance with the glo ry o f white hair diffused about it At
a distance but distinctly to be seen h igh up I n the go l den
l ight of the setting s u n appeared the Great S tone Face with
hoary mists around it li k e the white hairs around the brow
of E rnest Its look of grand b en e fi c e n ce seemed to embrace
the world
At that moment in sympathy with a thought which he was
about to utter the face of E rnest assumed a grandeur o f
expression so im b ued with benevolence that the poet by an
irresistible impul s e threw h is arm s al oft and sho u ted
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1
S H O R T S T OR I E S
2
7
Behold ! Be h o l d ! Ernest is himself the l ikeness o f the
G r eat S t o ne Fa c e !
Then all the peop l e l ooked and saw that w h at the deep-sighted
poet said was tru e T h e prop h ecy was ful fil l ed But E rnest
hav i ng finis h ed wh at h e h ad to s ay took the poet s arm and
w alked S l ow l y homeward sti ll h oping that some w iser and
better man than himse l f wou l d by and by appear bearing a
resemb l ance to the G R EAT S TO NE F A C E
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1
S H O R T S T O R I ES
74
there is usually too little action and too much description T h e
”
adj ectives tend to smother the verbs
They hav e said Haw
” “
thorne o f his Twice Told Tales
the pale tint o f flo w ers
th at bloss om ed in too retired a shade -the coo l ness o f a
meditative habit which d iffuses itse l f through the feelin g and
”
observation o f every sketch
But no such charge can be laid
”
at the door o f R ab and his Friends
The very dumbness of
R ab his mute yearning to help his brave and l oyal ministries
in the hospital doubly affecting because wordless and impotent
l end an appeal to this s k etch that few sketches of men and
women can be said to hav e
Cb a ra cters I n a later sketch cal led O ur Dogs Dr Br o wn
tell s how R ab became the property o f James and Ailie He
had been terrifying everybody at M ac b ie Hill and his owner
ordered him to be hanged A S R ab was getting the better o f
the contest his owner commanded that he be shot But Ailie
wh o happened to be near noticed that he had a big S plinter in
his foreleg
S he gav e him water says Dr Brown and by
her woman s w it got his lame paw under a door s o that he
could n t suddenly get at her ; then with a quick firm hand she
p l ucked o u t the S plinter and put in an ample meal S he went
in some time after taking no notice o f him and he came limp
”
ing up and laid his great j aws in her lap
Fro m that moment
they became friends A little l ater James was in a l onely part
of the woods when a robber sprang at him and demanded his
”
money
Wee l a weel l et m e get it said James and stepping
”
back he whispered to R ab
S peak till him my man R ab
had the robber down in an instant
In R ab and his Friend s the great masti ff shows j ust the
qualities that we should expect from this account o f his ear l ier
career But his sympathy and affection for Ailie shown so
tenderly in the h ospita l scenes find an added pathos in the
thought that he was serving his first and best friend o n e
who had healed his h urt as h e w o u ld h ave h eal ed h ers if
h e could !
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H I S FR I E N D S
RA B A N D
1
75
Fo ur and thirty years ago Bob Ainslie and I were coming up
Infirmary S treet from the Edinburgh High S chool o u r heads
together and our arm s intertwisted as on l y l overs and b o ys
know h o w o r wh y
When we got to the top o f the street and tu rned north we
espied a crowd at the Tron Church
A dog-fi gh t
shouted
Bob and was o ff and so was I both o f us al l but praying that
i t might not be over before we got up ! And is not this boy
nature ? and h uman nature too ? and don t we al l wish a h ouse
Dogs like fighting ; O ld
on fire not to be o u t before w e se e it ?
Isaa c says they delight in it and for the best of al l reasons ;
and boys are not cruel because they like to s e e the fight They
c ourage
s e e three o f the great cardinal virtues o f dog or man
endurance and S kill
in intense action This is very different
from a l ove of m aking dogs fight and enj oying and aggrav at
ing and making gain by their pluck A boy — b e he e v er s o
fond himself o f figh ting — if he be a good boy hates and
despises al l this but he w ould hav e run Off w ith Bo b and me
fast enough : it is a natural and a not wicked interest that al l
boys and men have in w itnessing intense energy i n action
—
l
fi
e
Does any curious and n y ignorant w oman w is h to know
how Bob s eye at a glance announced a dog-fi gh t to h is brain ?
H e did n o t h e could not s ee the dogs fightin g ; it w as a flas h
o f an inference a rapid induction
The crowd round a couple
o f dogs fighting is a crowd masculine mainly with an o ccasiona l
activ e compassionate woman fl u tte rin g wildly round the o u t
side and using her tongue and her hands freely upon the men
as s o many brutes
i t is a crowd annu l ar compact and
mobile ; a crowd centripetal having its eyes and i ts h eads al l
bent downwards and inwards to one common focu s
Well Bob and I are up and find it is not over : a small
thoroughbred white Bull Terrier is bus y throttling a large
shepherd s dog unaccu stomed to w ar but not to be trifle d with
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S H OR T S T O R I E S
1 76
T h ey are h ard at it ; the scientific l ittle fe ll ow doing his work
in great style his pastora l enemy fighting wildly but with the
sharpest o f teet h and a great courage S cience and breeding
however soon had their o wn ; the Game Chicken as the pre
m ature Bob called him working his way up took his fina l grip
of poor Yarrow s throat — and he lay gasping and done for
His master a brown handsome big young shepherd from
Tweedsmuir would hav e li k ed to hav e knocked down any m an
”
1
would drink up E s il o r eat a crocodile for that part if he
had a chance : it was no use kicking the l ittle dog ; that would
only make him hold the closer M any were the means shouted
out in mouthfuls o f the best possible ways o f ending i t
“
Water ! but there was none near and many cried for i t
wh o m ight h ave got it from the w el l at Blackfriars Wynd
”
Bite the tail !
and a l arge vague bene vo l ent middle-aged
m an more desirous than wise with some struggle got the bushy
end of Ya rrow s tai l into his ample mouth and bit it with al l
his might This was more than enough for the much-enduring
much perspiring shepherd wh o with a gleam o f j oy o v er his
broad visage deliv ered a terrific facer upon our l arge vague
benevo l ent middle-aged friend — wh o went down like a shot
S till the Chicken holds ; death not far o ff
S nu ff ! a pinch
”
of snuff !
observed a calm highly dressed young buck with
”
an eye-gl ass in his eye
S nu ff indeed ! growled the angry
c rowd affronted and glaring
S nuff ! a pin ch of snu ff
again observed the buck but with m ore u rgency ; w hereon were
produced severa l open boxes and from a mull which may have
been at Culloden he took a pinch knelt down and presented it
t o the nose o f the Chicken The l aws o f physiology and o f snuff
take their course ; the Chicken sneezes and Yarrow is free !
The young pastora l giant stalks o ff with Yarrow in his arms
c o m forting him
1 Es il
v i n e g ar
(H a m l t V I
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S H O R T S T OR I E S
178
fell ow over and saw he w as quite dead ; the mastiff had taken
h im by th e smal l o f the back like a rat and broken it
He lo o ked d o wn at h is victim appeased ashamed and
amazed ; snuffed him all o v er stared at him and taking a
sudden thought turned round and trotted o ff Bob took the
“
”
dead dog up and said
John we ll bury him after tea
Yes said I and was o ff after the mastiff He made up the
Cowgate at a rapid swing ; he had forgotten some engagement
H e turned up the Candlemaker R ow and stopped at the
Harrow Inn
There w as a carrier s cart ready to start and a keen thin
impatient black a vised little man his hand at his gray horse s
”
head l ooking about angrily for something
R ab ye thief !
said he aiming a kick at my great friend wh o drew cringing
up and av oiding the heavy S hoe with more agility than dignity
and watch ing his master s eye slunk dismayed under the cart
— his ears down and as much as he had o f tai l down to o
—
What a man this must b e
thought I — to whom my tre
mendo n s hero turns tai l ! The carrier s aw the muzz l e hanging
c u t and useless from his neck and I eagerly told him th e sto ry
which Bob and I a lways thought and still think Homer or
K ing Dav id or S ir Walter a l one were worthy to rehear s e The
se v ere little man was mitigated and condescended to s ay R ab
”
my man puir R abbie — whereup o n the stump o f a tail rose
up the ears w ere cocked the eyes filled and were com f orted ;
the two friends were reconciled
Hupp
and a stroke o f t h e
w hip were given to Jess ; and off went the three
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and I buried the Game Chicken that night ( we h ad no t
much o f a tea) in the back -green o f his house in Melville S treet
No 1 7 with considerab le gravity and silence ; and being at the
time in the Iliad and like al l boys Troj ans we called him
Hector of c o urse
Bo b
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RAB
AN D
H I S FR
IENDS
1 79
S ix years have passed — a l ong ti m e for a boy and a dog
Bob A ins l ie is off to the wars ; I am a m edical student and
c l erk at Minto H o use Hospital
R ab I s aw almost ev ery week o n the Wednesday and w e
had much p l easant intimacy I found the way to his heart by
frequent scratching o f his huge head and an occasional bone
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When I did not notice him he would plant himself straight
before me and stand wagging that bud o f a tail and looking
up with his head a l ittle to the o n e side His master I occa
“
”
he used to ca ll me Maister John but was
s io n ally s aw ;
l a c onic as any S partan
O ne fine O ctober afternoon I was leaving the h ospital when
I s aw the l arge gate open and in walked R ab with that great
and easy saunter o f his He looked as if taking general posses
sion o f the place ; like the Duke o f Wellington entering a s u b
dued city satiated with v ictory and peace After him came Jess
n o w white fro m age with her cart ; and in it a woman carefully
wrapped up — the carrier leading the horse anx i ously and
l ooking back When he s aw me James ( for his name was
“
James Noble) made a curt and grotesque b o o and said
Maister John this is the mistress ; s h e s got a trouble in her
breest
some kind 0 an income we re thinking
By this time I saw the woman s face ; s h e was sitting on a
sack filled with straw her husband s plaid round her and his
big-coat with its l arge white metal button s o v er her feet
1
I nev er s aw a more unforgettable face
pale serious lon ely
deli cate sweet without being at all what we call fine S he loo k ed
six ty and had o n a mutch white as snow W
ith its black ribbon ;
her si l very smooth hair setting o ff her dark-gray eyes
eyes
such as o n e sees only twice or thrice in a lifetime full o f suffer
i ng ful l also o f the overcoming o f it : her eyebro ws black and
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1
I t is
h e r b e in
g
n o t e as
so
y g ivi g
mu ch
n
of
th i s lo o
h e r li
f
k
e alo n e
by
.
one
w o rd ; it was
e
xp
v
re s s i
e
of
1
S H OR T S T OR I E S
80
del icate and her mouth firm patient and contented whic h few
m o u ths ever are
As I have said I ne v er s aw a more beautifu l countenance
“
Ailie said James
o r o n e more subdued to settled quiet
this is Maister John the young doctor ; R ab s freend ye ken
”
We O ften speak aboot you doctor
S he smi l ed and made a
m ovement but said nothing ; and prepared to come do w n put
ting her plaid aside and rising Had S olomon in all his glo ry
been handing down the Q u een o f S heba at his pa l ace gate he
cou ld n o t have done it more dainti ly more tender ly more l ike
a gentl eman than did Jam es the Howgate carrier when he l ifted
d o wn Ailie his wife The contrast o f his small swa rthy w eather
beaten keen worldly face to hers — pal e subdued and beauti
fu l — was something wonderfu l R ab l ooked o n concerned and
puzz l ed but ready for anything that might turn up — w ere it
to strangle the nurse the porter o r even m e Ailie and he
seemed great friends
As I was sayin she s g o t a kind 0 troub l e i n h er breest do c
”
?
t o r ; wu ll ye tak a l ook at it
We walked into t h e cons ul ting
ro om al l four ; R ab gri m and c omi c willing to be h appy and
confidential if c ause c ou l d be sh o wn wi ll ing a l so to be the
reverse on the same term s Ai l ie sat down u ndid h er O pen
gown and her l awn handkerchief round her neck and without
a word showed me her right breast I l ooked at and exami ned
it carefully
she and James watching me and R ab eying al l
three What could I say ? there it w as that had once been s o
soft so shapely so white s o gracio us and bountifu l so ful l o f
”
— hard as a stone a centre o f ho rri d
all b l essed conditions
pain m aking that pale face w ith its gray lucid reas o nable
eyes and its sweet resol v ed mouth express the ful l measure
o f s u ffering overcome
Why was that gentle modest s weet
woman cl ean and lo vab l e c ondemned by Go d to bear s uch a
burden
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1
S H O RT ST O R I E S
82
Andrew Fuller The same l arge heav y menacin g co mbative
s om b re honest counten ance the sam e deep inevi table eye the
same l ook — as o f thunder asleep but ready — neither a dog
nor a m an to be trifle d with
Next day my master the surgeon examined Ai l ie There
was no doubt it must kill her and soon I t could be removed
—it m ight never return — it would gi v e her speedy re l ief
s h e S h o u ld h av e it done
S he curtsied looked at Jam es and
”
“
”
‘
—
?
said
When
To morrow said the kind surgeon — a
man o f fe w w ords S he and James and R ab and I retired I
noticed that he and s h e spoke little but seemed to anti cipate
everything in each other The following day at noon the s tu
dents came in hurrying up the great stair At the first l anding
p l ace o n a small well known blackboard was a bit o f paper
fastened by wafers and many remains o f old wafers beside it
O n the paper were the words
An operation to-day J B
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Up ran the youths eager to secure good places ; in they
”
?
c rowded full o f interest and talk What s the case
Which
”
?
S ide is it
Don t think them heartless ; they are neither better nor worse
than you or I ; they get over their professional horrors and
i nto their proper w ork — and in the m pity — as an emotion
,
’
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F
1
bo
x
er
u lle r
v
s u rv i
g
k
h im , li
p lp it
tiv ly
u
in s t i n c
,
e
e
a
f
arm e r
lad
f
S o h am ,
at
g
n
on
an d s aw a
x
e
h ow M r
.
y
m e m or
F
f
u p,
ph y
of
u lle r u s e d
bu i rdly m an
draw h im s e l
.
rac e s as a
s an
e d t o t e ll
am o u s
as a
”
.
s i c i an , a
t o s ay, t h at
g th p
im g i
y
e
a
n ar
of
a s c h o lar,
k
t h o s e f e w wh o
c o m e alo n
m e as u re h is
v
di in e ,
of
n e w an d
w h e n h e was
g
as s a
e,
h e w o u ld
g
an d
an t a
o n is t ,
g
h o w h e w o u ld de al w it h h im , h is h an ds m e an wh ile c o n de n s in
”
H e m u s t h av e b e e n a h ard h itt e r if
s q u are
fi s ts , an d t e n din t o
o re c as t
in t o
wh e n
g f
g if t d g
liv
ly i t h
rare
e n t le m an ,
e
i n th e
f
e,
t h e s t e rn de li h t
a m an
q u arre ls o m e , b u t n o t w ith o u t
D r C h arle s S t e w art ,
e e ls i n th e ir e e rc i s e
t h an d c o u ra e
D u n e arn , w h o s e
an d a
y lif
e arl
n ot
;
g
s t re n
w as , i n
h e bo
x
e d as
c u s to m e r
.
he
p
g
re ac h e d —
.
wh at
“
Th e
F
an c
y
”
wo u ld
c all
“
an
u
gly
H I S FRI E N D S
RAB A N D
1
83
ending in i tsel f o r at best in tears and a l ong-drawn breat h
lessens while pity as a m oti ve is quickened and gains power
and purpose It is well for poor human nature that it is s o
The operating theatre is crowded ; much talk and fun and all
the c ord i al ity and stir o f youth The surgeon with his staff o f
assistants is there In co m es Ailie : o n e l ook at her quiets and
abates the eager students That beautifu l o ld wo m an is to o
m uch for them ; they S it down and are dumb and gaz e at h er
These rough boys fee l the power o f her presence S he w alk s
in quickly but without haste ; dressed in her m u tch h er n e ck eI
ch ief her white dimity short-gown h er b l ack bombazine petti
c o at sho wing her white worsted sto ckings and her carpet-shoes
Behind her was J a
mes with R ab James s at down in the dis
tance and took that huge and noble h ead between his knees
R ab l ooked perplexed and dangero u s ; foreve r co cking his ear
and dropping it as fast
Ailie stepped up on a seat and laid hersel f o n t h e tab l e as
her friend the surgeon told her ; arranged herself gave a rapid
loo k at James shut her eyes rested herself o n me and took my
hand The operation was at once begun ; it w as necessarily
o n e o f God s best gifts to his suffering
slow ; and chl o roform
children
was then unknown The surgeon did his work The
pal e face showed its pain but was stil l and si l ent R ab s soul
was w orking within him ; he s aw that someth in g strange was
going o n
blood flowing fro m his mistress and s h e suffering ;
his ragged ear was up and importunate ; h e growled and gave
now and then a sharp impatient ye l p ; he w ou l d have liked to
have d o ne something to that m an But James h ad hi m firm
and gave him a glow er from time to time and an intimat i on o f
a possibl e kick
all the better for James it kept his eye and
his mind o ff Ailie
It is over : s h e is dressed steps gently and decently down
fro m the tab l e l ooks for James ; then turn i ng to the su rge o n
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1
SH O RT S TO R I E S
84
and t h e s t u dents s h e curtsies
and in a l ow c l ear voice begs
their pardon if she has behaved ill The students
all of u s
w ept like chi l d ren ; the surgeon happed her up carefu lly
and r est in g o n Jam es and m e Ailie w ent to her roo m R ab
following We p u t her to bed James took o ff h is heavy shoes
crammed w ith tackets h ee l-capt and toe—capt and put the m
careful ly u nder the table sayin g
Maister John I m for nane
o yer s trynge nurse bodies for Ailie I ll be her nurse and
'
”
I ll gang ab oo t on my s to ckin so l es as c anny as p u ssy
And
s o h e did ; and h andy and c l ever and swift and tender as any
wo man w as that horny-handed snell perempto ry l ittl e man
Eve rything sh e got he gave her : h e seldo m slept ; and o ften I
sa w h is small s h rewd eyes out o f t h e dark ness fixed o n he r
As befo re they spoke l ittl e
R ab beh aved w el l never m oving sh o wing us how m eek and
ent
l
e
h
e
cou
l
d
be
and
oc
c
asiona
l
ly
in
his
s
l
eep
l
etting
us
g
kno w t h at h e w as demo l ishing some adversary H e took a walk
w ith m e eve ry day generally to the Candle m ake r R ow ; but he
w as s om bre and m i l d ; declined doing battl e t hou gh some fit
c ases offered and i ndeed s u bmitted to s u ndry i ndignities ; and
was alw ays very r eady to turn and came faster back and
trotted u p t h e stai r wi th mu ch l ightness and w ent s traight to
that do or
Jess the m are h ad been sent with her weather-worn ca rt
t o Ho wgate and h ad doubtl ess h er o wn dim and placid m edi
tatio ns and c onfusi o ns o n the absence o f h er m aster and R ab
and h er unnatu ral freed om fr om the road and h er c art
F o r s o me days A il ie did w e ll The w ou nd h eal ed by the
”
first intention ; fo r as Jam es said
O ur A ilie s skin s owe r
”
cl ean t o bei l T h e stu dents c ame i n quiet and anx i o u s and
S he said s h e l iked to see thei r young
s u rrou nded h er bed
ho nest fa c es The surgeon dressed her and spoke to her in
his o wn s h o rt kind w ay pi tying her throug h his eyes R ab an d
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
86
starting up surprised and s linking o ff as if he were to b l a m e
somehow or had been dreaming he heard ; many eager ques
tions and beseechings which James and I could make nothing
of an d o n which sh e seemed to s e t her all and then sink back
ununderstood It was v ery sad but better than many things that
are not called s ad James hovered about put o u t and miserable
but acti v e and exact as e v er ; read to her when there w as a lull
short bits fro m the P salms prose and metre chanting the l atter
in his o wn rude and serious way showing great knowledge of the
fit words bearing up like a m an and doating over her as his ain
”
Ailie
Ailie ma w oman !
M a ain bonnie wee dawtie
The end was drawing o n i the golden bowl was breaking ;
the sil v er cord was fast being loosed — that a nim n la bla n du la
1
was about to flee The body and the
v aga la li osp es co mes gn e
soul
companions fo r sixty years
were being sundered
and taking l eave S he was walking alone through the valley
into which o n e day we must al l enter
and
o f that shadow
yet s h e was not alone for w e know whose rod and staff were
comforting her
o ne night s h e had fallen quiet and as w e hoped asleep ; h e r
eyes were s hut We put down the gas and s at watching her
Su ddenly s h e s at up in bed and taking a bed-gown which was
lying on it rolled up s h e held it eagerly to her breast — to the
right side We could see her eyes bright with a surprising
tenderness and j oy bending over this bundle o f c l othes S he
held it as a woman holds her sucking child ; O pening o u t her
night-gown impatiently and holding it c l ose and brooding o v er
it and murmuring foolish little words as o v er one whom his
mother comforteth and who suc k s and is satisfied It was
pitifu l and strange to s e e her wasted dying look keen and yet
vague
her immense lo v e
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1
L ittl g
A dd
re s s
e,
e n tle ,
t o h is
wan de rin
S ou l
g
s o u l,
g
u e s t an d c o m rade
.
