\"Shearrangedwiththe——withthepurchaserthatthemenwillcomeforitabouthalfafterfiveintheafternoon。Thedaysaresoshortnowit\'sreallyquitewinter。\"
\"Oh,yes,\"heagreed,moodily。\"Sofarasthatgoespeoplehavearighttomoveapieceoffurniturewithoutstirringuptheneighbors,Isuppose,evenbydaylight。Idon\'tsupposeOURneighborsarepayingmuchattentionjustnow,thoughIhearSheridanwasbackinhisofficeearlythemorningafterthefuneral。\"
Mrs。Vertreesmadealittlesoundofcommiseration。\"Idon\'tbelievethatwasbecausehewasn\'tsuffering,though。I\'msureitwasonlybecausehefelthisbusinesswassoimportant。Marytoldmeheseemedwrappedupinhisson\'ssucceeding;andthatwaswhathebraggedaboutmost。Heisn\'tvulgarinhisboasting,Iunderstand;hedoesn\'ttalkagreatdealabouthis——hisactualmoney——thoughtherewassomethingaboutbladesofgrassthatIdidn\'tcomprehend。Ithinkhemeantsomethingabouthisenergy——butperhapsnot。
No,hisbraggingusuallyseemedtobenotsomuchapersonalvaingloryasabouthisfamilyandthegreatnessofthiscity。\"
\"\'Greatnessofthiscity\'！\"Mr。Vertreesechoed,withdullbitterness。\"It\'snothingbutacoal—hole！Isupposeitlooks\'great\'tothemanwhohasthelucktomakeitworkforhim。Isupposeitlooks\'great\'toanyYOUNGman,too,startingouttomakehisfortuneoutofit。Thefellowsthatgetwhattheywantoutofitsayit\'s\'great,\'andeverybodyelsegetsthehabit。Butyouhaveadifferentpointofviewifit\'sthecitythatgotwhatitwantedoutofyou！OfcourseSheridansaysit\'s\'great\'。\"
Mrs。Vertreesseemedunawareofthisunusualoutburst。\"Ibelieve,\"shebegan,timidly,\"hedoesn\'tboastof——thatis,Iunderstandhehasneverseemedsointerestedinthe——theotherone。\"
Herhusband\'sfacewasdark,butatthataheaviershadowfelluponit;helookedmorehaggardthanbefore。\"\'Theotherone\',\"herepeated,avertinghiseyes。\"Youmean——youmeanthethirdson——theonethatwasherethisevening？\"
\"Yes,the——theyoungest,\"shereturned,hervoicesofeebleitwasalmostawhisper。
Andthenneitherofthemspokeforseverallongminutes。Nordideitherlookattheotherduringthatsilence。
AtlastMr。Vertreescontrivedtocough,butnotconvincingly。\"What——
ah——whatwasitMarysaidabouthimoutinthehall,whenshecameinthisafternoon？Iheardyouaskinghersomethingabouthim,butsheansweredinsuchalowvoiceIdidn\'t——ah——happentocatchit。\"
\"She——shedidn\'tsaymuch。Allshesaidwasthis:Iaskedherifshehadenjoyedherwalkwithhim,andshesaid,\'He\'sthemostwistfulcreatureI\'veeverknown。\'\"
\"Well？\"
\"Thatwasall。HeISwistful—looking;andsofragile——thoughhedoesn\'tseemquitesomuchsolately。IwaswatchingMaryfromthewindowwhenshewentoutto—day,andhejoinedher,andifIhadn\'tknownabouthimI\'dhavethoughthehadquiteaninterestingface。\"
\"Ifyou\'hadn\'tknownabouthim\'？Knownwhat？\"
\"Oh,nothing,ofcourse,\"shesaid,hurriedly。\"Nothingdefinite,thatis。
Marysaiddecidely,longago,thathe\'snotatallinsane,aswethoughtatfirst。It\'sonly——well,ofcourseitISodd,theirattitudeabouthim。I