— H adri an ’ s
RAB A N D
H I S FR I E N D S
Preserve me ! groaned James giv ing w ay And then s h e
rocked back and forward as if to make it sleep hushing it
and wasting on it her infinite f o ndness
W ae s m e doctor ; I
”
declare s h e s thin kin it s that bairn
What bairn
The
only bairn we e v er had ; o u r we e M ys ie and s h e s in the King
”
dom forty years and mair
I t w as plainly true : the pain in
the breast tellin g its urgent st o ry to a bewildered ruined brain
was misread and mistaken ; it suggested to her the uneasiness
o f a breast ful l o f milk and then the child ; and s o again once
more they were toget h er and sh e h ad her ain wee M ys ie in
h er bosom
This was the close S he sank rapidly : the delirium l eft her ;
but as s h e whispered s h e was clean silly ; it w as the l ightening
before the final darkness After ha v ing for some time lain stil l
“
”
— her eyes shut S he said
James !
H e came cl ose to her
and l ifting up h er cal m clear bea u tifu l eyes s h e gav e him a
l ong l ook turned to me kindly but shortly l ooked for R ab but
could not s e e him then turned to her husband agai n as if s h e
w ould never l eave o ff l ooking shut her eyes and composed
h erse l f S he l ay for some time breathing quick and passed
away s o gently that when we thought s h e was gone James in
l
his o d fashioned way held the mirror to h er face After a l ong
pause o n e smal l spot o f dimness w as breathed o u t ; it vanished
away and never returned leav ing the blank cl ear darkness o f
the mirror without a stain
What is o u r life ? it is even a vapor
”
w hich appeareth for a little time and the n vanisheth away
R ab al l thi s time had been ful l awake and motion l ess ; h e
c a m e forward beside u s : Ailie s hand which James had hel d
w as hanging down ; it was soaked with his tears ; R ab l icked it
all over carefully looked at her and ret u rned to his p l ace under
the tab l e
James and I s at I don t know how long but for some time
saying nothing he started up abru ptly and with some n o ise
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1
S H O RT S T O R I E S
88
w ent to the tab l e and putting h is right fore and mi dd l e fingers
each into a shoe pulled th em out and put them o n breakin g
one of the l eather l atchets and mu ttering in anger
I neve r
did the l ike 0 that afo re
I believe h e never did ; nor after either
R ab ! he said
roughly and pointing with his thu m b to the botto m of the bed
R ab l eapt u p and settled himsel f ; his head and eye to the
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”
dead face
Maister John ye ll wait for me
said the
c arrier ; and disappeared in the darkness th u nderi ng down
stairs in his heavy shoes I ran to a front win dow ; there he
was a l ready round the h ouse and out at the gate fleeing l ike
a shadow
I was afraid about him and yet not afraid ; so I sat d own
beside R ab and being wearied fel l as l eep I awoke fr om a
s u dden noise outside It was Nove m ber and there h ad been a
heavy fal l o f snow R ab was i n s ta tic gno he heard t h e noise
too and p l ainly knew it but never moved I l ooked out ; and
there at the gate in the dim morning — fo r the s u n was not
up — w as Jess and the cart
a cloud o f stea m rising fro m th e
old mare I did not se e James ; h e was al ready at the d o or
and came u p the stairs and met me It w as l ess than three
hours since he l eft and he must have posted o u t
who knows
how
to Howgate full n i ne m iles o ff yoked Jess and d ri ven
her astonished into town H e had an armfu l o f blankets and
was streaming w ith perspiration H e nodded to m e spread o u t
o n the floor two pairs o f clean o ld blankets having at their
corners A G
in l arge l etters in red w o rsted These
were the initials of Alison G rmm e and James m ay have l ooked
in at her from without
himse l f unseen but not u nthought of
”
— when he was
wat wat and weary and after h aving
walked many a mile over the hills may have seen her sitting
while a the lav e were slee pin
and by the fi re ligh t working
h e r n am e o n t h e b l ank ets fo r her ain Jam es s bed
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S H O RT STO R I E S
190
prevai l ing in the village and his want of sleep h is exhaustion
and his misery made him apt to take it The grav e w as not
di fficult to reopen A fresh fal l o f snow had again m ade all
things white and sm o oth ; R ab once more l ooked o n and sl u nk
h o me to the stable
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.
And what o f R ab ? I asked for him next week o f the ne w
carrier w h o got the goodwill of James s business and was now
”
master o f Jess and her cart
How s R ab ?
He put me o ff
and said rather rudely What s yo u r business w i the do wg
“
”
?
I was not to be s o put o ff
Where s R ab
H e getting con
fused and red and intermeddling wit h his hair said
Deed
”
Dead ! what did he die of
Weel sir
s ir R ab s deid
said he getting redder he did na exactly dee ; he was killed
I had to brain him w i a rack-pin ; there w as nae doin wi him
He lay in the tre v iss wi the mear and wad na come oot I
tempit him w i kai l and meat but he w ad tak naething and
keepit me frae f e e din the beast and he was aye gur gurrin
and gru p gru ppin me by the legs I was laith to make awa
w i the auld do wg his like was na atween this and Thornhi ll
”
but deed s ir I could do naething else
I belie v ed him Fit
end for R ab quick and complete H is teeth and his friends
gone why S hould he keep the peace and be civi l ?
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V III
T H E O U T C A S T S O F PO K E R
.
F LA T
BY
1
1
8
6
9
)
(
B RET H ARTE (
—
1 8 6
1
3
9
02
)
The group tragedy enacted in this story to o k p l ace
between N o vember 2 3 and December 7 1 8 5 0 o n the road
from Poker F l at to S andy Bar in S ierra County Ca l ifornia
The time and place are those that Bret Harte has made p ecu l
iarly his o w n The a u sterity and wildness of the scenery seem
somehow to favor the intimate revelation o f character that the
story disp l ays There is no intervention o f cities crops fashions
o r c o nventions between the di fferent m embers o f the character
group o r between the group as a who l e and the reader Al l is
bare like a white mountain peak Notice also how the back
ground O f a common peril draws the characters together and
brings o u t at l ast the best in each
Plot The story sets forth and interprets a dramat i c sit u ation
The plot is staged s o as to answer the question Do not the
peop l e whom society regards as outcasts ha v e yet some redee m
”
ing virtue ?
Notice especially how a sense O f common fellow
ship is developed in these o utcasts First they are subj e c ted
to a common humiliation in being dri v en from Poker F l at by
persons whom the outcasts consider no W
hit better than them
sel v es Next they are exposed to a common dan ger a danger
that l eads the stronger to care instincti v e ly for the weaker
and the weaker to recognize that it is nobler to give t h an to
recei v e At last in the une x pected entrance o f the inno c ent
To m S imson and the guileless Piney Woods the outcasts find
etti ng
S
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1
p
U s e d b y e rm is s io n o f an d b y s
M iffi in C o m an , u b li s h e rs of B re t
p y p
,
p
H
19 1
e c ial a rran
’
art e s
g
em ent
W o rks
.
with ,
H gh t
ou
on
S H O RT S T O R I E S
19 2
a com m on chall enge to the native goodness that had l ong l ai n
dormant within them Innocence and gui l elessness m ay be
l au ghed at as they are here but their appeal is often stronger
than the appea l o f discipl ined virtue o r o f se l f-conscious supe
riorit
When
Bret
Ha
r
te
a
charged
with
confusing
the
w
s
y
bo u ndary lines o f vice and virtue he replied that his p l ots con
formed to the rules l aid down by a Great Poet w h o created the
”
parable o f the Prodiga l S on and the G o od S amaritan
“
”
Cb a ra cters O akhurst w ho is always c alle d Mr O akh u rst
is of c ourse the dominant character The story begins with him
and ends with h im H e is the strongest and yet the weake st
” —
of the o ut c asts o f Poker Flat
strong while there w as any
thing to be done w eak even to sui cide w hen h e h ad only to
wait for the inevitable end H e was a brave desperate so l ita ry
man wh o se thought and spee ch an d a ction h owever w ere
a lways those o f the professional ga m b l er Bret H arte wh o has
“
put him i nto severa l stories says o f h i m i n anothe r p l ace : Go
where he would and wit h whom he was a lways a notable m an
”
in ten t h o u sand
The admiration that w e yield to such a
man though it is on ly a q u alified admiration is doubtless the
admiration of power which we cannot help thinking might
be u sed b en e fi c en tly if it cou l d on ly be harnessed to a noble
cause
B u t if O akhurst is the dominant character Piney Woods is
I t h ink the centra l character S he is centra l in this sto ry just
”
as l itt l e Aglai a is central in Tennyso n s Princess o r E ppie
”
in George E liot s
S i l as Marner o r the baby offsp ri ng o f
Cherokee S a l in The Luck o f R oaring Camp
Bret Harte
had j ust written the l ast-named story w hen he began the com
p o sition o f The O utcasts o f Poker F l at
m
M
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s econ d
The
m inistry o f the baby and the ministry o f the fi fte e n-year-o ld
bride is the same in both Like the Great S tone Face in Ha w
t hor ne s sto ry or l ike l ittle Pippa in Bro wni ng s poe m they
s to ry to
th e
.
e
.
’
’
,
S H O RT S T O R I E S
1 94
Mr O akhurst w as right in s u pp o s m g that he was incl uded
i n this category A few of the committee had urged hanging
him as a possib l e examp l e and a sure method o f reimbursing
themselves from his pock ets of the sums he had wo n from
”
them
I t s agin j ustice said Jim Wheeler to let this yer
young m an from R oari ng C amp — an entire stranger — carry
away o u r mo ney
But a crude sentiment o f equity residing
in the breasts o f th o se w ho had been for tunate enough to win
fro m Mr O ak h urst o verru led this narro w
er l oca l prej udice
Mr O akhurst received his sentence with p hilOS O p hic cal m
ness n o ne the l ess cool ly that he was aware Of the hesitation o f
h is j udges H e was too m uch of a gambler not to accept Fate
With him l ife was at best an uncertain game and he recognized
the u sua l percentage in favor of the dealer
A body o f armed m en accompanied the deported wicked
ness of Poker F l at to the outs k irts of the settl ement Besides
Mr O akhurst wh o w as known to be a cool ly desperate man
and for whose intimidation the armed escort was intended the
expatriated party c onsisted o f a young woman familiarly known
“
as The Duchess
another who had won the title o f Mother
”
S hipton
and Uncle Billy a suspected s l uice-robber and
confirmed drunkard The cavalcade pro v oked no c omments
from the spectators nor was any word uttered by the escort
O n ly when the gulch which mark ed the uttermost limit o f
Poker F l at was reached the l eader spoke briefly and to the
point The exi l es w ere forbidden to return at the peri l o f
their l ives
As the escort disappeared their pent u p feelings found vent
in a fe w hysterica l tears from the D u chess some bad l anguage
from Moth er S hipton and a Parthian volley of expleti v es from
Uncl e Billy The p h iIOSO ph ic O akhur s t alone remained silent
H e listened ca l mly to Mother S hipton s de s ire to c u t somebody s
h eart o u t to the repeated statements o f the Duchess that sh e
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TH E
O U TCA S T S
OF
P O K E R FLAT
195
wou l d die in the road and to the al arming oaths that seemed
,
to be bumped out o f Uncle Billy as he rode forward With the
easy good-humor characteristic of his class he insisted upon
”
ex c hangi ng his o wn riding horse Five S pot for the sorry mule
which the Duchess rode But even this act did not draw the
party into any closer sympathy The young woman readj usted
her somewhat draggled plumes with a feeble faded coquetry ;
”
Mother S hipton eyed the possessor of
Five S pot with
malevolence and Uncle Billy included the whole party i n on e
sweeping anathema
The road to S andy Bar — a camp that not having as yet
experienced the regenerating influ ences o f Poker Flat c o n se
quently see m ed to o ffer some invitation to the emigrants — lay
over a steep mountain range It w as distant a day s severe
trave l In that advanced season the party soon passed o u t o f
the moist temperate regions of the foot hills into the dry cold
bracing air o f the S ierras The trail was narrow and difli cu lt
At noon the D u chess rolling o u t of her saddle upon the
ground decl ared he r intention of going no farther and the
party halted
The spot was singularly wild and impressive A wooded
amphitheatre surrounded o n three sides by precipitous cliffs o f
naked granite l p e d gently toward the crest of another preci
pice that o v erlooked the valley It was undoubtedly the most
suitab l e spot for a camp had camping been ad v isable But
Mr O akh u rst knew that scarcely half the j ourney to S an dv
Bar was accomplished and the party were not equipped or
pro v isioned for delay This fact he pointed out to his c o m p an
ions curtly with a philO S Ophic commentary o n the fo l ly o f
“
”
throwing up their hand before the game was played o u t
But they were furnished with liquor which in this emergency
stood them in place o f food fuel rest and prescience In
s pite of his remon s trances it was not l ong before they were
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
1 96
m ore or l ess under its influence Uncle Billy pa s sed rapid ly
from a be l licose state into one of s tupor the Duchess became
m audl in and Mother S hipton snored Mr O a k hurst al one
re m ained erect l eaning against a rock calmly surveying the m
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Mr O akhurst did n o t drink It interfered with a profession
which required coo l ness impassiveness and presence o f m ind
”
and i n his o wn language he could n t a fford it As he gazed
at h is recumbent fello w-exiles the l oneliness begotten o f h is
pa riah-trade his habits of life his very vices for the first time
serio u s ly oppressed him H e bestirred himself in dusting his
b l ack c l othes washing h is hands and face and other acts char
ac te ris tic o f his studiously neat habits and for a moment forgot
h is annoyance The thought o f deserting his wea k er and more
pitiable companion s ne v er p erhaps occurred to him Yet he
co ul d n o t help feeling the want o f that excitement which singu
larly enough was most conducive to that calm equanimity for
w hich he w as notorious H e l ooked at the gloomy wal l s that
rose a thousand feet sheer above the circling pines around him ;
at the sky ominously clouded ; at the valley below already
deepening into shadow And doing s o suddenly h e heard his
o wn name called
A horseman slow ly ascended the trai l In the fresh open
face of the new-comer Mr O akhurst recogniz ed T o rn S imson
otherw ise known as The Innocent of S andy Bar He had
“
”
met him s o me months before over a little game and h ad
w ith perfect equanimity won the entire fortune — amounting
to some forty dollars
o f that gui l e l ess youth
After the game
w as finished Mr O akhurst drew the youthful speculator behind
the do o r and thus addressed him : T o mmy you re a g o od
l ittl e m an but yo u c an t gamble worth a cent Don t try it
o v er again
H e then handed him his money back p u shed
him gently fro m the room and s o m ade a dev oted s l av e o f
To m S im son
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S H O RT ST O R I E S
198
profanity B u t wh en he returned to the party h e fo u nd th e m
seated by a fire
fo r the air had grown strangely chill and the
sky o ver c ast
in apparently amicab l e conversation Piney w as
actually talking in an impu l sive girlish fashion to the Duchess
who was listening wit h an interest and animation S he had not
i
shown for many days The Innocent was holding forth ap parently with equa l effect to Mr O akhurst and Mothe r S h ip to n ;
—d
I s this yer a d
who w as actual ly relaxing into amiability
”
pic nic ? said Uncle Billy with inward scorn as he s u rv eyed
the sy l van group the glancing fi re ligh t and the tethere d animals
in the foregro u nd S uddenly an idea ming le d with the a l coholic
fu mes that disturbed his brain It was apparently of a j oc u lar
nature for he fe l t impe ll ed to s l ap his l eg again and cram his
fist int o his m o n th
As the shad o ws c rept slow ly u p the m ountain a s l ight breeze
r ocked the tops o f the pine-trees and m oaned through their
lo ng and gl oomy aisles The ru ined cabin patch ed and co vered
w it h pine boughs was s e t apa rt for the l adies As the l overs
parted they unaffectedly exchanged a kiss so honest and s i n c ere
that it might have been heard above the swaying pines The
frai l D u chess and the m al evo l ent Mother S hipton w ere probab ly
too stunned to remark u pon this l ast e v idence o f simplici ty and
so turned witho u t a w o rd to the hut The fire w as replenished
the m en l ay down b efore the door and in a few m inu tes were
asl eep
Mr O akhurst was a light s l eeper Toward morn i ng h e
awoke benumbed and co l d As he stirred the dying fire th e
w ind which was n o w blowing strongly brought to his ch eek
that which caused the blood to leave it — snow !
He started to his feet with the intention of awakening th e
sleepers for there was no time to l ose But turni ng to where
Uncle Billy h ad been lying he found hi m gone A suspicion
leaped t o his brain and a cu rse t o h is lips He ran to the s p o t
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OU TCA S T S
TH E
P O K E R FLAT
OF
1 99
where the mu l es h ad been teth ered ; they were n o longer there
The tracks w ere already rapidly disappeari ng i n the sno w
The mo m entary excitement brought Mr O akhurst back to
the fire with h is u sua l calm He did not w aken the sleepers
The Innocent S l umbered peacefully with a smile o n his good
humored freck l ed face ; the virgin Piney slept beside her frai l er
sisters as sweet ly as though attended by celestial guardians and
Mr O akhurst draw ing his b l anket over his shou l ders stroked
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his mustaches and waited for the dawn I t came slowly in a
whirl in g mist o f snow-fl ak e s that dazz l ed and confused the
eye W h at cou l d be seen o f the landscape appeared magically
changed H e l ooked over the valley and su m moned up t h e
”
present and future in tw o words
snowed in !
A carefu l inventory of the provisions which fort u nate ly for
the party had been stored within the hut and so escaped the
fel onious fingers of Uncl e Bi lly disclosed the fact that wit h c are
and pr u dence they m ight l ast ten days l onger
That i s said
“
Mr O akhurst s otto voce t o the Innocent if yo u re Wil ling t o
b o ard u s If you ain t — and perhaps yo u d bette r n o t — yo u
”
F o r some
c an w a i t til l Unc l e Billy gets back with provisions
o c c u l t reason Mr O akhurst cou l d not bring himsel f to dis cl ose
Uncl e Bil ly s rascality and so offered the hypothesis that he had
wandered from the cam p and had accidentally stampeded the
animal s H e dropped a warning to the Duchess and M o ther
S hipton wh o o f c ourse knew the facts o f their asso c iate s de fe c
tion
They l l find out t h e truth about u s a ll wh en they find
out anything
he added significantly and there s no good
frighten i ng them now
Tom S imson not only put a ll his worl d ly store at the disposal
but seemed to enj oy the prospect o f their
o f M r O akhurst
enforced seclusion
We l l have a good camp fo r a week and
”
then the snow 11 me l t and w e 11 al l go back together T h e
c heerfu l gayety of the yo u ng man and Mr O ak hu rst s calm
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S H OR T S T O R I E S
200
infected the others The Innocent with the aid of pine-bough s
extemporized a thatch fo r the roofless cabin and the Duchess
directed Piney in the rearrangement o f the interior wit h a taste
and tact that O pened the blue eyes o f that provincial maiden to
the i r ful l est extent
I reckon now you re used to fine things
”
at Poker Flat said Piney The Duchess tu rned away s h arply
to c o ncea l something that reddened her cheeks through its pro
f e ss io n al tint and Mother S hipton requested Piney not to
chatter
But when Mr O akhurst returned from a weary
sear ch fo r the trail h e heard the sound of happy laughter ech oed
fr om th e rocks He stopped in some a l arm and h is tho u gh ts
first naturally reverted to the whiskey which he had p rudently
d
And yet it don t somehow sound l ike whiskey said
ca cb e
the gamb l e r It was not until he cau ght sig h t o f the b l az ing
fire t h rough the stil l bl inding stor m and the gr ou p around i t
”
that h e settl ed to the conviction that it was square fun
Whether Mr O akhurst had ca cb éd his cards wit h t h e whiskey
as so m ething debarred the free access of the c o mmu nity I can
not say It was c ertain that in Mothe r Sh ipt o n s words h e
did n t say cards once during that even i ng Hap ly the ti m e
w as begu iled by an accordion produced so m ew h at ostentatiously
by Tom S imson fro m his pack Notwithstanding so m e diffi cu l
ties attending the m anipu l ation o f his instru m ent Piney Woods
m anaged to pluck severa l reluctant m el odies fro m i ts keys to
an acco m paniment by the I nnocent on a pair o f bone castanets
But the crowning festivity o f the evening was reached in a rude
c amp-m eeting hymn wh ic h the l overs j oining hands sang w ith
great earnestn ess and v o ciferation I fear that a c ertain defiant
tone and Covenanter s swing to its choru s rather than any
devotional qual ity cau sed i t speedily t o infe ct the others who
at l ast j o ined in the refrain :
I m p r ou d to li v e i n th e s e rv i ce o f th e L o rd
”
A n d I m b o un d to die in H is arm y
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S H O R T S T OR I E S
20 2
Mothe r Sh ipton saw it and from a re m ote pinnacle o f he r
rocky fastness
hurled in that direction a fina l malediction It
w as her l ast vituperative attempt and perhaps f or that reason
w as in vested with a certain degree o f sublimity I t did her
“
good s h e privately informed the Duchess
Just yo u go out
”
there and c uss and see
S he then se t hersel f to the task of
”
am u sing the chi ld as s h e and the Duchess were p l eased to
cal l Piney Piney was no chicken but it was a soothing and
original theory o f the pair thus to account for the fact that
s h e did n t swear and w as n t improper
When night crept up again through the gorges the reedy
notes o f the accordion rose and fel l in fi tfu l spasm s and long
drawn gasps by the flickering camp-fi re But music failed to fil l
entire ly the aching void left by insu ffi cient food and a ne w
div ersion was proposed by Piney
Neither M r
s to ry te llin g
O akhurst n o r his female companion s caring to rel ate the i r per
sonal experiences this plan would have failed to o but for the
Inno c ent S ome months before he had chanced upon a stray
copy o f Mr Pope s ingenious translation o f the Iliad He no w
prop o sed to narrate the principal incidents of that poe m
having thoro u gh ly mastered the argument and fairly forgotte n
the words — I n the current vernacular o f S andy Bar A n d s o
for the rest of that night the Homeric demigods again walked
the earth Troj an bully and w ily Greek wrestl ed in th e winds
and the great pines in the canon seemed to bow to the Wrath
Mr O akhurst l istened wit h quiet satis
o f the s o n o f Peleus
faction Most especially was h e interested in the fat e of
”
Ash hee l s as the Innocent persisted in denominating the
”
swift footed Achilles
S o with small food and m uch of Homer and the accordion
a week passed over the heads o f the outcasts The s u n again
forsook them and again from leaden s kie s th e snow-flak e s we re
sifted ove r the l and Day by day cl oser a round the m drew t h e
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TH E O U TCA S T S
P O K E R FLAT
OF
20 3
sn o wy circ l e unti l at l ast they l ooked from their prison o v er
dr i fted walls of dazzling white that towered twenty feet above
It became more and mo re difficult to replenish
th e ir h e ads
their fires e v en from the fallen trees beside the m now hal f
hidden in the dr i fts And yet no o n e comp l ained The lovers
turned from the dreary prospect and looked i nto each other s
Mr O akhurst settled himself coo lly to
e yes and were happy
th e losin g game before him The Duchess more cheerfu l than
O nly Mother Sh ipton
s h e had been assumed the care o f Piney
once the strongest o f the party — seemed to sicken and fade
At midnigh t o n the tenth day s h e cal l ed O akhurst to her side
”
I m go i ng s h e said in a voice o f queru l ous weakness but
don t s ay anything about it Don t waken the kids Take the
”
b u nd l e fro m under my head and O pen it
Mr O akhurst did s o
It contained Mother S hipton s rations for the l ast w eek u n
”
touched
G i ve em to the child she said pointing to the sleep
”
ing Piney Yo u v e starved yourself said the ga m b l er That s
”
what they cal l it said the woman queru l ous ly as s h e l ay do w n
again and turning her face to the wa l l passed quietly aw ay
The accordion and the bones were put aside that day and
Homer was forgotten When the body of Mother Sh ipton had
be en committed to the snow Mr O akhurst took the Innocent
f
aside and S howed h im a pair o snow shoes w hich he had
“
fashi o ned from the o ld pack saddle
There s o n e ch ance in a
”
h undred t o save h er yet he said point i ng to Piney ; but i t s
”
there he added pointing towards Poke r F l at
If you can
”
reach there in two days she s safe
And yo u
asked To m
I ll stay here was the c urt reply
S i mson
The l overs parted wit h a long embrace
You are n o t going
”
?
too
said the Duchess as she saw Mr O akhurst apparent ly
wait in g to accompany him
As far as the ca non he rep lied
H e turned suddenly and kissed the Duchess leav ing her pallid
face afl am e and her trem b ling lim b s rigid with amazement
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S H OR T S T O R I E S
204
Night c ame but not Mr O ak h urst It brought th e st orm
agai n an d th e wh irling sno w Then t h e Duchess feeding t h e
fire fo un d that some o ne had quietly p iled beside the h u t en ou gh
fue l to l ast a fe w days l onger The tear s r o se t o h e r eyes b u t
she h id t h e m fro m P i ney
The w omen s l ept but li tt l e In t h e mo rning loo kin g i nt o
each o ther s faces they r ead their fate Neithe r spoke ; but
Piney a c cepting the posit i on of the stronger drew near and
placed h e r arm around the Duchess s w ai st T h ey kept thi s
attitu de fo r the rest of the day That n i ght the storm reached
i ts gre atest fury and rend i ng as u nde r t h e protecting p ines
invaded th e very hut
T ow ard morning they fo u nd t h e m se l ves u nab l e to feed th e
fire wh ich gradually died away As the embers s lowly black
ened t h e Duchess crept cl oser to P i ney and broke the silence
“
”
“
”
of m any h ours : Piney c an yo u pray ?
No dear said
Piney si m p ly The Duchess wi t h out kn owing exactly why
fel t re li eved and putting her h ead u p o n Piney s sho ul der sp o ke
n o mo re And s o reclining the yo u n ger and purer pillowing the
head of he r soiled sister u p o n h er virgin b re as t th ey fel l asleep
F e ath e ry
T h e wi nd l u ll ed as if it feared t o w aken them
d rifts o f sno w shaken fro m the l ong pine-boughs flew l ike
white-w inged birds and settl ed ab o ut them as they slept The
m oon thr ou gh the rifted clou ds l ooked down upon w hat had been
the camp B u t al l h u m an stain all trace o f ea rthly travail w as
hidden beneath the spotl ess m antl e mercifully flung fro m ab o ve
They slept al l that day and the next n o r did t h ey w aken
w he n v o ices and fo o tsteps broke the silence of th e c am p And
w h en pitying fingers bru sh ed the sno w fro m thei r w an faces
o u could s c arce l y have told from the equa l peace t h at dwe l t
y
upon the m which was sh e that had sinned E ven the law of
Poker Flat recognized this and tu rn ed a w ay l eaving the m s till
l ocked i n each o ther s a rm s
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I!
M A R K HE I M
'
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l
1
4
8
8
(
)
RO B ERT L OU I S S TEV EN SO N ( 1 8 5
BY
0— 1
8 9 4)
There i s no finer mode l for t h e study of setting than
this story affords It is three O clock in the afternoon o f a
foggy Christmas Day in London If M ark h e im s manner and
the dimly l ighted interior o f the antique shop suggest m urder
the gar rul ous clocks the nodding shadows and the reflecting
m irrors seem almost to compel confession and surrender
And
stil l as he continued to fil l his pockets his min d accused him
w ith a sickening iteration o f the thousand faults of h is design
H e should h ave chosen a more quiet h our
S o he should fo r
the murder but for the self-confession which is S tevenson s
ul timate design no time o r p l ace could ha v e been better
Plot There is l itt l e action in the plot A man commits a
dastardly murder and then being alone and undetected begins
to think think think It i s the turning point in h is l ife and he
knows it Instead o f se izing the treasure and escaping h e su b
mits his past caree r to a rigid scru tiny and review This brood
ing over his past life and present outlook becomes so absorbing
that what bade fair to be a soliloquy becomes a dialogu e a dia
l ogue between the O ld self that committed the m urder and the
new self that begins to re v olt at it The o ld se l f bids him follow
the line o f least resistance and go o n as he has begun the newly
awakened sel f bids him stop at once check the m omentum o f
other days take this last chance and be a man His better
nature wins M ark h eim finds that though his deeds ha v e been
“
uniformly e v i l h e can stil l conceive great deeds renunciations
etti ng
S
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1
’
F
ner s
ro
m
S on s
“
,
Th e
,
,
,
M e rry
au th o riz e d
A
p
U s e d b y e rm is s io n o f C h arle s S c rib
’
or s
m e ric an u b lis h e rs o f S t e e n s o n s
Men
”
.
p
20 6
v
W k
.
M A R KH E I M
2 07
martyrdoms
Though the acti v e l o v e o f good seems too w eak
”
to be reckoned as an asset he s till has a hatred o f evil ; and
o n this twin foundation ability to think gre at t houghts a n d to
hate e v il deeds he builds at l ast his culm inating reso lv e
The story i s po w erfully and yet subt ly tol d It swee ps the
who l e gamut O f the moral l aw Many st o ries de v e l op th e same
the m
e but none j ust like this S te v enson hi mself is drawn ag ai n
”
to the same problem a littl e l ater in D r Jekyll and Mr Hyde
Hawthorne tried it in Howe s Masquerade ”i n w hich the
cl oaked figure is the phantom or reduplicati on o f Howe himself
”
In Poe s
William Wilson t o which S tevenson is p l ain ly ih
debted the evi l nature triumphs o ver the good But M ark
heim by touching more c hords and by soun ding lowe r depths
makes the triumph at the end seem like a pe rmanent vi c tory
for universal human nature
Cb a ra a ers If the story is the study o f a given si tu ation
M ark h e im w h o is another type o f the deve l opin g c h arac te r is
the central factor in the situation We s e e and i nterpret the
situation only through the personal ity o f M arkh e im himself
Another m urderer might have acted di fferent ly even w ith those
cl amorous clocks and accusing m irrors around h im but not this
murderer There is nothing abnorma l about h imh owever as a
cri m inal He is thirty S ix years o ld and through s h eer weak nes s
h as gone stead i ly downward but h e h as n ever before done a
deed approaching this in horror or in the power o f sudden self
reve l ation H e sees himself now as h e never s aw himself before
and begins to take stock o f his mora l assets They are pitifu lly
meager though his O pportunities for characte r building h ave
been good H e h as e v en had emoti onal r ev i va l s which did n o t
however issue i n good deeds But w ith i t al l Markh eim ill us
trates th e n 9 b ility o f h uman n ature rathe r than its es sential
dep ravity I do n o t doubt his comp l ete and p ermanent conver
sion When the terrib l e l ast q u estion is put to him — o r w h en
he puts it to himsel f — whether he is better now in any o n e
partic u l ar than he w as and when h e is fo rced to s ay
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SH O RT ST O RI E S
20 8
n o ne ! I h ave gone down in all the mora l reso u rces of h u m an
natu re i tse l f see m to be exhausted But they are not
I se e
”
cl early w hat remains for me said M arkh e im by way o f
du ty
This w ord not u sed before sounds a n e w challenge
and marks the crisis o f the story Duty can fight wi th out cal l
ing i n reserves from the past and without the vision o f victory
in the future I don t w o nder that the features o f the visitant
softened w ith a tender triumph
The visitant was neither
”
the devi l as M ark h e im first thought lhi m nor the S aviour
of men as a recent editor pronounces hi m H e is only Mark
h eim s ol d sel f the se l f that entered the antique shop that with
fear and trembling c ommitted the deed and that now half
conscious all the ti m e of inherent falseness u rges the o ld argu
m ents and tries to energize the o ld purposes It is this visitant
that every m an meets and overthrows when he comes to him
se l f when he breaks sharply wi th the old l ife and enters reso
lu tely u pon the new !
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Yes said the dealer o u r windfalls are o f variou s kinds
S ome customers are ignorant and then I touch a dividend o n
m y superior know l edge S ome are dishonest and here he
h eld u p the c and l e s o that the l ight fel l strongly on his visitor
”
”
and in that c ase h e c ontinued I profit by m y virtu e
M ark h e im h ad b u t j u st entered fro m the day l ight streets
and his eyes h ad n o t yet gr o wn fa m iliar with the m ingl ed
shine and darkness in the shop At these pointed w o rds and
before the nea r presence o f the flame h e blinked painfull y
and l ooked aside
The deal e r ch u ck l ed
Yo u come to me on Christmas-day
w hen you know that I am al one in my h ouse
b e resumed
put up m y shutters and make a point o f refusing business
Well you will have to pay fo r that ; you wil l have to pay fo r
m y l oss o f tim e w hen I sh ould be bal ancing my books ; you
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
a nice thing f o r a l ady
he went
t h is h
l ass
fi ftee n th cent ury warranted ; c o mes from a g oo d coll ecti o n
too ; b u t I reserve the name in the interests of m y cu st o mer
w ho was j ust like yourself my dear s ir the nephew and so l e
heir of a rem arkab l e co l lect o r
The dealer whil e h e thu s ran o n in h is dry and biting v o i c e
had stooped to take the obj ect from its place ; and as he had
done so a sh ock had passed through M ark h e im a start b o th
of hand and foot a sudden leap of many tumultuous passi o ns
to th e face It passed as swift l y as it came and l eft no trace
beyond a c ertain trembling of the hand t h at n ow re ceiv ed th e
n o w,
and g
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A gl ass h e said hoarsely and th en paused and repeated
it more cl early
A gl ass ? For Ch rist m as ? S ure l y n o t
”
”
?
And w hy not
cried the dealer
Why not a glass ?
M arkh e im w as l ooking upon him with an in de fi n able expres
”
?
sion
Yo u ask me wh y not
he said
Why l ook here
l o o k i n it l ook at yo u rsel f Do yo u l ike t o s ee it ? No ! n or
”
I — nor any man
The little m an had j u m ped ba ck when M ark h e im h ad so
sudden l y confronted him with the mirror ; but now per c ei v ing
there w as nothing worse o n hand he chuckled
Y our future
”
l ady s ir mu st be pretty hard favored said he
“
I ask you said M arkh e im f o r a Christmas-present and
—
you gi ve me this
this damned re m inder o f years and sins
and follies — this hand—conscience ! Did yo u mean it ? Had
o
u a tho u ght in your mind ?
Tell
m
e
It
wil
l
be
better
for
y
o u if you do
Come
tell
me
about
yourself
I
hazard
a
guess
y
”
now that you are in secr
et a ve ry charitable man ?
The deal er looked closely at his companion It w as very
o dd M arkh e im did not appear to be laughing ; there was
something in his face like an eager sparkle o f hope b u t
no thin go f mi rth
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M A R KH E I M
21 1
What are yo u driving at ? the dealer asked
”
?
Not charitab l e
return e d the other gloomily
Not chari
tab l e ; not pious ; not scrupulous ; unloving unbel o ved ; a hand
to get m oney a safe t o keep it I s t h at a ll ? Dear G o d man
”
?
is that al l
I w ill tel l you what it is began the deal er wit h some
sharpness and then broke o ff aga in into a chuckle
But I s ee
this is a l ove m at c h o f yours and yo u have been drinkin g the
”
l ady s heal th
Ah
Ah !
cried M arkh e im w ith a st range curiosity
”
have yo u been in love ? Te ll me about that
I cried the deal er
I in l o v e ! I never h ad the time
nor have I the time to d ay for al l th i s n o nsense Wil l yo u
”
?
tak e t h e g l ass
“
”
?
Where is the hurry
returned M arkh e im
It is very
p l easant to stand here talking ; and life is s o S hort and insecure
no n o t even
th at I wou l d not hur ry away from any p leasure
from s o mi l d a o ne as this We should rather cl ing cling to
w hat littl e we can get l ike a m an at a Cliff s edge Eve ry s e c
o nd is a cl iff if yo u think up o n it - a cliff a m i l e high — h igh
en ough if we fall to dash us out o f every feature o f hu m anity
H ence i t is best to tal k p l easant ly Let us talk o f each other ;
wh y should we w ear this mask ? Let u s be confidential Wh o
”
knows we might become friends ?
I have j ust o n e word to say to yo u said the deal er
”
E ither make yo ur purchase o r walk ou t of my shop
True true said M arkh e im
E nough fooling To busi
ness S ho w me something else
T h e deal er stooped once mor e this tim e to replace the glass
u p o n the shel f his thin blonde hair fal ling o v er his eyes as h e
"
did s o : M ark h e im moved a little nearer w ith o n e hand in the
-coat
hi
s
l
f
h
k
t
g
r
eat
he
drew
himself
up
and
fi
l
ed
c
e
O
i
s
o
;
p
lu ngs ; a t the sa m e ti m e many d ifferent emotions were depicte d
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S H O RT ST O R I E S
212
togethe r o n hi s face — terror horror and resolve fascinat io n
and a physica l repul sion ; and through a haggard l ift o f h is
u pper lip his teeth l ooked o u t
”
This perhaps may suit observed the dealer ; and th en
as he began to re-arise M arkh eim bounded fro m beh ind up o n
his victim The l ong skewer-l ike dagger flashed and fe ll The
deal er stru ggl ed l ike a hen striking his temple o n the shelf
and then tu m b l ed o n the floor in a heap
Ti m e h ad so m e sc o re o f smal l voices in that s h op so m e
stately and s l ow as w as bec o ming to their great age ; others
garru lous and hurried Al l these to l d o u t the sec o nds in an
i ntri c ate chorus o f ti ckings Then the passage o f a l ad s feet
h eavily ru nning o n t h e pave m ent broke in u pon th ese small er
voices and startl ed M arkh e im int o the c o nscio u sness o f his
surro u nd ings H e l ooked about him awfully The cand l e stood
o n the counter i ts fla m e so l emn l y wagging in a draugh t ; and
by that i n c onsiderab l e m ove m ent the who l e roo m was fi lled
wit h n o ise l ess b u st l e and kept heaving l ike a s ea : the tall
shad o ws nodding the gr o ss b l ots o f darkness swe l ling and
dwind l ing as with respiration the faces o f the portraits and the
china gods changing and wavering l ike i m ages in water T h e
inner door stood aj ar and peered into that l eaguer of shad ow s
th a l ong s l it o f day l ight l ike a pointing finger
Fro m these fear-stricken rovings M ark h e im s eyes returned
to the body o f his victim where it l ay both humped and spraw l
ing in c redib ly smal l and strangely meaner t h an in l ife In th ese
p o or miserly cl othes in that ungainly attitude the dealer l ay
l ike so much sawdust M arkh eim had feared to s ee it and 10 !
i t was noth ing And yet as he gaz ed this bundle o f o l d cl oth es
and poo l o f b l ood began to find eloquent voices There it m u st
l ie ; there was none to work the cunning hinges or direct the
m iracl e o f l ocomotion — th ere it must l ie till it was found
F ou nd ! ay and then ? Then would this dead flesh l ift up a cry
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S H OR T S T O R I E S
z 14
he beheld in galloping defile the clock the pris o n the gall o w s
and the black co ffin
Terro r o f the people in the street sat down before his mind
like a besiegi ng army It w as impossib l e he thought b u t that
s o me ru m or o f the stru ggl e must have reached their ears and
set o n edge thei r curiosity ; and now i n all the neighboring
h ouses he divined the m sitting m otionless and w ith u plifted ear
s oli tary peop l e condemned to spend Christmas dwelling
al one on memories of the past and now start l ingly recalled
fro m that tender exercise ; h appy family parties struck into
si l ence round the table the m othe r stil l with raised finger
every degree and age and humor but all by their o wn hearths
p rying and hearkening and w eav in g the ro p e that w as to hang
him S ometimes it seemed t o him he co u ld not move too softly ;
the cl ink o f the tal l Bohemian gob l ets rang o u t l oudly l ike a
bell ; and al armed by the bignes s of t h e ticking h e w as tempted
to stop the cl ocks And then again w ith a swift transition of
his terrors the very S ilence o f the p l ace appeared a source of
peri l and a thing to strike and freeze the passer-by ; and he
w ould step more bold ly and bustle aloud among the contents
o f the shop and imitate w ith elaborate bravado the m ovements
o f a busy m an at ease in his o wn house
But h e was no w so pulled about by different alarms that
Wh il e o n e portion o f his mind was sti ll ale rt and cunning
another trembled o n the brink o f l unacy O ne hallucination in
pa rt i cul ar took a strong hold on his credu l ity The neighb o r
hearkening w ith w hite face beside his window th e passer-by
arrested by a h orrible surmise o n the pavement — th ese cou l d
at w orst s u spe c t they could not know ; through the brick walls
But h ere
and shuttered wi ndows only sounds co u ld penetrate
wi thin th e house w as he al one ? He kne w h e was ; h e had
w atched the servant s et fo rth sweethearting in h er poor best
”
w ritten i n eve ry ribbon and smile Ye s he
o u t for the day
or
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M A R KH E I M
w as al one
21
5
course ; and yet in the bu lk of empty hou se
above him he could surely hear a stir o f delicate footing — h e
was surely conscious inexplicably conscious of som e presence
Ay sure ly ; to every room and corner o f the house his imagina
tion followed it ; and now i t was a faceless thing and yet had
eyes to s e e with ; and again it was a S hadow o f himself ; and
yet again behold the image o f the dead dealer reinspired with
cunning and hatred
At times with a strong effort he would gl ance at th e open
door which still seemed to repel his eyes The house was tall
the skylight smal l and dirty the day blind with fog ; and th e
l ight that filtered down to the ground story was exceedingly
faint and showed dimly o n the thresho l d o f the shop And yet
in that strip of doubtful brightness did there n o t hang w ave ring
a S hadow ?