supposeit\'ssomenervoustroublethatmakeshim——perhapsalittlequeerattimes,sothathecan\'tapplyhimselftoanything——orperhapsdoesoddthings。But,afterall,ofcourse,weonlyhaveanimpressionaboutit。Wedon\'tknow——thatis,positively。I——\"Shepaused,thenwenton:\"Ididn\'tknowjusthowtoask——thatis——Ididn\'tmentionittoMary。Ididn\'t——I——\"
Thepoorladyflounderedpitifully,concludingwithamumble。\"Sosoonafter——afterthe——theshock。\"
\"Idon\'tthinkI\'vecaughtmorethanaglimpseofhim,\"saidMr。Vertrees。
\"Iwouldn\'tknowhimifIsawhim,butyourimpressionofhimis——\"Hebrokeoffsuddenly,springingtohisfeetinagitation。\"Ican\'timageher——oh,NO！\"hegasped。Andhebegantopacethefloor。\"Ahalf—wittedepileptic！\"
\"No,no！\"shecried。\"Hemaybeallright。We——\"
\"Oh,it\'shorrible！Ican\'t——\"Hethrewhimselfbackintohischairagain,sweepinghishandsacrosshisface,thenlettingthemfalllimplyathissides。
Mrs。Vertreeswastremulous。\"Youmustn\'tgivewayso,\"shesaid,inspiredforoncealmosttodirectdiscourse。\"WhateverMarymightthinkofdoing,itwouldn\'tbeonherownaccount;itwouldbeonours。ButifWE
should——shouldconsiderit,thatwouldn\'tbeonOURownaccount。Itisn\'tbecausewethinkofourselves。\"
\"OhGod,no！\"hegroaned。\"Notforus！Wecangotothepoorhouse,butMarycan\'tbeastenographer！\"
Sighing,Mrs。Vertreesresumedherobliqueness。\"Ofcourse,\"shemurmured,\"itallseemsverypremature,speculatingaboutsuchthings,butIhadaqueersortoffeelingthatsheseemedquiteinterestedinthis——\"Shehadalmostsaid\"inthisone,\"butcheckedherself。\"Inthisyoungman。It\'snatural,ofcourse;sheisalwayssostrongandwell,andheis——heseemstobe,thatis——ratherappealingtothe——thesympathies。\"
\"Yes！\"heagreed,bitterly。\"Precisely。Thesympathies！\"
\"Perhaps,\"shefaltered——\"perhapsyoumightfeeleasierifIcouldhavealittletalkwithsomeone？\"
\"Withwhom？\"
\"Ihadthoughtof——notgoingaboutittoobrusquely,ofcourse,butperhapsjustwaitingforhisnametobementioned,ifIhappenedtobetalkingwithsomebodythatknewthefamily——andthenImightfindachancetosaythatI
wassorrytohearhe\'dbeenillsomuch,and——Somethingofthatkindperhaps？\"
\"Youdon\'tknowanybodythatknowsthefamily。\"
\"Yes。Thatis——well,inaway,ofcourse,oneOFthefamily。ThatMrs。
RoscoeSheridanisnota——thatis,she\'sratherapleasant—facedlittlewoman,Ithink,andofcourseratherordinary。Ithinksheisinterestedabout——thatis,ofcourse,she\'dbeanxioustobemoreintimatewithMary,naturally。She\'salwayslookingoverherefromherhouse;shewaslookingoutthewindowthisafternoonwhenMarywentout,Inoticed——thoughIdon\'tthinkMarysawher。I\'msureshewouldn\'tthinkitoutofplaceto——tobefrankaboutmatters。Shecalledtheotherday,andMarymustratherlikeher——shesaidthateveningthatthecallhaddonehergood。Don\'tyouthinkitmightbewise？\"
\"Wise？Idon\'tknow。Ifeelthewholematterisimpossible。\"
\"Yes,sodoI,\"shereturned,promptly。\"Itisn\'treallyathingweshouldbeconsideringseriously,ofcourse。Still——\"
\"Ishouldsaynot！Butpossibly——\"
Thustheyskirmishedupanddownthefield,butbeforetheyturnedthelightsoutandwentup—stairsitwasthoroughlyunderstoodbetweenthemthatMrs。