S udden ly from the street outside a very j ovial gentl eman
began to beat with a staff o n the shop-door accompanying his
blows with S houts and railleries in which the dealer was c o n
M ark h e im smitten i nto ice
tinu ally ca l led u pon by name
glanced at the dead man But no ! he lay quite still ; h e w as
fled away far beyond earshot o f these b lows and shoutings ; he
w as sunk beneath seas o f silence ; and his name which would
once hav e caught his notice above the howling o f a storm h ad
become an empty sound And presently the j ovial gentle m an
desisted from his knocking and departed
Here was a broad hint to hurry w hat remained to be done
to get fort h from this accusing neighborh ood to p l unge into a
bath of London multitude s and to reach o n the other side o f
day th at h aven o f safety and apparent innocence his bed O ne
visitor had come : at any moment another might follow and be
m ore obstinate To hav e done the deed and yet not to reap the
profit would b e too abhorrent a failure The money that was
now M ark h e im s concern ; and as a means to that the keys
of
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S H O R T S T OR I E S
216
H e gl anced over his S hou l der at the open doo r wh ere th e
s h adow was sti ll l ingering and S hivering ; and with no conscious
rep u gnance of the mind yet with a tremor o f the belly he dre w
near the body o f his victi m The human character had q u ite
departed Like a s u it h alf -st u ffed with bran the l i m bs l ay s c at
te re d the trunk doubled on the fl oo r ; and yet t h e thing
repell ed him A l though so dingy and in considerable to the eye
he feared it might h ave more signifi c ance to the touch H e
t oo k the b o dy by the S hou l ders and t urned it o n its back It
w as strangely l igh t and supple and t h e l imbs a s if they had
been br o ken fell into the oddest p o st ures The face was robbed
o f al l expression ; but it was as pal e as wax and sho ck i ngly
s m eared w ith blood about o n e te m p l e That was for M arkh eim
the o n e disp l easing circu m stance It c arried him back u pon
the instant to a cer tain fair day in a fi sh er s village : a gray
day a piping wind a crowd u pon the street the blare of
brasses the booming o f dru ms the nasal voice o f a ball ad
singer ; and a boy going to and fro b u ried o ver head in the c r o wd
and divided between interest and fear until coming o u t u pon t h e
chief place o f conc o urse he beheld a boot h and a great screen
with p i ctures dismally designed garishly colored : Brownrigg
w ith her apprentice ; the Mannings wi th their m urdered gu est ;
Weare in the death-grip o f T h u rt ell ; and a score besides of
fam ous crimes The thing was as c lear as an il l usion ; h e was
on c e again that litt l e boy ; he was l ooking o nce again and w it h
the same sense o f physical revo l t at these vi l e pictures ; he
was sti ll stunned by the thumping o f the drums A bar of that
day s m usi c returned upon his memo ry ; and at that fo r the
first tim e a q u alm came over him a breat h o f nausea a s u d
den w eakness o f the j oints which he m ust instantly resist
and conq u er
H e j udged it more prudent to confront than to flee fro m
these co nsiderations ; looki ng the more hardily in th e dead
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21
S H O RT S T O R I E S
8
m ingl e with th e patter
the drops upon the c u po l a and the
gushing of the water in the pipes The sense that he was not
alo ne gre w upon him to the verge o f madness O n eve ry side
h e was haunted and begirt by presences He heard them
m oving in the upper chambers ; f rom the s h Op he heard the
dead man getting to his l egs ; and as he began with a great
e ffort to m ount the stairs feet fled quietly before him and fo l
l owed stealthily behind If he were but deaf h e thought how
tranqui lly he wou l d possess his soul And then again and h eark
en in gwith every fresh attention he b l essed himself for that u n re
sisting sense which h e l d the outposts and stood a trusty sentine l
u pon his l ife His head tu rned continually o n his neck ; his
eyes wh i ch seemed starting from their orbits scouted o n every
side and o n e v ery side were half-rewarded as w ith the tai l o f
s o mething nam eless vanish ing The four-and-t w enty step s t o
th e first floor were four and twenty agonies
O n that first st o ry the door stood aj ar three o f the m l ike
three ambushes shaking h is nerves l ike the throats o f can non
H e cou l d never again he fel t be su fficiently imm u red and
fortified fro m men s observing eyes ; h e l onged to be h ome
girt in by walls buried am o ng bedcl othes and invisible to al l
but God And at that thought h e wondered a l ittl e recollecting
tales o f other mu rderers and the fear t h ey w ere said to enter
tain of heaven ly avengers It was not s o at l east with him
He feared the l aws o f nature l est in their callous and imm u
tab l e procedure they sho u ld preserve some damning evidence
H e feared tenfold m ore w ith a s l avish s u p e rs ti
o f his c rime
ti o us terror some scission in the contin u ity of m an s experience
some willful ill egality o f nature H e p l ayed a game of skill
depending o n the rules cal culating consequence from cau s e ;
and what if nature as the defeated tyrant overthrew the chess
board should break the mold o f their succession ? The like
h ad befall en N apo l eon ( so writers said) when the w inter chan ged
of
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M A R KH E I M
19
th e t im e o f i ts appearance The l ike m ight befall M ark h eim
t h e solid wa l ls might beco m e transparent and reveal his doings
l ike t h ose o f bees in a glass hive ; the stout p l anks might yie ld
u nder his foot like quicksands and detain him in their c lu tc h ;
and
there
were
soberer
a
c
cidents
that
mig
h
t
destroy
him
a
y
if for instance the house shou l d fal l and imprison him beside
the b o dy of his victim ; the house next door shou l d fly on fire
and the firemen invade him from a ll S ides These th i ngs h e
feared ; and in a sense these things might be c a ll ed t h e h ands
But about God himself h e
o f God reached forth against sin
was at ease ; his a c t was doubtless ex c eptional but so were
his ex cu ses which G o d knew ; it was there and not a mo ng
m en th at he fel t sure o f j ustice
When he h ad got safe into the drawing-roo m and sh u t the
d o or behind him he w as aw are o f a respite fro m a l arm s The
roo m was quite dismantled uncarpeted besides and strewn
w ith packing cases and incongruous fu rniture ; several great
p i er gl asses in which he beheld hi m se l f at various angl es like
an actor o n the stage ; many pictu res fram ed and u nfram ed
standing wit h t h eir faces to the wal l ; a fine S heraton S ideb o ard
a cabinet o f m arqu etry and a great o ld bed w it h tapestry
hangi ngs The windows opened to the floor ; but by gr eat
good fortune the lower pa rt o f th e S hutters had been clo sed
and this conceal ed him from the neighb o rs H ere then Mark
hei m drew in a packing case before the cabinet and began to
search among the keys It was a l ong business for there w ere
many ; and it was irksome besides ; for after al l there might
be nothing in t h e cabinet and time w as on t h e wing But the
cl oseness of the o c cu pation sobered h im With the tai l o f his
eye h e s aw the door — even gl an c ed at it from ti m e to ti m e
dire c tly l ike a besieged com m ander p l eased to verify t h e good
estate o f his defenses But in tru t h h e was at peace The rai n
fa ll ing in th e street s ou nded natura l and p l easant Present ly
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
2 20
t h e other s i de the notes of a piano were wakened t o th e
music o f a hymn and the voices o f many chi l dren took u p t h e
ai r and words How state l y h o w co m fo rtable was the me l ody !
H o w fresh the youthful voices ! M arkh e im gave ear to it smi l
ingly as he sorted o u t the keys ; and his mind was thronged
w i t h answerable ideas and images ; church -going chi l dren and
the peal ing o f the high organ ; children afie l d bathers by the
brook side ra m blers o n the bram bly co m mon kite-flye rs i n the
windy and clo u d-navigated s k y ; and th e n at another c adence
o f the hymn back again to church and the so m no l ence o f
summer S undays and the high gentee l voi c e o f the pars o n
w
h
ich
he
smiled
a
l
ittle
to
reca
l
l
and
the
painted
Jac
o
bean
(
)
to m bs and the di m l ettering of the Ten C o m m and m ents in
th e c hancel
And as he s at thu s at once b u sy and absent he was sta rt l ed
to h is feet A flash of ice a flash o f fire a b u rsting gu s h o f
b l ood went o ver him and then he st oo d transfixed and th ri ll
ing A step m ounted the stair slowly and steadily and present ly
a hand was l aid upon t h e knob and the l ock clicked and t h e
d oo r opened
Fear he l d M arkh e im in a v i ce What to expe c t h e knew
n o t whether the dead m an walking or the o fficia l ministe r s of
human j ustice or some chance witness b l indly stu mb ling in t o
consign him to the gall ows But when a face was thrust i nt o
the ape rt u re glanced round the room l ooked at him nodded
and smi l ed as if in friendly recognition and then withdrew
again and the door cl osed behind it his fear broke l oose fro m
his c o ntro l i n a h o arse cry At the s ou nd o f this the visi tant
returned
”
Did y ou cal l me ? he asked p l easant ly and with th at h e
entered the room and cl osed the door behind hi m
M ark h e im stood and gazed at him with al l his eyes Per
h aps there w as a fi lm u pon h is sight bu t the outl ines o f th e
on
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
2 22
fac es t h ey woul d be al together different they wo ul d shine out
fo r h e r oes and sai nts ! I a m worse than most ; my se l f is more
o verl aid ; m y excuse is kn o wn to me and God But h ad I th e
”
time I co u l d disclo se myse l f
”
T o m e ? in q u ired the visitant
”
To y o u before a ll returned the murderer
I s u pp os ed
yo u w ere inte l ligent I t ho ugh t
since you ex i st — you would
pr o ve a reader of the hea rt And yet yo u w o uld propose to
j u dge m e by my acts ! Think o f it ; my acts ! I was born and
I h ave l ived in a l and of giants ; gi ants hav e dragged m e by
the wrists S ince I was born out o f my mother
the gi ants o f
circum stance And yo u w o u l d j udge m e by m y acts ! But can
?
y ou n o t l ook within Can yo u not u nderstand that evi l is hate
fu l to me ? Can yo u not s e e w ithin me the clear wri ting of
co ns cience never b l urred by any wil l fu l so phi st ry al though too
o ften disregarded ? Can yo u n o t read me for a thing that s u rely
”
—
m u st be c o mm on as h um anity
the unwilling sinner ?
”
—
A ll this is very feel in gly e xpre s sed -was the reply
but
i t regards m e not These points o f consistency are beyond my
pr o vince and I care not in the l east by what compu l sion y ou
m ay h ave been dragged away so as yo u are but c arried in the
right d i rection But time flies ; the servant de l ays l ooking i n
the fa c es of the c rowd and at t h e pictures o n t h e h oardings
b u t sti ll sh e keeps mo v ing nearer ; and remember it i s as if
the gallo ws itse l f was striding toward yo u through the Christ
m as streets ! S hall I h el p you ; I wh o know al l ? S hall I tell
”
yo u where to find the money ?
”
F or what price ? asked M arkh e im
I offer y ou the service for a Christmas gift returned t h e
other
M ark h e im cou l d not refrain from smiling wit h a kind o f
”
bitter triumph
No said he
I will take nothing at your
h ands ; if I w ere dying of thirst and it was your hand t h at put
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M A R KH E I M
223
the pitcher to my lips I should find the courage to refuse It
m ay be credulous but I will do nothing to commit myself to evil
”
I have no obj ection to a death bed repentance observed
the visitant
Because you disbelieve their e fli c acy
M arkh e im c ried
I do not say s o returned the other ; but I l ook o n these
things from a different side and when the l ife is done my in
The man has lived to ser v e m e to S pread b l ack
te re s t fal l s
l ooks under co l or o f religion o r to s o w tares in the wheat fi eld
as you do in a course of w eak compliance with desire Now
that he draws s o near to his deliverance h e can add but one
act o f ser v ice — to repent to die smiling and thus to b u ild up
in confidence and h Op e the more timorous o f my su rviving fo l
l owers I a m n o t so hard a master Try me Accept my hel p
P l ease yourself in l ife as you have done h itherto ; please your
sel f more amply spread you r e l bows at the board ; and when
the night begins to fal l and t h e cu rtains to be drawn I tel l
you for your greater comfort that yo u wi ll find it e v en easy
to compound your quarre l w it h your conscience and to m ake a
tru ckling peace with God I came but now from su ch a death
bed and the roo m was fu ll o f S in cere m ourners l istening t o t h e
man s l ast w ords : and when I l ooked into that face w hich h ad
been set as a flint against mercy I found it smil ing with h Op e
“
”
?
And do yo u then suppose me such a creature
asked
M arkh e im
Do you think I have no more generous aspirations
than to S in and S in and sin and at last sneak into heaven ?
My heart rises at the thought I s this then your experience o f
?
mankind o r is it because you find me w ith red hands that you
presume such baseness ? and is this crime o f murder indeed
”
s o impious as to dry up t h e very springs o f good ?
Murder is to me no S pecial category replied the oth er
All S ins are murder e v en as al l life is war I behold your
race like sta rvi ng mariners o n a raft p luck i ng crusts o u t of
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
2 24
the hands o f famine and feeding on each ot h er s l ives I follo w
sins beyond the moment of their acting ; I find in all th at the
l ast co nseq u ence i s death ; and to my eyes the pretty maid
wh o t h warts her m o t h er w it h suc h taking graces o n a questio n
o f a ba ll
dri ps no l ess visib ly w it h human go re than s u ch a
m urdere r as yo u rse l f Do I s ay that I fo ll ow sins ? I fo ll ow
vi rt u es a l so ; they differ not by the thickness of a nail they are
bot h scyt h es for the reap i ng ange l o f Deat h E vil fo r which I
l ive co nsists n o t in action but in chara c ter The bad man i s
dear t o me ; not the bad act whose fruits i f we cou l d fo l l o w
t h e m fa r en o ug h down the hurt l ing cataract of the ages m igh t
yet be found mo re b l essed than those of the rarest virt u es
And i t i s not because y o u h ave killed a dealer but be c ause
”
yo u are M arkh e im th at I offered to fo rward your es c ape
I w i ll l ay m y h eart open to y o u answered M arkh eim
This crim e on w h ich you find m e i s my last O n my w ay to
i t I h ave l earned m any l essons ; itself is a lesson a momentous
l esson Hitherto I have been driven with revo l t to what I w o ul d
not ; I was a bond-S l ave to poverty driven and scourged There
are robust virtues that c an stand i n these temptations ; mine was
f
not so : I had a thirst o pleasure But to day and o u t o f this
deed I p l uck bot h w arning and ri ches — both the power and a
fresh reso l ve to be m yself I become in al l things a free a c tor in
the world ; I begin to s e e m yse l f al l changed these hands the
agents of good this h eart at peace S omething comes over m e
o u t of the past ; something o f what I h a v e dreamed on S abbat h
evenings to the sound o f the church organ o f what I forecast
when I shed tears over noble books o r talked an innocent child
w ith m y m other There l ies my l ife ; I h ave wandered a fe w
”
years but n ow I see once m ore my city o f destination
Yo u are to use this money on the S tock Exchange I
”
?
t h ink
remarked the visitor ; and there if I mistake not
”
y ou h ave a l ready l ost so m e th ou sands ?
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S H OR T S T O R I E S
2 26
right to be s o ; and at any account it is the same with al l men
But granting that are yo u in any one particular however tri
fling more di fficult to please with your o wn conduct o r do you
go i n al l th ings w ith a l ooser rein ?
”
In any o n e ? repeated M ark h eim with an angui s h o f c o n
“
sideration
No he added with despair in none ! I have
gone down in al l
”
Then said the visitor
content yourself with what you
are fo r yo u wil l never change ; and the !words o f your part o n
”
this stage are irrevocably w ritten down
M arkh e im stood for a long while silent and indeed it was
”
the visitor who first broke the silence
That being s o he
”
“
?
said
shall I S how yo u the money
”
And grace ? cried M arkh e im
”
?
Ha v e yo u not tried it
returned the oth er
Two o r
three years ago did I not s e e yo u o n the platform o f re v i v a l
”
?
meetings and was not your voice the l oudest in the hymn
”
It is true said M ark h e im ; and I s e e cl early what re
m ain s for me by way o f duty I thank you for these l essons
fro m m y sou l : m y eyes are O pened and I behold myself at
”
l ast for what I am
At this moment the sharp note of the door-bel l rung through
the house ; and the vi s itant as though this were some concerted
signal fo r which h e h ad been waiting changed at once in his
demeanor
The maid ! he cried
S he has returned as I forewarned
you and there is n o w before you one more di ffi cu l t pa s s age
Her master you must s ay is ill ; you must l et her in with an
—
no smi l es
assure d but rathe r serious countenance
no over
acti ng and I promise you succes s ! O nce the girl within and
th e door cl osed the same dexterity that has already rid you o f
the dealer w ill relieve you o f this last danger in your path
Then c efo rw ard yo u have the who l e evening
t h e who le night
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M A R KH E I M
227
i f needfu l
to ransack the treasures o f the house and to make
good your safety This is help that comes to you with the mask
”
Up !
he cried :
up friend ; your l ife hangs
o f danger
”
trembling in the scal es ; up and ac t !
M arkh e im steadily regarded his counse l lor
If I be co n
h e said there is stil l o n e door o f free
dem ne d to evi l acts
do m open
I can cease from action If my l ife be an ill thing
I can l ay it down Though I be as you s ay tru ly at the beck
I c an yet by one decisive gesture
o f eve ry small temptation
place myse l f beyond the reach o f al l My l ove o f good is
damned to barrenness ; it may and let it be ! But I have still
my hatred o f evi l ; and from that to your gall ing disappoint
m ent yo u shall s e e that I c an draw both energy and courage
The features o f the visito r began to u ndergo a wonderfu l
and lovely change ; they brightened and softened w ith a tender
triumph ; and even as they brightened faded and dislimned
But M arkh e im did not pause to watch o r u nderstand the trans
formation He O pened the door and went down-stairs very
S l ow ly thinking to himself His past went soberly before him
h e beheld it as it was ugly and strenu o us like a dream rando m
as chance-medley
a scene o f defeat Life as he thus reviewed
it tempted h i m no l onger but o n the further side he perceived
a quiet haven for his bark He paused i n the passage and
l ooked into the shop w h ere t h e cand l e sti ll burned by the dead
body It was strange ly S i l ent Th o ughts o f the dealer swarmed
into h is mind as he stood gazing And then the bel l once more
broke o u t into impatient clamor
H e confronted the m aid upon the thresh ol d w it h something
l ike a smile
said he : I h ave kill ed
Yo u had better go f o r the police
”
y our m aster
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BY
T H E N E C KL A C E
GU Y
1
1
8
5
8
(
)
M A U PA SS ANT ( 1 8 5 0 — 1 8 9 3 )
DE
wing The st ory i s s et in a Par i s at m osphe r e o f s oci al
The backgr
ound is o ne o f st u died
aspirati o n and discontent
co ntrasts co ntrasts betw een the stolid contentm ent o f a hu s
band and the w ould-b e lu xuri ou sness o f a wife be t ween wh at
Madame Loise l had and what she w anted bet w een wh at she
w as and what sh e thought she coul d be between h er brief
m oment o f tri u mph and the l ong years o f h er u ndo ing between
the trivial ness o f wh at s h e did and t h e h eaviness of her punis h
m ent These c ontrasts are developed n o t by reas o n ing but by
action each acti o n p l unging Madame Loise l deeper and deepe r
i nt o m ise ry The author s attitu de toward his w o rk form s a l so
a part of th e rea l background Maupassant sh o ws ne i ther sym
pathy nor i ndignation He writes as if he w ere the stenographer
of impersonal and piti l ess fate
Plot Mada m e Loisel a po o r b u t bea u tifu l and a m bitious
wom an b o rrows and l oses a diamond necklace val u ed at $ 7 2 0 0
That at l east is w hat Madame Loise l thought for ten te rrib l e
years and that is what the reader thinks ti l l he c omes to the
l ast w ords o f th e story The p l ot belongs therefore to that
l arge group known as hoax plots In most of these stories o n e
pers o n p l ays a j oke o n anoth er In this story a gri m fate is
m ade t o p l ay th e j oke In fact the current phrase the irony
”
o f fate finds h ere perfect illustration We use the exp ressi o n
n o t s o mu ch o f a great misfortune as o f a misfo rtune that see m s
bro u ght ab ou t by a peculiarly m alignant train o f c ir cum stances
T h e i nj ury in this case not only w as irremediab l e but t u rned
S
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1
La
p
aru re
f
ro m
C o n te s
2 28
e t n ou
v
e lle s
.
SH ORT ST ORI E S
2 30
stories that he is interested not so much in the free p l ay or t h e
ful l reaction o f personali ty as in the enslavement o f persona l ity
through passion o r chance He saw life without order becau se
without center without reward because without desert ; and his
characters are made to s ee it through the same l ens and to
experience i t o n the same le v el They either do not react o r do
not react nobly Had Madame Loise l and her hus b and been
shaped to fit int o a less mechanical scheme o f things they would
have recognized in their ten years trial the cal l to something
h igher They could have used their testing as a m eans o f
u nderstanding with keener sympathy the lifelong testing o f
others They could hav e attained a self de v elO p m e n t that would
have bro u ght a happiness undreamed o f before the fateful
January 1 8 But this is Browning s way not M au pas s an t s
The l atter prefers to make M adame Loisel and her husband
chiefly o f putty so that they m ay illustrate the blind thru sts o f
accident rather than the power o f personal ity to turn stumbling
b loc ks i nto stepping-stone s !
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Sh e was
,
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of those pretty and charming girls w ho as i f by
a mistake o f destiny are born in a family o f employees S he
had no dowry no expectations no m eans o f becoming known
understood loved wedded by any rich and distinguished man ;
and so s h e let herself be married to a petty clerk in the Bureau
o f Public Instruction
S he was S imple in her dress because s h e could not be elabo
rate but s h e was as unhappy as i f sh e had fallen from a higher
rank for w ith women there is no inherited distinction of higher
and l ower Their beauty their grace and their natural charm
fi ll the p l ace o f birth and fami ly Natural de l icacy instinctive
e l egance a l ively wit are the ruling forces in the s o cial realm
and these m ake the daughters o f the common people the equal s
o f the finest ladies
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T H E N E C KLA C E
23 1
Sh e su ffered intense ly feel ing hersel f b o rn fo r all th e re fine
m ents and l uxuries of life S he su ffered fro m the p o verty o f
her ho m e as s h e l ooked at the dirty wal ls the w o rn-o u t chairs
the u g ly cu rtains A ll those things o f which anot h er w o m an o f
her statio n wou l d have been quite u n c ons c ious tortured her and
made h er indignant The sight o f the c o u ntry gir l who was
maid-o f-a ll-work in her h um b l e h o u se h o l d fil l ed her a lm ost with
desperation S he dreamed o f ech o ing halls hu ng w ith O riental
draperies and l ighted by tal l br o nze c andel abra wh i l e two tal l
footmen in knee-bree ches drowsed in great armchairs by reason
S he dreamed o f
o f the heating sto v e s oppressive war m th
sp l endid parl ors furnished in rare old silks o f ca rved cabinets
l oaded with priceless b ric-a-bra c and of entran c ing l ittl e bou
do irs j ust right for aftern oo n chats with boso m friends — men
fa m ous and sought after the envy and the desire o f all th e
other wo m en
When s h e sat down to dinner at a l ittl e tab l e covered with
a cl oth three days old and l o o ked across at her hu sband
as he u n c overed t h e so u p and exclai m ed w i t h an air of rapt
ure
O h the de l i c ious stew ! I kno w nothing better than
t h at
she drea m ed of dain ty dinners of shining si lve rw are
of tapestries whi ch peopled the wal ls wit h antique figures and
strange birds in fairy forests ; she dreamed o f de l icious viands
served in wonderfu l dishes o f whispered gallantries heard with
a S phinx-l ike smile as you eat the pink flesh o f a trout o r the
wing o f a quai l
S he had no dresses no j ewel s nothing ; and S he l oved noth
ing e l se S he felt made fo r that alone S h e was fil l ed with a
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desire to please to be envied to be bewitching and sought after
S he had a rich friend a former schoolmate at the convent who m
she no l onger wished to visit because she su ffered s o much when
she came home F o r w hole days at a time s h e wept witho u t
ce asing in bitterness and hopeless mise ry
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S H O RT ST O R I E S
2 32
Now o n e even i ng her husband came home with a triump h ant
aI r ho l ding in his hand a l arge enve l ope
”
There said h e there is something fo r yo u
S he quick ly tore open the paper and drew o u t a printed c ard
bearing these w ords
The Minister o f P ublic Instru ction and Mme Georges R am
L
o is e l s company
ne
a
u request the honor o f M and Mme
o
u
p
at the pal ace o f the Ministry Monday evening January 1 8 th
Instead o f being overcome with delight as her husband
expected she threw the invitation o n the table w ith disdai n
m urmuring
What do yo u wis h me to do w ith that ?
Why my dear I thought you would be pleased Yo u never
out
and
this
is
such
a
fine
opportunity
I
had
awfu
l
trouble
o
!
g
in getting it E very o n e wants to go ; it is very sel ect and they
are no t giving many invitations to cl erks Yo u will s ee a ll th e
o ffi cial w orld
S he l ooked at him with irritation and said im patiently
”
?
What do yo u expect m e to put o n my back if I go
He had not thought o f that H e stammered
Why the dress yo u go to the theatre in It seems al l righ t
”
to me
He stopped s tu p e fie d distracted on seeing that his wife was
crying Two great tears descended slowly from the corners o f
her eyes toward the co rners of her mouth H e stuttered :
What s the matter ? What s the matter
By a violent effort she subdued her feelings and replied in a
calm voice as she wiped h er wet cheeks :
Nothing O n ly I have no dress and consequently I cannot
go to this ball Give your invitation to some friend whose w ife
”
has better clothes than I
H e was in despair but began again
Let u s s e e Mathilde How much would it cost a suitab le
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,
S H OR T S T OR I E S
2 34
B u t h e r h u sband cried
How st u pid you are ! Go and find yo u r friend Madame
Fo r estie r and ask h er to l end y o u so m e j e w e l s Yo u are
”
intim ate eno u gh w ith h e r fo r th at
Sh e u ttered a c ry o f j oy
O f co u rse I had not thought o f that
T h e next day she went to h er friend s house and to l d
h e r distress
Madam e F o restier went to he r h andso m e wardrobe took
o u t a l arge casket br ought it back opened i t and said to
Mada m e Loise l :
“
C h oose my dear
Sh e saw first o f all so m e bra c e l ets th en a pear l neck l ace
t h en a Venetian c ross o f gol d se t with precious stones Of w on
Sh e tried on th e orna m ents befo re the
derfu l workmans h ip
l
ass
hesitated
c
o
ul
d
not
m
ake
up
he
r
m
ind
to
pa
r
t
wi
t
h
t
h
em
g
t o gi ve t h e m back S he kept asking
”
Y ou h ave n o thing e l se ?
W hy yes But I do n o t kn ow w hat w ill p l ease you
A ll at o n c e sh e d i s co vered in a b l a ck satin box a sp l endid
diam ond neck l a c e and h er h eart began to beat w it h b ou nd l ess
desire Her hands tremb l ed as S h e took i t S he fastened it
ar ou nd h er thr o at o ver her high-necked dress and stoo d lo st
in e c stasy as s h e l ooked at herse l f
Then sh e asked h esitating fu ll Of anx i ety
”
Wo ul d y ou l end m e that
on ly that ?
Why yes c ertain ly
Sh e sp rang u p o n the neck o f h e r fri end e m b r ac ed her
rapt u rou s ly then fled w ith h e r treasur e
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,
T h e day o f t h e ball arrived Mada m e Lo i se l w as a s ucc ess
S he was prettier than all the others el egant gracious smil ing
and c razy with j oy Al l the m en stared at h er asked h er nam e
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,
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THE
N E C KLA C E
2 35
tried to be introduced All the cabinet o flfic ials wished to waltz
with her The minister noticed her
S he danced with delight with passion intoxicated with
p l easure forgetting all in the triumph of her beauty in the
glo ry o f her success in a sort of mist o f happiness the result
al l this homage all this admiration al l these awakened
of
desires this victory so complete and so sweet to the heart
o f woman
S he left about four o clock in the morning Her husband h ad
been dozing since midnight in a little deserted anteroom wit h
three other gentlemen whose w i v es were hav ing a good time
H e threw about her shoulders the wraps whic h h e h ad
brought for her to go out in the modest wraps o f common
l ife whose po v erty contrasted sharply with the elegance o f the
bal l dress S he felt this and wished to escape that s h e migh t
not be noticed by the other women who w ere w rapping
themse l ves in costly furs
Loisel held her back
Wait here you will catch c o l d outside I wi ll go and find
”
a cab
But s h e wo u ld not listen to him and rapidly descended the
stairs When they were at last in the street they could find
no carriage and began to look fo r o n e hailing the cabmen
they s aw passing at a distance
They walked down toward the S eine in despair shi v ering
with the cold At l ast they found on the quay o ne of those
ancient nocturnal cabs that o n e sees in P aris on ly after dark
as if they were ashamed to display their wretchedness du ri ng
the day
They were put down at their door in the R ue des Martyrs
and sad ly mounted the steps to their apartm ents It was all
over fo r her And as for hi m he refle c ted that h e mu st be at
h is O ffi ce at ten o clock
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S H O R T S T OR I E S
2 36
S he t ook O ff the wraps which covered her shoulders before
the mirror so as to take a fina l look at herse l f in all her
gl ory B u t sudden ly she uttered a c ry S he no l onger h ad the
neck l ace abo u t her neck !
H er husband al ready hal f undressed inqu i red
,
,
.
.
,
,
”
What is the matter ?
Sh e turned madly toward him
I hav e — I have
I no longer have Madame F o restier s
”
necklace
He stood up distracted
What
how
it is impossible !
They l ooked in the folds of her dress in the fo l ds o f her
cloak in the pockets everywhere They could not find a
trace of it
He asked
You are sure yo u stil l had it when you l eft the ball
Yes I fe l t it o n m e in the vestibu l e at the pal ace
But if yo u had l ost it in the street we should have h eard
it fall I t must be in the cab
”
Yes That s probable Did you ta k e the number ?
No And you you did not notice it
N0
They looked at each other thunderstruck At l ast Loisel
put on his clothes again
”
I am going back said he o v er every foot o f the w ay w e
came to se e if I cannot find it
S o he sta rted S he remained in her b all dress without strength
to go to bed sitting o n a chair with no fire her mind a blank
H er hus band returned about seven o c lo ck He had found
nothing
He went to police headquarters to the newspapers to offer
a reward to the c ab companies e v erywhere in sh o rt w here
a trace of hope l ed hi m
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S H O RT ST O R I E S
2 38
ru ino u s engage m ents dealt with usurers with all th e tribe o f
money l enders He compromised the rest o f his life risked his
signat u re without knowing if he might not be in v ol v ing his honor
,
,
,
.
,
and terrified by the anguish yet to come by the black misery
about to fal l u pon him by the prospect o f e v e r
y physical priva
tion and every mental torture he went to get the new necklace
and l aid down o n the dealer s counter thirty-six thousand francs
When Madame Loise l took the neck lace back to Madame
Forestier the latter said coldly
“
You should h ave ret u rned i t sooner for I might have
”
needed it
S he did not O pen the case to the relief o f her friend If she
had detected the substitution what would s h e hav e thought ?
What wo ul d sh e h ave said ? Would s h e have taken her friend
f o r a thief ?
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M adam e L o ise l now knew the horrib l e l ife o f the needy
But sh e took her part heroically They must pay this frightfu l
debt S he would pay it They dismissed their maid ; they gav e
up their room ; they rented another under the roof
S he came to know the drudgery of housework the odiou s
l abors of the kitchen S he washed the dishes staining her rosy
nails on the greasy pots and the bottoms of the saucepans
S he washed the dirty linen the shirts and the dishcloths which
s h e hung to dry on a line ; s h e carried the garbage down to
the street every morning and carried up the water stopping
at each landing to rest And dressed l ike a woman o f the
pe o ple sh e went to the fruiterer s the grocer s the butcher s
1
her basket o n her arm bargaining abusing defending s o u by
sou her miserab l e money
E ach month they had t o pay so m e notes renew o thers
obtain more time
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1
A
s ou , o r
fi v e -c e n t im e
pi
ece,
is
e q u al
to
o ne c e nt of our
mone
y
.
N E C KLA C E
TH E
2 39
T h e h usband worked eve ry evening nea tly fo o t i ng u p th e
account books o f some tradesman and O ften far int o t h e night
he s at copy i ng manuscript at fi v e so u s a page
And this l ife lasted ten years
At the end of ten years they had paid everything — every
thing with the exactions o f usury and the accum ul ations of
c ompound interest
M ada m e Loisel seemed aged now S he had become the
woman o f impo v erished ho u seholds — strong and h ard and
rough With hair half combed with skirts awry and reddened
hands s h e talked loud as S he washed the floor with great
swishes o f water But sometimes when h er husband was at
the o ffice sh e s at down near the window and thought o f that
evening at the ball s o l ong ago when s h e had been s o beau tiful
and so admired
What w o u l d h ave happened if s h e h ad not l ost that neck
l ace ? Who kn o ws wh o knows ? How strange l ife is ho w
changefu l ! How l itt l e a thing is needed for u s t o be l ost or
to be saved !
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But o n e S unday as s h e was going for a walk in the Champs
Elys ees to refresh herself after the labors o f the week al l at
once Sh e saw a woman walking with a child It w as Madame
F o re s tie r stil l young still beautiful stil l charming
Madame Loise l w as agitated S hould s h e S peak to her ?
Why o f co u rse And n o w that sh e had paid S he would tel l
h er all Why not ?
Sh e drew near
Good morning Jeanne
The other astonished to be addressed so familiarly by this
wo m an o f the people did not recognize her S he stammered
“
But — madame — I do not know you Yo u must have
”
m ade a m istake
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SH O RT ST O R I E S
2 40
N o I a m Math i l de Loise l
Her friend u ttered a cry
”
O h ! my po o r Math ilde h o w changed you are !
Yes I have had days hard enough since I s aw yo u days
”
wretched enough — and a ll be c ause o f you !
?
M e How s o
You re m ember that neck l ace of diamonds that yo u l ent
”
?
m e to wear to the min isteria l ball
“
”
?
Yes We ll
We ll I l ost it
How can that be ? You returned i t to me
I ret u rned to you another exactly like it These ten years
we v e been paying for it You know it was not easy f o r us
”
wh o had n o thing At last it is over and I a m ve ry gl ad
Madame F o re s tie r was stunned
Yo u s ay that you bought a dia m ond neck l a c e to replace
”
?
m ine
Yes ; you did not notice it then ? They were j ust alike
And she smiled with a proud and nai v e pleasure
Madame Forestier deeply mo v ed took both her hands
O h m y poor Mathilde ! Why my ne ck l a c e was paste It
”
w as wo rth five hu ndred fran c s at mo st
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S H OR T S T O R I E S
242
This is u nusual w i th Kip l ing and with al l other mo de rn st o ry
writers The in trod u ction j ustifies itself however in th is case
because since a half-crazed man with weakening memory is to
te ll the rea l tal e his narrative would have to be supplemented
by exp l anations o n nearly every page unless the i ntroducto ry
part c ould be taken fo r granted Notice h o w O ften in reading
C arn eh an s broken story you supply what he omits and inter
pret w hat h e only fragm entarily says by reference to what has
gone before
Kipling has d o ne m ore i n this story than to present a char
a cter of lim itless audacity He has impressed again o n e o f his
favorite teachings There is he holds a barrier between E ast
and West that c an never be crossed The West c an go so far
with the E ast b u t no farther Brave men o f the West may
conq u er the E ast and rule it but to take liberties wi th it is to
u ncover a vast real m o f the unknown and to invite disaster In
The R eturn O f Imray a good-natured E nglish m an pats the
h ead o f Bahadu r Khan s child and is killed for it An o ther
”
E ngl ishman in Beyond the Pale thought that he underst o od
t h e heart o f India and h ere is his epitaph : He took to o deep
”
an interest in native life but he will never do s o again
Dravot
c ould play king and even god in Kafi ristan but when he exposed
himself ignorantly to an o ld racial superstition he m et i nstant
and inevitable destruction
Ck a m a ers Carnehan tells the story but Dravot is the ener
o f the
character
Captain
James
Cook
the
discoverer
i
z in
g
g
S andwich I slands is plainly the original o f Dravot R ead the
thirtieth chapter o f the second volume o f Mark Twain s R ough
ing It ( I S 7 2 ) an d you will find K ip l ing s story clearly O ut
l ined O ne cannot withhold a measure o f admiration fo r this
type o f u ncontrolled audacity Dravot was not bad at heart he
was on ly boundless a type o f the adventurer that has given
many a fascinating chapter to history as w ell as to literature
”
“
The R esearch Magnificent by Mr H G We ll s the
In
h ero Benham says
I t hi nk what I w ant is to be k i ng o f t h e
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TH E
w orl d
WH O
MA N
W O U LD
BE
KI N G
24 3
It is the very core o f me
I mean to be a king
”
Ki ng I m n o t mad
His m o tiv e h o we v e r is
in this earth
”
very di fferent from D rav o t s
I see the world he continues
staggering from misery to misery and there is little wisdom
l ess rule folly prej udice l imitation
and it is my world and
I am responsible
As soon as your kingship is plain to you
there is no more rest no peace no delight except in work in
”
servi ce I n utmost e ffort
The three weaknesses to be over
come are Fear Indulgence and Jealousy Both Dravot and
Benham fail and the comment o f each on his o wn failure is an
autobiography Benham :
I can fee l that greater world I
shall ne v er s e e as o ne feels the dawn com ing through the last
“
”
darkness
Dravot : We v e had a dashed fine r u n for o u r
money What s co mi ng next ?
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B ro th e r to
a P rince
an d
f ll w t a b eggar i f he b found worth y
e
o
o
e
.
The Law as quoted l ays down a fair conduct o f l ife and
one not easy to follow I hav e been fellow to a beggar again
and again under circu mstances which pre v ented either o f us
finding o u t W hether the other was worthy I hav e stil l to be
brother to a Prince though I once came near to kinship w ith
what might have been a veritable King and was promised the
reversion of a K ingdom
army l aw-courts revenue and policy
all complete But to d ay I greatly fear that my King is dead
and if I want a crown I must go hunt it f o r myself
The beginning o f e v erything was in a railway train upon the
road to Mhow from A jm ir There had been a Deficit in the
Budget which necessitated travelling not S econd-class which is
only half as dear as First-class but by Intermediate which
is very awful indeed There are no cushions in the Intermediate
class and the population are either Intermediate which is
E urasian o r native w h i ch for a long night j o u rney i s na sty o r
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S H O RT ST O R I E S
2 44
Loafer which i s amusing though in toxicated Intermediates do
not buy from refreshment-rooms They carry their food in
bund l es and p o ts and b uy sweets fro m the native sweetmeat
se ll ers and d rin k the roadside water That is why in hot
weather Inter mediates are taken o u t o f the carriages dead and
in all weathers are most properly looked down upon
My particular Intermediate happened to be emp ty till I
reached Nasirabad when a big bla ck -browed gentleman in
E
shirt sleeves entered and following the c u s to m o f Inte rmedi
ates passed the tim e O f day H e was a wanderer and a vaga
bond l ike myself but with an educated taste for whiskey He
to l d tal es o f things he had seen and done of out-o f-the-way
corners o f the Empire into which he had penetrated and o f
adventures in which he risked his life for a few days food
If India was filled with m en like you and me not know
ing more than the crows where they d get their next day s
rations it is n t seventy millions o f revenue the l and would
”
be paying
it s seven hundred millions said he ; and as
I l ooked at his m outh and chin I was disposed to agree
with him
We talked po l itics — the politics o f Loaferdom that sees
t h in gs fro m the underside where the lath and plaster is not
smoothed o ff
and we talked postal arrangements because my
friend wanted to send a telegram back from the next station to
Ajm ir the turning-off place from the Bombay to the Mhow
l ine as yo u travel westward My friend had no money beyond
eight annas which he wanted for dinner and I had no m oney
at all owing to the hitch in the Budget before mentioned
Further I was going into a wilderness where though I should
resume touch with the Treasury there were no telegraph o ff ices
I was therefore unab le to help him in any way
“
We might threaten a S tation-master and make him send
”
a wi re o n ti ck said m y f ri end
b u t that d m ean enqui rie s
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
246
windo w and s ay : H e has gone S outh for the week and h e ll
tumble It s only cutting your time o f stay in those parts by
”
—
two days I ask you as a stranger
going to the West he
said w ith emphasis
Where have you come from ? said I
”
Fro m the E ast said he and I am h Op ing that you Wil l
give him th e message o n the S quare — for the sake o f m y
”
Mother as wel l as your o wn
E nglis h men are not u sually softened liy appeals to the mem
o ry Of their I no the rs ; but for certain reasons w hich w il l be
f ully apparent I saw fit to agree
I t s more than a l itt l e matter
said he and that s wh y
I asked yo u to do it
and n o w I know that I can depend o n
you doing it A S econd-cl ass carriage at Marwar Junction and
a red h aired man asleep in it You 11 be sure to remember I
ge t o u t at the next station and I m ust h old on there till he
c o m es or sends me what I want
I ll give the message if I c at ch h i m I said an d f o r t h e
sak e o f your M o ther as well as m ine I l l give yo u a w o rd o f
advi c e D o n t try t o ru n the Central India S tates j ust now as
the c orrespondent Of the B arb i e/002197724 72 There s a real On e
”
knocking about here and it m ight lead to trouble
Thank you said he simply and when w ill the sw i ne be
go ne ? I can t starve because he s ruining my work I w anted
to get h old of the D egu m b er R aj ah down here about his father s
w idow and give him a j ump
“
What did he do to his father s widow then
F illed her up with red pepper and slippered her to death
I found that out myself and I m the
asl s h e hung from a beam
Only man that would dare going into the S tate to get hush
money for it They 11 try to poison me sam e as they did in
C h o rtu m na when I went on the l oot there But yo u 11 give th e
”
?
ma
n at Mar w a
r J u nction m y m essage
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TH E
MAN W H O W OU L D
BE
KI N G
24 7
H e g o t o u t at a l ittl e roadside station and I reflected I had
heard more than once of men pers o nating correspondents o f
newspapers and bleeding small Native S tates with threats o f
exposure but I had never met any o f the caste before They
l ead ahard life and generally die with great suddenness The
Native S tates have a wholesome horror o f E nglish newspapers
which may thro w light on their peculiar methods o f govern
ment and do their best to choke correspondents w ith cha m
p agne or driv e them out of their m ind with four-in-hand
barouches They do not u nderstand that nobody cares a straw
for the internal administration o f Native S tates s o long as
O ppression and crime are kept within decent limits and the
ruler is not drugged drunk o r diseased from On e end o f the
year to the other They are the dark places of the earth ful l
o f unimaginab l e cruelty
touching the R ailway and the Tele
graph o n o n e S ide and o n the other the days of Harun-al
R aschid When I left the train I did business with divers
Kings and in eight days passed throug h many changes o f l ife
S ometimes I w ore dress clothes and consorted with Princes an d
Po liticals drinking from crystal and eating from sil v er S o m e
times I lay o u t upon the ground and de v oured w hat I could get
from a plate made of lea v es and drank the running water and
I t w as al l in the day s
S lept under the same rug as my servant
work
Then I headed for t h e Great Indian Desert u pon the proper
date as I had promised and the n igh t M ail s e t me down at
Mar war Junction where a funny little happy-go -lu cky native
managed railway runs to Jo dh po re The Bombay Mai l fro m
Delhi m akes a s h o rt h alt at Marw ar S he arrived as I got in
and I had j ust time t o hurry to her p l atform and go down the
ca rriages There was o n ly on e S econd-clas s o n the train I
S lipped th e w indow and looked down upon a flam ing red beard
h al f co ve red by a rai lw ay rug That was m y m an fast asl eep
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S H O R T S T O RIE S
248
and I dug him gently in the ribs H e woke with a gr u nt and
I s aw his face in the light of the l amps It was a great and
shining fa ce
”
?
Tickets again
said h e
”
No said I
I am to tel l you that he is gone S out h fo r
the w eek He has gone S outh for the w eek !