VertreesshouldseektheearliestopportunitytoobtaindefiniteinformationfromSibylSheridanconcerningthementalandphysicalstatusofBibbs。Andifheweresubjecttoattacksoflunacy,theunhappypairdecidedtopreventthesacrificetheysupposedtheirdaughterintendedtomakeofherself。
Altogether,iftherewerespitefulghostsintheoldhousethatnight,eavesdroppinguponthewoefulcomedy,theymusthavediedanewoflaughter！
Mrs。Vertrees\'sopportunityoccurredtheverynextafternoon。Darknesshadfallen,andthepiano—movershadcome。Theywerecarryingthepianodownthefrontsteps,andMrs。Vertreeswasstandingintheopendoorwaybehindthem,preparingtowithdraw,whensheheardasharpexclamation;andMrs。RoscoeSheridan,bareheaded,emergedfromtheshadowintothelightofthedoorway。
\"Goodgracious！\"shecried。\"Itdidgivemeafright！\"
\"It\'sMrs。Sheridan,isn\'tit？\"Mrs。Vertreeswasperplexedbythisinformalappearance,butshereflectedthatitmightbeprovidential。\"Won\'tyoucomein？\"
\"No。Ohno,thankyou！\"Sibylpanted,pressingherhandtoherside。\"Youdon\'tknowwhatafrightyou\'vegivenme！Anditwasnothingbutyourpiano！\"Shelaughedshrilly。\"Youknow,sinceourtragedycomingsosuddenlytheotherday,youhavenoideahowupsetI\'vebeen——almosthysterical！AndIjustglancedoutofthewindow,aminuteorsoago,andsawyourdoorwideopenandblackfiguresofmenagainstthelight,carryingsomethingheavy,andIalmostfainted。Yousee,itwasjustthewayitlookedwhenIsawthembringingmypoorbrother—in—lawin,nextdoor,onlysuchafewshortdaysago。AndIthoughtI\'dseenyourdaughterstartforadrivewithBibbsSheridaninacaraboutthreeo\'clock——and——Theyaren\'tbackyet,arethey？\"
\"No。Goodheavens！\"
\"AndtheonlythingIcouldthinkofwasthatsomethingmusthavehappenedtothem,andIjustdashedover——anditwasonlyyourPIANO！\"Shebrokeintolaughteragain。\"Isupposeyou\'rejustsendingitsomewheretoberepaired,aren\'tyou？\"
\"It\'s——it\'sbeingtakendown—town,\"saidMrs。Vertrees。\"Won\'tyoucomeinandmakemealittlevisit。IwasSOsorry,theotherday,thatIwas——ah——\"
Shestoppedinconsequently,thenrepeatedherinvitation。\"Won\'tyoucomein？I\'dreally——\"
\"Thankyou,butImustberunningback。Myhusbandusuallygetshomeaboutthistime,andImakealittlepointofitalwaystobethere。\"
\"That\'sverysweet。\"Mrs。VertreesdescendedthestepsandwalkedtowardthestreetwithSibyl。\"It\'squitebalmyforsolateinNovember,isn\'tit？
AlmostlikeaMayevening。\"
\"I\'mafraidMissVertreeswillmissherpiano,\"saidSibyl,watchingtheinstrumentdisappearintothebigvanatthecurb。\"Sheplayswonderfully,Mrs。Kittersbytellsme。\"
\"Yes,sheplaysverywell。Oneofyourrelativescametohearheryesterday,afterdinner,andIthinksheplayedalleveningforhim。\"
\"YoumeanBibbs？\"askedSibyl。
\"The——theyoungestMr。Sheridan。Yes。He\'sverymusical,isn\'the？\"
\"Ineverheardofit。ButIshouldn\'tthinkitwouldmattermuchwhetherhewasornot,ifhecouldgetMissVertreestoplaytohim。Doesyourdaughterexpectthepianobacksoon？\"
\"I——Ibelievenotimmediately。Mr。Sheridancamelasteveningtohearherplaybecauseshehadarrangedwiththe——thatis,itwastoberemovedthisafternoon。Heseemsalmostwellagain。\"
\"Yes。\"Sibylnodded。\"Hisfather\'sgoingtotrytostarthimtowork。\"