The train had begun to mo v e out The red man ru bbed his
”
eyes
H e has gone S outh for the w eek he repeated
N OW
that s j ust like his im pide n ce Did he Say that I w as t o give
”
?
you anything Cause I won t
”
He did n t I said and dropped away and w atched th e
red lights die o u t in the dark I t was horribly cold because the
wind was blowing o ff the sands I climbed into my o wn train
— not an Intermediate carriage this ti m e
and went to s l eep
If the man with the beard had g iv en me a rupee I should
have kept it as a m emento of a rather curi ou s affair But the
c o nsciousness o f having done my duty w as my only re w ard
Late r on I reflected that two gent l emen like my friends cou l d
not do any good if they forgathered and personated correspond
ents o f newspapers and might if they blackmailed on e o f the
littl e rat-trap states o f Central India or S outhern R aj putana
get the m selves into serious di fficulties I therefore took some
tro u b l e to describe them as accurately as I could remember to
peop l e wh o would be interested in deporting them : and s u c
c e e de d so I was l ater informed in ha v ing them headed b ack
from the D e gu m b e r borders
‘
Then I became respectable and returned to an O fl ice where
there were no K ings and no incidents outside the daily manu
facture o f a newspaper A newspaper o ff ice seems to attract
every concei v able s ort o f person to the prej udice o f discipline
Zenana-m is s I o n ladies arriv e and beg that the E ditor wil l
instantly abandon all his duties to describe a Christian prize
giving in a back-s l um o f a perfectly inaccessible village ;
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SH O RT ST O R I E S
2 50
d own and wr i te :
A s l ight increase of s i ckness is reported
fro m the Kh u da Janta Khan District The outbreak is pu relv
sp o radic in its nature and thanks to the energetic e fforts o f
the District authorities is now al most at an end It is h o wever
”
w ith deep regret w e record the death etc
Then the S ickness really breaks out and the less re c o rding
and reporting the better for the peace of the subscribers But
the Empires and the Kings continue to di v ert themse lves as
selfishly as before and the Foreman thinks that a daily paper
rea lly ought to come out once in twenty-four hours and all the
peop l e at the Hill stations in the middle o f their amusements
?
Good
gracious
Why
can
t
the
paper
be
sparkling
I
m
sa :
y
”
sure there s p l enty going on up here
T h at is t h e dark half o f the moon and as the ad v ertise m ents
must be experienced to be appreciated
s ay
It was in that season and a remarkably e v il season that the
paper began r u nning the l ast issue o f the week o n S aturday
night which is to s ay S unday morning after the custom of
a Lond o n paper This was a great convenience for immediately
after the paper w as put to bed the dawn would lower the ther
m o m e te r from 9 6 to almost 8 4 for half an hour and in that
chill yo u h ave no idea how cold is 8 4 o n the grass until you
begi n to pray for it -a very tired man c ould get o ff to sleep
ere the he at ro u sed him
O ne S at u rday night it was my p l easant duty to put the
paper to bed a l one A King o r co u rtier o r a c ou rtesan o r a
Community was going to die o r get a new Constitution o r do
so m ething that was important on the other side o f the world
and the paper was to be he l d O pen till the l atest p o ssib l e
m inute in order t o c atch the te l egram
I t was a pitchy black night as stifling as a June n ight can
be and the 100 the red-hot W ind from the wes tward w as boom
i ng among the tinder-dry trees and pretending that the ra i n
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TH E
MAN W H O W O U L D
w as o n its heel s Now and again a spot
KI N G
BE
251
almost boi l ing water
would fall on the dust with the flop of a frog but all o u r weary
worl d knew that w as only pretence It was a shade coo l er in
the press-room than the o ffice s o I s at there wh ile the type
ticked and c l icked and the night-j ars hooted at the windows
and the all but naked compositors wiped the sweat from the ir
foreheads and called for water The thing that was keeping
u s back whatever it was would not come o ff though the loo
dropped an d the last type was s e t and the who l e rou nd earth
stood still in the choking heat with its finger o n its lip to wait
the e v ent I drowsed and wondered whether the telegraph was
a b l essing and whether this dying man o r struggling people
might be aware o f the inconvenience the delay was causing
There was no special reason beyond the heat and worry to
make tension but as the clock -hands crept up to three o cl ock
and the machin es sp u n their fly-wheels two and three ti m es to
see that a ll was in order before I said the w ord that wo u l d s e t
them off I co u ld hav e shrieked aloud
Then the roar and rattl e o f the whee l s shivered the q u ie t
into l ittl e bits I rose t o go away but two men in white c l othes
”
stood in front o f me The first o n e said : I t s him !
The
”
second said : S o it is !
And they both laughed a lm ost as
l oud ly as the m achine ry roared and mopped their foreheads
“
We seed there was a l ight burning across the road and we
were sleeping in that ditch there fo r coolness and I said to my
friend here The o ffice is O pen Let s come a l ong and speak to
him as turned us back from the D egu m b e r State
s aid the
s m all er o f the two H e was the man I h a
d met in the M ho w
train and his fell o w was the red-bearded man o f Marw a r Junc
tion There was no mistaki ng the eyebrows o f the o ne o r the
h eard o f the othe r
I w as not p l eased be c au se I wished to go to s l e ep not to
”
?
squabbl e with loafers
What do yo u want
I asked
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S H O RT STO R I E S
252
Hal f an h o u r s talk with yo u c o o l and co m fo rtab l e i n t h e
“
”
o ffi c e said the red bearded m an
We d like some drink
the C on track d o es n t begin yet Peachey s o you need n t l ook
bu t what w e real ly w ant is advice We don t w ant money
We ask y ou as a fav o r because we fo und o u t y ou did u s a bad
”
t urn ab ou t D egu mb e r S tate
I l ed fr om t h e press-r oo m to the stifling o fli ce w i t h the
m aps o n the wall s and the red haired m an rubbed h is hands
T h at S s om ethi n g like said he
This w as the proper shop
Now S ir let m e introd u ce to yo u Brother Peachey
to c o m e to
Carneh an t h at s h i m and Brother Danie l Dravot that is me
and the l ess said about o u r professions the better for we hav e
been m ost things in o u r time S o l dier sailor compositor photog
h
r
pr
oo
f
reader
street
preac h er and correspondents o f the
rap e
B ackwoods ma n when w e thought the paper w anted o ne Carne
h an i s s o ber and s o a m I L oo k at u S first and s ee that s
s u re It w i ll save you cutting into my talk We ll take o ne o f
”
y ou r cigars apiece and you shal l s e e us ligh t up
I wat ched the test The m en were abso lu te ly s o ber so I
gave t h e m each a tepid w hiskey and soda
”
We ll a n d go o d said Carnehan o f the eyebr o ws wiping
the fro th fr om his m o u stach e
Let m e tal k no w Dan We
have been al l over India m o stly o n fo ot We have been boiler
r
fi tte s engine drivers petty c o ntra c tors and al l that and w e
”
h ave de c ided that India is n t big enough fo r s u ch as u s
They c ertain ly were t oo big for the o ffice D rav o t s beard
see m ed t o fi ll hal f the r o o m and C arn eh an s S h oul ders the other
h al f as th ey sat o n the big tab l e Carnehan c o ntinued : T h e
cou nt ry i s n t half worked o u t because th ey that go verns it
won t l et you to u ch it They spend al l their blessed time in
governing it and you can t lift a spade nor chip a rock n o r
loo k for Oil nor anything like that without al l the Government
saying
Leave i t a l one and l et us govern Therefore suc h
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S H O RT ST O RI E S
25 4
T h at s m ore l ike said Carnehan
If y ou c oul d think us
a l itt l e more mad we would be more pleased We have come to
o u to kn o w abo u t this country to read a book ab o ut it and
y
to be sh o wn m ap s We want yo u to te ll u s that we are f ools
”
and to S how u s yo u r books
He turned to the bo o k -c ases
”
?
Are yo u at al l in earnest
I said
”
A S big a map as yo u have
A littl e said Dravot sweet ly
o
g t e ven if it S a ll blank where K afiris tan is and any boo k s
”
O
u v e go t
c
a
n
We
read though we are n t very educated
y
I uncased the big thirty-two-miles -to-the -inch map o f India
and two smaller Frontier maps hau l ed down volume I NF KAN
O f the E n cyclop wd z a B rz mn m a z and the men consulted the m
”
S ee here ! said Dravot his thumb o n the map
Up to
a
a
l
l
a
k
d
Peachey and m e know the road We was there with
J g
R o b e rts s Army We 11 have to turn o ff to the right at Jagdallak
thro ugh Lagh m an n territory Then we get among the hills
fourteen thousand feet — fifte en thousand — it w il l be cold
w ork there but it don t l ook very far o n the map
I handed h im Wood on the S ou rces of Me Ox u s Carnehan
was deep in the
“
”
They re a mixed lot said Dravot re fle c tiv ely ; and it
w o n t hel p u s to know t h e names o f their tribes The m or e
tribes the mo re they ll figh t and the bette r for us From
”
Jagdallak to As h ang H mm !
But al l the information abo u t the cou ntry i s as S ket chy and
”
inaccu rate as c an be I protested
No o ne knows anything
abo u t it really Here s the file o f the Um led Sez u res
R ead what Be ll ew says
D an they re a s tinkin
B l ow Bellew
said Carnehan
lo t o f heath ens but this bo o k here says they think they re
r el ated t o u s Engl ish
I smoked whil e the men pored o ve r R a verzfy Wood the
m aps and the E nqydopwdz a
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MAN
TH E
W H O WO U LD
KI N G
BE
255
T h ere is no use yo u r waiting said Dravot po l ite ly
It s
about four o clo c k n o w We ll go before s ix o clock if you
want to s l eep and we w on t stea l any of the papers Don t
y o u s it u p We re two harm l ess lunatics and if you come
to-m orrow evening d o wn t o the S erai we 11 say good -bye
”
t o yo u
”
Yo u a re two foo l s
I answered
Yo u ll be turned back
at the Frontier o r c u t up the minute yo u s e t foot in Afghani
stan Do you want any money o r a recommendation d o wn
country ? I c an he l p you to the chance o f work next week
Next w ee k we shall be hard at work ou rselves thank you
said Drav ot
It is n t s o easy being a K ing as it l ooks When
we v e go t o u r Kingdom in going order we 11 l et yo u kn o w and
u c an come up and he l p us to govern it
o
y
”
Would two l unatics make a Co n track l ike that ?
said
Carnehan w ith subdued pride showing m e a greasy hal f-sheet
I copied it
o f notepaper on which was w ritten the fo llow ing
then and there as a cu riosity
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Tnis Co n tra ct oet w een m e
na m e o
f
Go d
to ao
p
you
a n d s o f o rt/z
A m en
ne
T
l
i at me
O
)
(
ers u i ng
an d
w i tn es s etlt i n th e
.
an d
o
u
y
w i ll
s ett le
K i ngs of K afi ris ta n
t/z i s
m a tt er togeth er;
i
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e
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,
.
T
o ) Tli a t y o u a n d m e w i ll n o t , w ai lo tni s m a tter i s bei ng
w
(
s ettled, loo k a t a ny L i u o r, n o r a ny Wo m a n ola ek ,
q
w li i te,
tae
or
o tlz er
T
n
at w e
T
l
i ree
)
(
bro w n ,
s o as
to get m ix ed
p w i th
u
on e or
na rmf u l
.
c o n du ct o u rs elv es
f
f
ti on ,
an d i
s tay
m
h
i
o
y
on e o
us
t
s
e
g
n i ty
w i t/i D ig
i n to tro u ole t/z e
.
S ign ed by y o u a n d m e tnis day
Pea t /t oy Ta li af erro Ca rn eli a n
.
D a n i el D ra v o t
.
B otn Gen tlem en
at
L a rge
.
an d
.
D is cre
o tlz er
w ill
S H ORT S T O R I E S
2 56
There w as n o need fo r the l ast article said Ca rne h an
b lu shing modestly ; but it l ooks regular Now you know the
sort o f men that loafers are — w e a re l oafers Dan until we
get o u t of India
and do yo u think that we would S ign a Con
track like that unless we w as in earnest ? We have kept away
”
from the two things that make life worth hav ing
Yo u won t enj oy your lives much longer if you are going
”
to try this idiotic ad v enture Don t s e t the O fli c e o n fire I
”
said and go away before nine O clock
I l eft them stil l poring o v er the maps and making notes o n
”
the back o f the C o n track
Be sure to come down to the
S erai to -morrow were their parting words
The K u m h ars e n S erai is the great four-square sink of human
ity w here the strings o f camels and h orses from the North
load and unload All the nationalities o f Centra l Asia may be
found there and most o f the folk o f India proper Balkh and
Bokhara there meet Bengal and Bom b ay and try to dra w eye
teeth You can buy ponies turquoises Persian pussy-cats
saddle-bags fat-tailed sheep and musk in the K u m h ars e n S erai
and get many strange things for nothing I n the afternoon I
went do wn to se e whether my friends intended to keep their
word or were lying there drunk
A pr 1est attired in fragments o f ribbons and rags stalked up
to me gravely twisting a child s paper W hirligig Behind him
was his servant bending under the load o f a crate o f mud to y s
The two were l oading up two camels and the inhabitants of the
S erai watched the m with shrieks of laughter
“
The priest is m ad said a horse-dealer to me
He is
going u p to Kabu l to sel l toys to the Amir H e will either be
raised to honor o r hav e his head cut o ff H e came in here th is
”
m orning and has been b eh av m g madly ever since
”
The witless are under the protection o f God stammered a
”
They foretell future e v ents
fl at cheeked Usbeg in broken Hindi
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S H O R T S T OR I E S
258
.
Carn eh an
What d yo u think 0 that ? said h e in English
can t talk their patter s o I ve made him my servant He
makes a h ands o m e se rvant T is n t for nothing that I v e been
kn ocking abo u t the c o untry f o r fourteen years Did n t I d o
that talk neat ? We 11 hit ch on to a caravan at Pes h awar til l we
get t o Jagdallak and then w e ll s e e if we can get donkeys for
Whirl igigs for the A m ir
o u r c amels and strike int o Kafi ris tan
O Lor ! Put y our hand u nder the came l-bags and tell m e wh at
yo u fee l
I felt t h e b u tt of a Martini and an o ther and another
”
Twenty o f e m said Dravot p l a c idly
Twenty o f e m
and amm u n i tion to correspond under the W hirl igigs and the
”
m ud do ll s
”
Heaven hel p yo u if y o u are caught with those things ! I
“
said
A Martini is wo r th her weight in silver among the
Pathans
Fifteen h u ndred rupees o f c apital — every r u pee w e c ou l d
”
beg b o rr o w or steal — are invested on these tw o c ame l s said
“
Dravot We w o n t get c aught We re going thro ugh the Kh ai ber
”
?
with a regu l ar caravan Who d t o uch a poor m ad p riest
”
?
Have yo u got eve ryth ing y ou want
I asked ove rcom e
w ith astonish m ent
N o t yet b u t we shall soon
G ive u s a m e m ent o of yo u r
kindness B rotner You did m e a se rvice yesterday and that
ti m e in Marwar Hal f my Kingdom shall yo u hav e as the
”
saying is
I s l ipped a smal l char m co m pass from my watc h
chain and handed it up to the priest
”
Go o d bye said Dravot giving me h and cautiously
It s
the l ast time we l l S hake hands with an E ngl ishman these man y
days S hake hands with him Carnehan he cried as the second
c amel passed me
Carnehan l eaned d o wn and S hook hands Then the cam e l s
passed away al o ng the d u sty r o ad and I w as l eft alo ne to
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THE
MA N
WO U L D
WH O
BE
KI N G
2 59
w onder My eye could detect no fail ure in the disguises The
scene in the S erai proved that they w ere complete to the native
m ind There w as j ust the chance therefore that Carneh an and
Dravot w o uld be able to wander through Afghanistan witho u t
dete c ti o n B u t beyond they w o ul d find death
certai n and
awfu l deat h
Ten days l ater a native corresp o ndent giving m e the new s
o f th e day fro m Peshawar w ou nd u p h is l etter w it h : There
h as been much l au gh ter here o n account o f a c ertain m ad p riest
wh o 1 s go i ng in his esti m ati o n t o se ll petty ga u ds and in sign ifi
c ant tr inkets which he ascribes as gr eat c har m s to H H the
Amir o f Bokhara H e passed through Peshawa r and associ ated
hi m se l f to the S e cond S ummer c aravan t h at go es t o Kab ul
The m er ch ants are p l eased becau se thro u gh s u perstitio n th ey
i m agi ne that s uch mad fe llows bring good-f o rt u ne
The two then were beyond th e Border I wo ul d have prayed
for them but that night a real Ki ng d i ed i n Eu r o pe and
de m anded an o b i t u ary n o t ic e
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The wh ee l of t h e w o r l d sw i ngs t hrou gh th e sa m e p h ases
Summ er passed and winte r thereafter and
agaI n and again
c am e and passed again The dai ly paper co nt in u ed and I
with I t and upon the third sum mer there fe ll a h o t night a
night-iss u e and a strained w aiting fo r s o mething to be te l e
graphed from the other S ide of the worl d exactly as had hap
pened before A few great men had died in the past two years
the ma c hines worked with m ore c l atter and some o f the trees
in the O ffi c e garden were a fe w feet tal l er But that was all
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U
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the press r o om and w ent th ro u gh just s uch
a scene as I h ave al ready des c ribed The nerv ou s tension was
s t ronger th an it had been two years before and I fe l t t h e heat
“
mOre a cu te ly At three o clock I c ri ed Print Off and tu rned
“
I pa sse d Overt o
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
26 0
go w h en t h ere crept to my ch air w h at was l eft O f a m an
H e was bent into a circle his head was sunk between his shou l
ders and he moved his feet o n e o v er the o ther l ike a bear I
could hard ly se e whether he walked o r crawled — this rag
wrapped whining cripp l e wh o addressed m e by name crying
“
”
that he w as c o me back
Can yo u gi ve m e a drink ? he
“
”
w himpered
For the Lord s sake gi ve m e a drink !
I went back to the o ffice the man fo llo wing w ith groans o f
pain and I turned u p the l amp
”
?
Don t y o u kn o w me
he gasped dr o pp ing into a chai r
and he turned his drawn face surmounted by a sh ock o f gray
h air to the light
I l ooked at him intently O nce before h ad I seen eyebro w s
that met over the nose in an inch-br o ad b l a ck band b u t fo r the
li fe o f me I c o uld not tell where
“
I don t kno w y o u
I said h and i ng h im the whiskey
”
?
What c an I d o f o r yo u
H e took a gul p o f the S pirit raw and shivered in sp i te o f the
s u ffo c ating heat
I ve come back he repeated ; and I w as the K i ng o f
K afi ris tan — me and Dravot — crowned Kin gs we was ! In
—
ffi
i
t
this o c e we settled t
se
ting
there
and
g
i
ving
u
s
the
o
u
y
b o oks I am Peachey — Peachey Taliaferro Carneh an and
”
—
y o u ve been setting here ever since
O Lord !
I was m ore than a l ittle astonished and expressed m y fee l
i ngs accordingly
”
It s true said Carnehan with a dry c ack l e n u rsing his
feet w hich w ere wrapped I n rags
True as gospel Kings w e
—
—
were with crowns upon o u r heads
m e and Dravot p oo r
Dan — o h p o or poor Dan that w o u ld never take adv ic e n o t
”
though I begged o f hi m !
”
Take the whiskey I said and take yo u r own time Te ll
m e all you can recollect o f everything fro m beginning to end
to
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S H ORT S TO RI E S
26 2
m e w ear outrageous things to look like a heathen T h at w as
in a m ost m o u n tain eo u s country and o u r camels cou l d n t go
They w ere tal l and
along any mo re because of the mountains
bla ck and c o m ing h ome I s aw the m fight l ike w il d goats
there are l ots of g o ats in Kafiris tan And these mountains
they never keep s till no m o re than the goats A lw ays fighting
they are and don t l et you s l eep at night
Take some m ore w hiskey I said very slow ly
W h at did
y ou and Danie l Dravot do w hen the c am els c ou l d go no further
because o f the r ou gh roads that l ed int o Kafi ris tan
What did which do ? There w as a par ty call ed Pea ch ey
Tal iaferr o Carnehan that w as w i th Dravot S hal l I tel l yo u
about him ? H e died o u t there in the c old S lap fr om the
bridge fel l Old Peachey turning and t w isting in the air like a
penny Whirligig that you c an sel l t o the Amir
No ; they was
two for three h a p e n ce those W hirligigs o r I a m m u ch mistaken
and w o eful sore
And then these c ame l s w ere no use and
Peachey said to Dravot
For the Lord s sake l et s get out
and w ith that they
o f this before o u r heads are chopped o ff
ki ll ed the c amels al l among the m ountains not h av 1n g anything
in particu l ar to eat but first they took o ff the boxes wit h the
guns and the ammunition till two m en came along driving fo u r
mu les Dravot up and dances in front o f the m singing
S ell
me four mules S ays the first m an
If yo u a r e ri ch eno u gh
to buy you are ric h enough to rob ; but before ever h e could
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put his hand to his knife Dravot breaks his neck over his
knee and th e other party runs away S o Carnehan l oaded the
m ul es with the rifles that was taken o ff the came l s and together
w e starts forward into those bitter cold m o u n tain eo u s pa rts
”
and never a road br o ader than the back o f your hand
H e pau sed for a moment whi l e I asked him if he c ou l d
re m ember the natu re of the co unt ry thr o ugh which he had
j ou rneyed
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MAN W H O W O U LD
THE
BE
KI N G
26 3
I am telling yo u as straight as I c an bu t m y head is n t as
good as it might be They drove nails through it to make m e
hear better how Dravot died The country w as m o u n tain e o u s
and the mu l es w ere m ost contrary and t h e inhabitants was
dispersed and so l itary They went up and up and down and
do wn and t h at other party Carnehan was imp l oring o f Dravot
not to sing and w histle s o l oud for fear of br inging down the
tre m e n ju s avalanches
But Dravot says that if a King cou l d n t
S ing it was n t worth being King and whacked the m u l es o ver
the rump and never took no heed for ten cold days We came
to a big leve l val l ey al l among the mountains and the m ules w ere
near dead so we killed the m not having anything in special
for them or u s to eat We sat upon the boxes and p l ayed O dd
and e v en with the c artridges that was j olted o u t
Then ten m en with bows and arrows ran down th at vall ey
chasing twenty men wit h bows and arrows and t h e r o w w as
They w as fair men — fa i rer than yo u o r m e
trem e nju s
with yellow h air and re m arkable we ll bui l t S ays Dravot u n
packing the guns — This i s the beginning of the business
We ll fight for the ten men and with that he fires t w o rifles
at the twen ty men and drops o n e o f the m at two hundred
yards from the rock where h e was sitting The other m en
began to run but Carnehan and Dravot sits o n the boxes
pickin g them o ff at all ranges up and down the valley Then
we goes up to the ten m en that had run across the snow too
and they fires a foo ty little arrow at us Dravot h e shoots
above their heads and they al l fa ll s do wn fl at Then h e wa lks
over them and kick s them and then he l ifts the m up and
H e ca ll s
s hakes hands al l round to make the m friendly l ike
them an d gi v es them the boxes t o c arry and w aves his h and
for all the world as though he was King al ready They takes
the boxes and him across the valley and up the hil l into a pine
wood o n the top where there was half a dozen big stone ido l s
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
26 4
Dravot he goes to the biggest — a fe l lo w they call I mb ra
and lays a rifle and a cartridge at his feet rubbing h is nose
respectfu l w ith his own nose patting him o n the head and
sal uting i n front o f it H e turns round to the men and nods
his head and says
That s al l right I m in the know too
and all these o l d j im j ams are my friends Then he opens his
m outh and points down it and when the first man brings him
No
food he says
and when the second man brings hi m
food h e says
No ; but when o n e o f the o ld priests and
t h e b o ss of the vill age brings him food he says
Yes ve ry
hau gh ty and eats it slow That was h o w we came to o u r first
vi ll age w i t h o u t any trouble j ust as though we had tumbled
fro m the skies But we t u mbled fro m o ne of those damned
rope-b ridges you s ee and — y ou co ul d n t expect a man t o
”
?
l augh m u ch after that
Take some m ore w h iskey and go on I said
That was
the first vill age yo u came into How did yo u get to be King
”
I was n t King said Carnehan
Dravot he was the
King and a handsome man he lo oked with the go l d crown o n
his head and a l l Him and the o ther party stayed in that v il
l age and every morning Dravot s at by the side o f O ld I mb ra
and the peop l e came and worshipped That was D rav o t s
order Then a l ot o f men came into the valley and Carnehan
and Drav o t pi cks them o ff w i th the rifles before they kne w
where they w as and runs down into the val l ey and up again
the other side an d finds an other village same as the first o n e
and the pe o p l e all falls do wn flat on their faces and Dravot
says
No w what is th e tr o u ble be t ween you two vi l lages ?
and the peop l e points t o a wom an as fair as yo u o r m e that
was carried Off and D rav o t takes her back to the first village
and counts up the dead — eight there was For each dead
man Dravot po u rs a l ittl e milk o n the ground and waves his
arm s l ike a W hir l igig and That s al l right says he Then h e
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
26 6
m atch l ocks We makes friends with the priest and I stays
there al one with two o f the Army teaching the men h o w to
dril l and a thundering big Chief comes across the snow w ith
kettle-drums and horns twanging because he heard there w as
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a new God kicking about Carnehan sights fo r the brown o f
the men hal f a mi l e across the snow and wings one o f them
Then he sends a message to the Chief that unless he wished
to be ki lled he must come and shake han ds with me and l ea v e
his arms behind The Chief comes alone first and Carnehan
shakes hands with him and whirls his arms about same as
Dravot u sed and very much surprised that Chief was and
strokes my eyebrows Then Carnehan goes alone to the Chief
and asks him in dumb S ho w if he had an enemy he hated
I
h av e says the Chief S O Carnehan weeds o u t the pick of h is
m en and sets t h e two o f the Army to S how them dri ll and at
the end o f two w eeks the men can manoe u vre ab ou t as we ll
as Volunteers S o he marches with the Chief to a great big
plain on the top o f a mountain and the Chief s men ru shes
into a vi ll age and takes it ; w e three Martinis firing into the
brown o f the enemy S O we took that village too and I gives
the Chief a rag fro m my coat and says O ccupy til l I come ;
which w as scriptural By way o f a reminder when m e and
the Army was eighteen hundred yards away I drops a bu l let
near him standing o n the snow and all the people falls flat on
their faces Then I sends a l etter to Dravot wherever he be
by l and or by se a
At the risk o f throwing the creature o u t o f train I interrupted
”
?
Ho w could yo u write a letter up yonder
The l etter ? — O h — The l etter ! K eep l ooking at m e
between the eyes p l ease It w as a string talk letter that we d
l earned th e way o f it fro m a blind beggar in the Punj ab
‘
I remember that there had once come to the O fli ce a blind man
with a knotted twi g and a piece o f string w hi ch he wou nd rou nd
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MAN W H O W O U LD
THE
BE
KI N G
26 7
the t wig according to some cipher o f his o wn He co u ld after the
l apse of days or hours repeat the sentence which he had reeled
up He had reduced the alphabet to eleven primitive sounds ;
an d tried to teac h m e his method but I could not understand
I sent that l etter to Dravot said Carnehan ; and told
h i m t o c o m e back because this Kingdom was growing too big
for m e to handle and then I struck for the first valley to s e e
h ow the priests were working They called the vil l age we took
along with the Chief B as h k ai and the first village w e took Er
Heb The priests at Er—Heb was doing al l right but they had
a lo t of pending c ases about land to S how me and som e men
from another vi ll age had been firing arrows at night I went
o ut and looked for that village and fired four rounds at it
from a t h ousand yards That used al l the c artridges I cared to
spend and I waited fo r Dravot wh o had been away two or
three months and I kept my people quiet
O ne morning I heard the devi l s own noise o f drums and
h orns and Dan Dravot marc h es down the hill with his Army
and a tai l of hundreds o f men and which was the most amaz
ing a great go l d crown o n his head
My G o rd Carnehan
says Daniel this is a tre m enju s business and we v e got the
who l e count ry as far as it s worth having I am the son o f
Alexander by Queen S emiramis and you re my younger
brother and a God too ! It s the biggest thing we ve ever
seen I v e been marching and fighting fo r s ix weeks with the
Army and every footy little vi ll age fo r fifty miles has come in
rej oicefu l ; and more than that I v e got the key of the whole
S how as you ll s ee and I ve go t a crown for you ! I told e m
to make two o f e m at a p l ace cal led S h u w here the gold lies in
the rock like suet in m utton Gold I v e seen and t urquoise
I v e kicked out o f the cli ffs and there s garnets in the sands
o f the ri v er and here s a c h u nk o f amber that a man br ou g h t
m e Ca ll up all the priests and here take y o u r crow n
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
26 8
O ne o f the men O pens a black hair bag and I slips the
cro w n on It was too small and too heav y but I wore it for
th e glory H ammered gold it was — fi v e pound weight like a
h o op o f a barre l
Peachey says Dra v ot w e don t w ant to fight no more
The Craft s the trick s o help me ! and he brings forward
that same Chief that I left at B ashk ai
Billy Fish w e called
hi m after w ards because he was so like Billy Fish that drove
the big tank -engine at Mach o n the Bolan in the O ld days
S hake hands with him says Dravot and I shook hands and
near ly dropped f o r Billy Fish gav e me the Grip I said noth
ing but tried him with the Fello w Craft Grip H e answers
all right and I tried the Master s Grip but that was a s l ip
A
Fel low Craft he is
I says to Dan
Does he kno w the word
H e does says Dan and all the priests know It S a
miracle ! The Chiefs and the priests c an w ork a Fellow Craft
Lodge i n a way that s very l ike ours and they ve cut the
mark s on the rocks but they don t know the Third Degree
and they v e come to find o u t I t s Gord s Truth I v e known
these long years th at t h e Afghans knew up to the Fellow Craft
Degree but this is a miracle A God and a Grand-Master o f
the Craft am I and a Lodge in the Third Degree I will open
and w e ll raise the head priests and the Chiefs o f the villages
It s against al l the law I says holding a Lodge without
warrant from any one ; and yo u know w e never held o ffice in
any Lodge
It S a master-stroke o policy s ays Dravot
It means
running the country as easy as a four-wheeled bogie o n a down
grade We can t stop to inquire now or they 11 turn again st us
I v e forty Chiefs at my hee l and passed and raised according
to their merit they shall b e Billet these men on the villages
and see that we run up a Lodge o f some kind The temple o f
will
do
for
the
Lodge
room The women must make
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
270
it to cl ear away t h e black dirt and presently he sho w s all th e
o ther priests the Master s Mark same as was o n D rav o t s
apron cut i nto the stone N o t e v en the priests of the temp l e
The Old chap falls flat on his face
o f I m b ra knew it w as there
at D rav o t s feet and kisses em
Luck again says Dravot
acr o ss the Lodge to m e t h ey s ay it s the missing Mark that
no o ne cou l d understand the why o f We re more than safe
now Then he b an gs th e butt o f h is gu n for a gav e l and says
By vi rtue of the authority vested in me by my o wn right hand
and the he l p o f Peachey I declare myself Grand-Master o f al l
Freemasonry in K afi ris tan in this the Mother Lodge 0 the
co u ntry and King of K afi ris tan equally with Peachey
At
that he puts o n his crown and I puts o n mine
I was doing
S enior Warden and we O pens the Lodge in most amp l e
form It was a amazing miracle ! The priests moved in Lodge
through the first two degrees almost without telling as if the
memory was coming back to them After that Peachey and
Dravot raised such as was w orthy — h igh priests and Chiefs of
far-Off V illages Billy Fish was the first and I can tel l you we
s c ared the so ul out o f hi m It was not in any way according to
R itual but it se rved o u r turn We did n t raise more than ten
because we did n t want to make t h e
o f the biggest men
Degree common And they was clamoring to be raised
In another s ix months says Dravot we 11 hold another
Communication and s ee how yo u are working Then he asks
them about their villages and l earns that they w as fighting o n e
against the other and were sick and tired o f it And when they
was n t doing that they was fighting with the Mohammedans
Yo u can fight those when they come into o u r count ry says
Dravot Tel l o ff every tenth man o f your tribes for a Frontier
gu ard and send two hundred at a time to this val l ey to be
drilled Nobody is going t o be shot o r speared any more s o
lo ng as h e d o es w e ll and I know that yo u wo n t cheat me
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TH E
MAN W H O W O U LD
KI N G
BE
27 1
because you re white people — sons of Alexander — and n o t
like common black Mohammedan s Yo u are my people and by
I 11 make
G o d says he running o ff into English at the end
a damned fine Nation o f you o r I ll die in the m aking !
I can t tell al l we did for the next s ix months be c ause
Dravot did a l ot I could n t s e e the hang o f and he l earned
their l ingo in a way I never could My work was to h elp the
peop l e plough and now and again g o o u t w ith som e o f the
Army and se e what the other villages were doing and make
em throw rope-bridges across the ravines which c u t up the
country horrid Dra v ot was very kind to me but when he
walked up and down in the pine wood pulling that b l oody red
beard o f his with both fists I knew he was thinking plans I
could not advise about and I just waited fo r orders
But Dravot never showed me disrespect before the people
They were afraid o f me and the Army but they l oved Dan
H e was the best o f friends with the priests and the Chiefs ; but
any o n e could come across the hills with a comp l aint and
Dravot wou l d hear him o u t fair and cal l four priests together
and say what was to be done H e u sed to call in Billy Fish
from Bashk ai and Pikk y Kergan fro m S hu and an Ol d Chief
we cal l K afu z elu m — it was l ike enough to his rea l name
and ho l d counci l s with em when there was any fighting t o be
done in smal l villages That was his Council of War and the
four priests of Bash k ai S hu Khawak and Madora was his
P ri v y Council Between the l ot Of em they sent me with forty
men and twenty rifles and S ixty men carrying turquoises into
the Ghorband country to buy those hand made Martini rifles
that come o u t of the Amir s workshops at Kabul from o n e o f
the Amir s Herati regiments th at would hav e sold the very
teeth o u t o f their mouths for turquoises
I stayed in Ghorband a month and gav e the Go v erno r
there the pi ck o f my baskets for h u sh-m oney and bribed the
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S H O RT STO R I E S
27 2
Colone l o f the regiment some more and between the tw o and
the tribes-people w e got more than a hundred hand-made
Martinis a h undred good Kohat Jezails that 11 throw to s ix
hundred yards and forty man loads o f very bad ammunition fo r
’
the rifles I came back with what I had and distributed em
among the men that the Chiefs sent in to me to drill Drav o t
was too busy to attend to those things but the o ld Army that
w e first made helped me and we turned o u t fi v e h u ndred m en
that cou l d drill and two hundred that knew how to hold arms
pretty straight E ven those cork-screwed hand-made guns was
a miracle to them Dravot talked big about powder-shops and
factories w al king up and down in the pine w ood when the
winter was coming on
I w on t make a Nation says he
I 11 make an Empire !
These men are n t niggers ; they re E nglish ! Look at their
eyes — l ook at their mouths Look at the way they stand up
They s it o n chairs in their own houses They re the Lost
Tribes o r something li k e it and they v e grown to be E nglish
I ll take a census in th e spring if the priests don t get fright
ened There must be a fair two million o f em in these h i ll s
The villages are ful l 0 l ittle children Two milli o n people
tw o hundred and fifty thousand fighting men
and al l English
They only want the rifles and a little drilling Two hundred
and fifty thousand men ready to c u t in on R ussia s right flank
when s h e tries for India ! Peachey man he says chewing his
beard in great hunks we s hall be Emperors
Emperors o f
the E arth ! R aj ah Brooke wil l be a suckling to us I ll treat
with the Viceroy on equal terms I ll ask him to send me
twel v e picked E nglish — twel v e that I kno w o f — to help us
govern a bit There s M ack ray S ergeant-pensioner at S ego wli
— many s the good dinner he S given me and his wife a pair
There s Donkin the Warder o f T o u n gh o o Jai l ;
o f trousers
there s hundreds tha t I could l ay my hand o n if I was in India
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
27 4
the right thing to do and I hav e n t time for all I want to do
and here s the w inter coming o n and all H e put half his
beard int o his m outh all red like the gold o f h is crown
I m sorry Danie l says I
I v e done all I co uld I v e
dril l ed the men and shown the people how to stack their o ats
better ; and I v e bro u ght in those tinware rifles from Ghorband
-but I know what you re driving at
I take it Kings a l ways
fee l oppressed that way
There s another thing too says Dravot wa lkin g u p and
do w n
The winter s coming and these people w on t be giving
mu ch tro u b l e and if they do w e can t m ove about I want a
w ife
F o r G o rd s sake l eave the w om en al one ! I says We v e
b o t h got all the work we c an though I a m a foo l R emember
the C o n track and keep cl ear 0 w o men
The C o n track only l asted till such time as w e was Kings ;
and Kings we h ave been these months past says Dravot
weighing his crown in his hand
Yo u go get a wife too
Peachey
a nice s trappin plump gir l that 11 keep yo u war m
i n the winter They re prettier than English girl s and we can
take the pick o f em B o i l e m o nce or twice in h o t water and
t h ey ll come o u t l ike chicken and ham
Don t tempt me ! I says
I w il l not have any deal ings
w ith a woman not til l we are a dam side more settl ed than we
are n ow I v e been doing the work 0 two men and you v e
been d o ing the work 0 three Let s lie o ff a bit and see if
we c an get some better tobacc o from Afghan country and r u n
in s om e good l iquor ; but no wo m en
I said w ife
Wh o s talking 0 w omen ? says Dravot
a Queen to breed a King s s o n for the King A Queen o u t of
l
the strongest tribe that l make them your blood brothers and
that 11 h e by your side and tell yo u all the peop l e thinks ab ou t
y ou and their ow n affairs That s w h at I w ant
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THE
MAN W H O W O U L D
KI N G
BE
27
5
you remember that Bengali woman I kept at Mogul
S erai when I w as a plate-layer ? says I A fat lot 0 good
S he taught me the lingo and o n e o r two oth er
s h e was to me
things ; but what happened ? S he ran away with the S tation
Master s servant and half my month s pay Then she t u rned
up at D adu r Junction in tow of a half-caste and had the im
—
i
to
say
I
was
her
husband
al
l
among
t
h
e
drivers
i
n
d
n
c
e
e
p
the ru nning-shed too !
‘
We ve done wit h that says Dravot t h ese wom e ri are
whiter than yo u o r me and a Queen I will have for the winter
months
For the l ast ti m e 0 asking Dan d o n ot I says
It l l
only bring u s harm The Bible says that Kings ain t t o waste
their strength o n women special ly when they ve g o t a ne w
raw Kingdom to work over
For the last time o f answering I wi ll said Dravot and
h e went away through the pine-trees l ooking l ike a big red
devi l the sun being o n his crown and beard and all
But getting a wife was n o t as easy as Dan thought H e
put it before the Council and there was no answer till Bi l ly
Fish said that he d better ask the girls Dravot damned them
all round
What s wrong with me ? he shouts standing by
the ido l I m b ra Am I a dog o r am I not enough of a man
for your wenches ? Have n t I put the shadow o f m y hand
over this country ? Who stopped the last Afghan raid ? It
was me really but Drav ot was to o ang ry to remember Who
?
?
bought your guns Who repaired the bridges Who s the
Grand-Master o f the sign cu t in the stone ? says he and he
thu m ped his hand on the block that he used to sit o n in Lodge
and at Council which opened like Lodge always Bil ly Fis h
said nothing and no more did the others
K eep yo u r hair o n
Dan said I ; and as k the girls That s how it s done at
Home and these people are quite E ngl ish
DO
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27 6
S T O R I ES
S H O RT
T h e m arriage o f the King is a matter o f S tate says Dan
i n a w hite-hot rage fo r he could feel I hope that he was going
against his better mind H e wal ked o u t o f the Council-ro om
and the o thers sat still loo king at the ground
Bi l ly Fish says I to the Chief o f Bas hk ai what s th e
di fficu l ty here ? A straight answer to a true friend
H o w shou l d a man te ll you
Yo u kno w says Bi l ly Fish
?
w ho knows eve rything H o w can dau ghters o f men marry
G o d s or D evils ? I t s not proper
“
I remembered something like that in the Bib l e ; but if
after seeing u s as l ong as they had they still be l ieved w e were
G o ds it w as n t for me t o undeceive the m
A G o d c an d o anything says I
If the King i s fond of
S he 11 h ave to said Billy Fish
a gir l he 11 not l et h er die
There are al l sorts o f G o ds and Devi l s in these mountains
and now and again a gir l m arries o n e o f them and is n t seen
any mo re Besides yo u two know the Mark c ut in the st o ne
O n ly the Gods know that We tho u ght you were men til l yo u
showed the sign o f the Master
I wished then that we had explained about the loss o f the
genuine se c rets o f a Master-Mason at the first go -o ff but I
said nothing A l l that night there was a b l owing o f horns in
a l ittl e dark te m ple half way down the hi ll and I h eard a girl
crying fit to die O ne o f the priests told us that s h e was being
prepared t o marry the King
I l l have no nonsense of that kind says Dan
I don t
w ant to interfere with your customs but I 11 take my o wn
w ife
The girl s a litt l e bit afraid says the priest
S he
thinks s h e s going to die and th ey are a-h eartening of her up
d o wn i n the temp l e
Hearten her very tender then says Drav o t o r I ll
h earten yo u with the butt Of a gun s o yo u 11 never want to be
h ea rtened again He licked his l ips did Dan and stayed u p
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
27 8
Ca ll u p al l the Chiefs and p ri ests and l et the Em pe ror s ee
i f h is wife suits him
There was no need t o c al l any o ne They w ere a ll t h ere
l eanin g o n their gu ns and spears round the cl earing in the
c entre o f th e pine wo o d A lo t O f priests went down to th e
l ittl e temp l e to bring up th e girl and the h o rns b l ew fit to
w ake the dead Billy Fis h saunters ro u nd and gets as cl ose
t o Danie l as he could and behind him stood his twenty m en
wi th matchl o cks N o t a man o f the m u nder S ix feet I was
next t o Dravot and behind m e was twenty men of the regul ar
Arm y Up co m es the girl and a strapping w en ch s h e was
c overed w ith si lver and turqu o ises but white as death and
lo oking back every m inute at the priests
‘
S he ll do said Dan l ooking her ove r What s to be
afraid o f lass ? Come and kiss me H e p u ts h is ar m round
h er S he shuts her eyes gi ves a bit o f a squeak and d o wn goes
her fa c e in the side o f Dan s flaming red beard
The s lu t s bitten m e ! says he cl apping hi s h and to his
neck and sure enough his hand w as red with blo o d Billy Fish
and tw o o f his m atchlock-men cat ches h ol d o f Dan by the
sh o u l ders and drags hi m into the Bashk ai l ot w hi l e the priests
howl s I n their l ingo
Neither G o d n o r Devi l b u t a man !
I w as al l taken aback fo r a priest cut at m e i n front and t h e
Ar m y behind began fi ring into the Bash k ai m en
says Dan
What is t h e m ean i ng 0
G o d A m igh ty !
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C om e back ! C om e away ! says Bil ly Fis h
R u in and
Muti ny is the m atter We 11 break for Bash k ai i f w e c an
—
I t ri ed to gi ve some so rt o f orders to my m en
the m en
0 the regu l a r Ar m y — but it was no u se so I fired into the
br o wn of em w it h an E ngl ish Martin i and d ri ll ed th ree beggars
i n a l ine The v all ey was fu ll o f s h o u tin g h owling c reatu re s
N o t a God n o r a Dev il b u t on ly
and e ve ry s oul w as sh riek i ng
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THE
W H O W OU LD
MAN
BE
KI N G
279
a m an ! The B ashk ai tr oo ps st u ck to Bil ly Fis h a ll they were
wo rth b u t thei r m atch locks was n t hal f as g o od as the Kabu l
bree ch lo aders an d fo u r o f the m dropped Dan w as be ll owing
l ike a b ull fo r h e was ve ry w rathy ; and Billy Fish had a hard
j o b t o prevent him ru nning o u t at the c r o wd
We c an t stand says Billy Fish
Make a ru n f o r i t down
s
t h e vall ey ! The wh ol e pla c e is agai nst u
T h e m at chl o ck men
ran and we w ent down t h e val ley in spite o f Drav o t He was
s w ea rin g ho rrib l e and cryi ng ou t h e was a King T h e priests
r oll ed great st o nes o n u s and the regul ar Arm y fi r ed hard and
there w as n t more than six m en n o t cou nting Dan Billy Fish
and M e that came down to the bott om of t h e va ll ey al ive
T h en they stopped firing and the horns in the te m p l e b l ew
again
Come away — fo r G o rd s sake c ome a w ay ! says Bil ly
Fish
T h ey ll send ru nners out to a ll t h e vil l ages before e v er
we get to Bashk ai I c an prote c t you th ere but I c an t do
anything n ow
My o wn notion is th at Dan began t o g o m ad in hi s head
fro m t h at hour He stared u p and do wn l ike a stuck p i g Then
he was all f o r walking ba ck al one and killi ng the priests with
hi s bare hands which he c o u ld have d o ne An Emperor am
I says Daniel and next year I shall be a Knight o f the Queen
“
A ll right Dan says I but c om e al ong n ow whi l e t h ere s
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It s yo u r fa ul t says h e fo r n o t loo kin g afte r you r Army
better There was m u tiny in the m idst and yo u did n t know
— you da m ned engi nedriving p l ate-l aying missionary s-pass
hu nting hound ! He s at u pon a r o ck and c all ed m e eve ry f o u l
n ame he c oul d l ay tongu e to
I w as t o o h eart-si ck t o care
th ou gh it was al l his fo o lishness th at br o ught the s m as h
I m sorry Dan says I but there s no ac c o u nting for
nati ves This b u siness is o ur F if ty-S even Maybe we ll m ake
s om ething ou t o f i t yet wh en w e v e g o t to Bashk ai
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S H O RT ST O R I E S
280
Let s get t o B ashk ai then says Dan and by God when
I come ba ck here again I ll sweep the val l ey so there i s n t a
b u g i n a blanket left !
We walked al l t h at day and a ll t h at nigh t Dan was stu m p
i ng up and down o n the sno w ch ewing his beard and muttering
to himse l f
There s n o h Op e 0 getting c l ear said Bil ly Fish
The
priests will have sent runners to the villages to say that you are
o n ly m en Why did n t you stick on as Gods till things was more
settled ? I m a dead man says Billy Fish and he throws hi m
sel f down on the snow and begins to pray to his G o ds
Next morning w e was in a cruel bad c ountry — all up and
down no le v el ground at all and no food either The s ix Bash
kai men looked at Billy Fish h u n gryway as if they w anted to
At noon we came
a sk something but they said ne v er a word
t o the to p Of a flat m ountain all co v ered with snow and when
w e climbed up into it beh o ld there was an Army in position
waiting in the middle !
The runners have been ve ry quick says Bi lly Fish with
a l ittle bit o f a laugh
They are waiting for us
Three o r four men began to fire from the ene my s S ide and
a chance shot took Danie l in the calf o f the l eg That brought
h im to his senses He l ooks across the snow at the Army and
sees the rifles that we had brought into the country
We re done fo r says he
They are Engl ishmen these
people — and it s my b l asted nonsense that has brought yo u
to this Get back Bil ly Fish and take your men away ; you v e
done what you cou l d and now c ut for it Carnehan says he
S hake hands with m e and go al ong with Billy Maybe they
won t kill yo u I 11 go and meet e m alo ne It s m e that did it
Me the K ing !
says I
G o to Hell Dan I am with you here
Billy Fish you clea r o u t and we two will meet th o se fo lk
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
28 2
Pea ch ey t h at w as cryi ng l ike a ch i ld I v e brou gh t y ou t o t hi s
Peachey says h e
Bro u gh t y ou ou t o f yo u r h appy life t o be
k ille d in Kafiris tan w here yo u / was l ate C om mander-in-C hi ef o f
the Em peror s f o rces S ay y ou f o rgive m e Peachey
I do
says Peach ey
F ul ly and free ly do I f o rgi ve y o u Dan
Sh ake hands Peach ey says he I m going n ow O u t he
g o es lo oking neither righ t nor l eft and when he w as p l u m b in
the m iddle o f those dizzy dan c ing ropes
C u t y ou beggars
he s h o u ts ; and they cut and ol d Dan fe l l t urn i ng r o und and
r o und and round twenty thousand miles f o r he took hal f an
hour to fall t ill he str u ck t h e water and I co ul d s ee his b o dy
c au ght o n a ro ck with the go l d crown close beside
B u t do yo u kn o w what they did to Peachey betw e en t wo
pine-trees ? They cru cified him S ir as Pe ach ey s hand will show
They used woo den pegs fo r his hands and his feet ; and h e
did n t die He hung there and screamed and they took hi m
down next day and said it w as a mira c le that he was n t dead
They took him down — poor O ld Peachey that had n t done
the m any harm — that had n t done the m any
H e rocked t o and fro and wept bitterly wiping his eyes with
the back of h is scarred hands and moaning l ike a child for some
ten minutes
They was c ru e l enough to feed hi m up in the te m p l e
because they said he was more o f a God than Ol d Danie l that
was a m an Then they turned him o u t o n the snow and to l d
him to go h o m e and Peachey came home in about a yea r
begging al ong t h e roads quite safe ; fo r Daniel Dravot he w alked
be fore and said : Come a l ong Peachey It s a big thing we re
doing The m ountains they dan c ed at night and the m o u ntains
they t ried t o fal l on Pe ach ey s head but Dan h e hel d u p his
h and and Peachey c a m e al ong bent d o ub l e He never l et go of
D an s h and and he never l et g o o f Dan s head They gave it t o
h im as a present in the te m p l e t o re mi nd him n o t t o com e aga in
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MAN W H O W OU LD
THE
KI N G
BE
283
thou gh t h e crow n w as p u re g ol d and Pea ch ey w as sta rving
neve r woul d Pea ch ey sel l the sam e Yo u knew Drav o t S i r ! Yo u
kne w Ri gh t W o rs h ipful Bro t h er Drav o t ! L o ok at hi m now !
H e fum b l ed in t h e m ass o f rags rou nd his bent w aist ; br o ught
out a b l ack hor sehair bag e m br o idered w i t h si l ver thread ; and
—
sh oo k therefrom on t o m y tab l e
the d ried w ithered h ead o f
Danie l Drav o t ! The m orning s u n t h at h ad l ong been pal ing the
l am ps struck t h e red beard and b l ind s u nken eyes ; st ruck too
a h eavy c ir cl et of go l d st u dded w ith ra w t u rquo ises t h at Ca m e
h an pla c ed tenderly o n the battered tem p l es
”
Yo u b e o ld n o w
said Carne h an
th e Em peror in h is
ab i t as he l ived
the King o f Kafi ris tan w it h his c r ow n u p o n
”
h i s head P oor ol d Danie l that was a mo nar ch on c e !
I sh u ddered for i n spite o f deface m ents m anifo l d I re cog
Carne h an r o se
n iz e d t h e h ead Of t h e m an o f Marw ar J u nction
t o go I atte m pted to stop him H e w as n o t fit to wal k abroad
Let m e take away the whiskey and give m e a littl e money
h e gasped
I was a Ki ng on c e I 11 go to t h e Dep u ty Co m
mi ssione r and ask to s e t i n the P o or hou se till I get m y h eal th
No t h ank y ou I c an t w a i t till vo u get a carriage fo r m e I v e
”
in the s o uth
at Marwar
u rgent p ri vate a ffa i rs
H e shamb l ed o u t o f the o ffi c e and depa rted in t h e direct io n
That day at no o n I h ad
o f the Dep u ty Co mm issioner s h o use
oc casio n t o go down th e b l inding h ot Mall and I s aw a c ro oked
m an crawling alo ng th e white d u st o f the roadside h is h at in
his h and qu ave ri ng do l orous ly after t h e fashion o f street
singers at Ho m e T h ere was n o t a s oul i n sigh t and he was
And he sang thro u gh
o u t o f a ll possib l e e a r s ho t o f t h e hou ses
h is n o se turn ing h is h ead fro m righ t to l eft
an d
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T he
M an g oes fo rth to war
A g o l de n crown to g ain ;
H is b l o o d-e d b ann e r stre am s af ar
Wh o f ollo ws in h is train ?
Son
of
r
,
S H O RT S T O R I E S
2 84
I w aited to hear no mo re b u t p u t the p o o r w ret ch int o m y
c arriage and drove h i m o ff to the nearest m issionary for e v en
t u al transfer to the Asy lu m H e r epeated the hym n twi c e w hil e
h e was with m e wh om h e d i d no t i n the l east re cogniz e and I
l eft h i m singing it t o the mi ssionary
T w o days l ater I i nq u ired afte r hi s w e l far e o f t h e S u p erin
tendent o f the Asylum
H e was admitted suffer i ng fr om s u n-str oke H e died earl y
”
yesterday m o rning said the S uperintendent
I s i t t ru e that
h e was half an hour bare-headed in the s un at m idday
”
Yes said I but do y o u h appen to know i f h e h ad any
”
?
thing u pon hi m by any chan c e when h e died
”
Not to m y knowledge sa i d th e Su pe rintendent
And t h ere the m atte r r ests
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S H O RT ST O R I E S
286
De ll a and Ji m h ave been said to il lu str ate
the
st o ry Of c ross-pu rposes
But the phrase is not we ll
used Thei r purposes were one ; only their methods cr o ssed
O H en ry rare l y comments o n his characters but he has here
”
picked o u t one quality o f these two foolish c h ildren in a flat
for u nrese rved praise : O f all wh o gi v e gifts these t wo were
the wisest O f al l wh o give and receive gifts su ch as they are
wisest Eve rywhere they are wisest They are the magi
If
“
the magi as O Henry says invented the art o f givingChrist
mas presents Della and Jim re—discovered it We have had no
two characters in whose comp any it is better to l eave ou r st u dy
o f the s h o rt sto ry !
C/z a ra eters
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O ne d oll ar and eigh ty-seven c ents T h at w as a ll And S ixty
cents o f it w as in pennies Pennies saved one and two at a
time by bull d o zing the gro c er and the vegetable m an and the
b u t c her u nti l one s cheeks burned w it h the silent imp u tati o n
o f parsimony that such close dea l ing i m plied
Three ti m es
Della c o u nted it O ne do ll ar and eighty-seven c ents And
the next day w ou l d be Christmas
There w as c l early nothi ng to do but fl o p do w n o n the shabby
l ittl e c ouch and h ow l S O Della did it Which instigates the
m ora l refle c ti o n that l ife is m ade up o f sobs s niffle s an d
smi l es w ith s n iffl e s predominating
Whil e the mistress o f the h o me is gradually subsiding fro m
the first stage to the se cond take a l ook at the home A
furnished flat at $ 8 per w eek I t did not exactly begga r
description but it ce rtainly had t h at word o n the l ook o ut fo r
t h e m endicancy squad
In the vestibule below was a l etter-b o x into w hic h no l ette r
wo uld go and an electric button from which no mo rta l finger
could c oax a ring A l so appertaining thereunto w as a c ard
b ea ri ng th e n am e
M r J am e s Di ll in gh a m Yo u ng
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TH E G I FT
OF TH E
M A GI
28 7
T h e D il l ingha m h ad been fl u ng t o th e b r eeze du ri ng a
f o rm e r period o f pr o sperity when i ts p o ssesso r W
as being paid
$ 3 0 per week Now when the in com e w as sh r unk to $ 2 0
the l etters O f Dillingha m l ooked b lu rred as tho u gh t h ey
w ere think i ng seri ou sly o f c o ntracting to a mo dest and unas
B u t w h eneve r Mr James Dillingham Young came
s u m i ng D
“
ho me and reached his flat ab o ve he was c a ll ed Jim and
greatly hugged by Mrs James Dillingh a m Y o ung al ready
introdu c ed to yo u as Del l a Whi ch is all very good
De ll a fin i shed her c ry and attended t o her ch eeks w ith the
p o wder rag S he st oo d by the w ind ow and lo oked o u t dully
at a grey c at wal king a grey fence in a grey backyard To
morrow wou l d be Chr i st m as Day and s h e h ad on ly $ I S 7
w ith which t o buy Jim a present S he had been saving every
penny S h e c ou l d f o r m o nths with this result Twenty do ll ars
a week does n t go far Expenses had been greater than s he
h ad cal culated They a l ways are O n ly
to buy a present
for Ji m Her Ji m Many a h appy ho ur sh e h ad spent p l anning
fo r so m ething ni c e for hi m Som eth i ng fine and rare and
sterling — something j u st a l itt l e bit near t o being worthy o f
the hon o ur of being owned by Ji m
There w as a pier glass between the windows of the r o om
Perh aps you h ave seen a pier-glass in an $ 8 flat A very thin
and very agi l e person m ay by observing his reflection in a rapid
seq u ence o f l ongi tudinal strips obtain a fairly accurate co n ce p
tion o f h is l o o ks Della being S le n de r h ad mastered the art
S uddenly she whirl ed fro m the window and st o od befo re
the glass Her eyes w ere shining brilliant ly but he r fa c e h ad
l ost its colou r within twenty seconds R api dly sh e pull ed d o wn
h e r hair and l et it fal l to its fu ll l ength
N ow there were two possessions of the Ja m es Dillingham
Youngs in which they b o th t o ok a m igh ty pri de O ne was Jim s
gold w at ch t h at h ad been h is fat her s an d hi s gr andfath er s
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S H OR
288
T ST ORI E S
The o th e r w as Dell a s h ai r Had the Qu een o f Sh eba li ved
in the flat across th e airshaft De ll a wo uld have l et he r ha i r
h ang o u t the windo w some day to dry just to depre ciate he r
Maj esty s j ewels and gifts Had King S o lomon been the j anitor
w ith a ll h is treas u res pi l ed u p i n the basement Ji m w ould
h ave pu ll ed o u t h is w atch every time h e passed j ust to s ee
him p luck at his beard fro m envy
So now Della s bea u tifu l hair fel l ab o ut her ri ppling and
shining l ike a c ascade o f bro w n waters I t reached be l o w he r
knee and made i tse l f al most a garment fo r her And then s h e
did i t u p again ne rv o us ly and quick ly O nce s h e fal tered fo r
a mi nute and st oo d stil l w hi l e a tear o r two splas h ed o n t h e
wo rn red c arpet
O n w ent her ol d br o wn j acket ; on went h er o ld br ow n hat
Wit h a whir l of ski rts and with the brilliant sparkle still in h e r
eyes she fl u ttered o u t the door and d o wn the stairs to the street
Where sh e st o pped the S ign read : Mme S o fro n ie Hai r
”
Goods o f al l Ki nds
O ne flight up Della ran and co l lected
h er sel f pant i ng Madam e l arge to o white c hi lly h ardly l o o ked
the S o fron ie
”
Wil l you buy m y h air ? asked Della
”
I b u y h ai r said Madame
Take yer hat o ff and l et s
h ave a sight at the l ooks o f it
D ow n ri ppled the brown cas c ade
Twenty do l lars said Madam e l ifting the m ass w ith a
pra ctised hand
Give it to m e qui ck said Del la
O h and the next two h ours tripped by o n rosy w ings F o r
e
t
g t h e hashed m etap hor S he was ransacking the st o res fo r
Ji m s present
S he fou nd it at l ast It surely had been m ade for Ji m an d
n o o ne e l se There was no other l ike it in any o f the stores
and S he h ad t u rned a ll o f the m inside out
It w as a p l at i num
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S H O RT ST O R I E S
29 0
T h e d oo r O pe ne d and Ji m stepped i n and clo sed it H e
loo ked th in and ve ry se ri ou s Po o r fel lo w h e w as on ly twenty
two — and t o be b u rdened wi t h a fam ily ! H e needed a ne w
o ver co at and he w as w ith ou t glo ves
J im st o pped i nside the door as i mmo vab l e as a setter at the
s c ent of q u ail His eyes were fixed u p o n Dell a and th ere w as
an expressi o n in t h em that s h e cou ld n o t read and i t terrified
h er I t was n o t anger n o r s u rprise n o r disappro val nor h o rror
n or any of the senti m ents that s h e h ad been prepared fo r H e
si m ply stared at her fixedly with that pe cul iar expressi o n o n
h is fa c e
D e ll a wriggl ed o ff th e tab l e and w ent f o r him
”
“
“
J im dar l ing sh e cried
d o n t l ook at m e t h at w ay I
had m y h air c ut off and so l d it be c ause I c o ul d n t have l ived
thr ou gh Christ m as with o ut gi v i ng you a present It 11 gr ow
ou t again — you won t m ind wil l yo u ? I j ust had to d o i t
My h ai r gro ws awfully fast S ay M erry Christm as
Jim and
—
l et s be happy Y ou d o n t kn ow wh at a ni c e wh at a beautiful
ni c e gift I v e got for yo u
”
?
Y ou ve cu t off y o ur h air
asked Ji m l ab o ri o u sl y as i f
he had n o t ar ri ved at that patent fa c t yet even afte r t h e h ardest
menta l l abo ur
C u t i t Off and s ol d i t sai d Dell a
D o n t y ou like me
”
?
j u st as well anyh ow I m me witho u t m y h air ain t I ?
Ji m lo oked ab ou t th e r oom c uri o u s ly
”
Y ou say y ou r h ai r i s gone ? h e said wi t h an air a lmo s t
Of idio cy
Y ou need n t lo ok f o r i t said De ll a
It s so l d I te l l
y ou — s ol d and g o ne t oo It s Ch ristm as E ve b oy Be good
to m e for it w ent fo r y ou Maybe th e hairs of my head wer e
”
numbered s h e went o n with a sudden serious sweetness b u t
nobody c ould ever cou nt my lo ve f o r y ou Sh all I p u t th e
”
ch ops o n Ji m ?
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TH E
GI FT
OF TH E
MAGI
29 1
O u t o f hi s t r an c e Ji m see m ed quick ly t o w ake He en
f ol ded h is D e ll a F o r ten sec o nds l et us regard w ith dis c reet
scru tiny s o me in co nse qu ential o bj e c t in the o th er directio n
E ight dol lars a w eek o r a m i lli o n a year
what is the
differen c e ? A m athe m ati c ian o r a w it woul d give y o u the
w rong answer The m agi bro u ght valu ab l e gifts but that
w as not arno ng the m T h is dark asse rt io n wi ll be ill u m inated
l ater on
Jim dre w a pac kage fr om his o ver co at p ocket and t h re w i t
upon the tab l e
D o n t make any m istake De ll h e sai d ab ou t m e I
don t think there s anyth ing in th e way O f a hai r cu t o r a shave
But if
o r a s h amp o o that c ould m ake m e l ike m y gi r l any l ess
you ll u nwrap that pa ckage y o u m ay see why y ou h ad m e g oi ng
a whi l e at first
White fingers and n im bl e t o re at the strin g and pape r And
then an ecstati c s c rea m o f j oy ; and t h en a l as ! a qu ic k femi
nine change t o hysteri c a l tears and w ails ne c ess itating the
immediate e m p lo yment o f a ll t h e com fo rt i ng p ow ers o f t h e lo rd
o f the flat
For there l ay The Co m bs
the set of com bs side and back
th at Dell a had wo rs h ipped fo r l ong i n a Broadway w ind o w
Beautifu l co mbs p u re t ort o ise she ll with j ewe ll ed rims — j u s t
the shade to wear in the beautifu l vanished hair They w ere
expensive co m bs sh e knew and her heart h ad S i m p ly c raved
and yearned over the m witho ut the l e ast h Ope o f possession
And now they w ere h ers b u t th e tresses that sh oul d have
adorned the c o veted ad o rn m ents were g o ne
But sh e h u gged t h e m t o he r b o s o m and at l ength sh e was
My h a ir
ab l e t o loo k u p w i t h di m eyes and a s m i l e and s ay :
”
gro ws so fast Ji m !
And then De lla le aped u p like a litt l e s inged c at and cri ed
O h oh
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S H O RT S T O R I E S
29 2
J im h ad n o t yet seen his beau tiful present Sh e h e l d it o u t
t o hi m eagerly upon h er open palm The du ll precio u s meta l
see m ed to flash with a reflection of her bright and ardent spirit
I s n t it a dandy Jim ? I hunted all over town t o find it
Yo u l l have t o l ook at the time a h u ndred times a day now
”
Gi v e me your watch I want to s ee ho w it lo oks on it
Instead o f obeying Jim tumbled down o n the cou ch and put
”
his hands under the back o f his head and s m iled
Dell said
he l et s put o u r Christm as presents away and keep e m a
while T h ey re too nice to u s e j ust at present I sold the
watch to get the money to buy your com bs And now s u ppose
”
yo u p u t the chops o n
The m agi as you know w ere w ise m en — w onderfully wise
m en — wh o bro ught gifts to the Babe in the manger They
invented the art o f giv ing Ch ristmas presents Being wise
their gifts were no doubt wise ones p o ssib ly bearing the privi
l ege o f exchange in case of duplication And here I have la m ely
related to you the uneventfu l chronicl e o f two foo l ish children
in a flat wh o most unwisely sacrificed fo r each o ther the great
est treas u res o f their house But in a l ast word to the wise o f
these days l et it be said that o f al l who give gifts these tw o were
the wisest O f all who give and receive gifts such as they are
w isest Eve rywhere they are wisest T h ey are the m agi
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an)
:
INN
g t b c n aw m B
N
N
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u
ss
PR O
A N D CO M PA Y
U S A
PR I ET O R S B OS T O
G
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