\"Heseemsverydelicate,\"saidMrs。Vertrees。\"Ishouldn\'tthinkhewouldbeabletostandagreatdeal,eitherphysicallyor——\"Shepausedandthenadded,glowingwiththesenseofherownadroitness——\"ormentally。\"
\"Oh,mentallyBibbsisallright,\"saidSibyl,inanoddvoice。
\"Entirely？\"Mrs。Vertreesasked,breathlessly。
\"Yes,entirely。\"
\"ButhasheALWAYSbeen？\"Thisquestioncamewiththesameanxiouseagerness。
\"Certainly。Hehadalongsiegeofnervousdyspepsia,buthe\'soverit。\"
\"Andyouthink——\"
\"Bibbsisallright。Youneedn\'twor——\"Sibylchoked,andpressedherhandkerchieftohermouth。\"Goodnight,Mrs。Vertrees,\"shesaid,hurriedly,asthehead—lightsofanautomobileswungroundthecornerabove,sendingabrighteningglaretowardtheedgeofthepavementwherethetwoladieswerestanding。
\"Won\'tyoucomein？\"urgedMrs。Vertrees,cordially,hearingthesoundofacheerfulvoiceoutofthedarknessbeyondtheapproachingglare。\"Do！
There\'sMarynow,andshe——\"
ButSibylwashalf—wayacrossthestreet。\"No,thanks,\"shecalled。\"I
hopeshewon\'tmissherpiano！\"Andsheranintoherownhouseandplungedheadlonguponaleatherdivaninthehall,holdingherhandkerchiefoverhermouth。
Thenoiseofhertumultuousentrancewasevidentlystartlinginthequiethouse,foruponthebangofthedoortherefollowedthecrashofadecanter,droppeduponthefloorofthedining—roomattheendofthehall;and,afterarumbleofindistinctprofanity,Roscoecameforth,holdingadrippingnapkininhishand。
\"What\'syourexcitement？\"hedemanded。\"Whatdoyoufindtogointohystericsover？Anotherdeathinthefamily？\"
\"Oh,it\'sfunny！shegasped。\"Thoseoldfrost—bittenpeople！IguessTHEY\'REgettingtheircome—upance！\"Lyingprone,sheelevatedherfeetintheair,clappedherheelstogetherrepeatedly,inanecstasy。
\"Comethrough,comethrough！\"saidherhusband,crossly。\"Whatyoubeenupto？\"
\"Me？\"shecried,droppingherfeetandswingingaroundtofacehim。
\"Nothing。It\'sthem！ThoseVertreeses！\"Shewipedhereyes。\"They\'vehadtoselltheirpiano！\"
\"Well,whatofit？\"
\"ThatMrs。Kittersbytoldmeallabout\'emaweekago,\"saidSibyl。\"They\'vebeenhardupforalongtime,andshesaysaslongagoaslastwintersheknewthatgirlgotapairofwalking—shoesre—soledandpatched,becauseshegotitdonethesameplaceMrs。Kittersby\'scookhadHERS！Andthenightofthehouse—warmingIkindofgotsuspicious,myself。Shedidn\'thaveonesinglepieceofanykindofrealjewelry,andyoucouldseeherdresswasanoldonedoneover。Mencan\'ttellthosethings,andyouallmadeabigfussoverher,butIthoughtshelookedasight,myself！Ofcourse,EDITHwascrazytohaveher,and——\"
\"Well,well？\"heurged,impatiently。
\"Well,I\'mTELLINGyou！Mrs。Kittersbysaystheyhaven\'tgotaTHING！JustabsolutelyNOTHING——andtheydon\'tknowanywheretoturn！Thefamily\'salldiedoutbutthem,andalltherelativestheygotareverydistant,andliveEastandscarcelyknow\'em。Shesaysthewholetown\'sbeenwonderingwhatWOULDbecomeof\'em。Thegirlhadplentychancestomarryuptoayearorsoago,butshewassoindifferentshescaredthemenoff,andtheonesthathadwantedtowentandmarriedothergirls。Gracious！theywerelucky！MarryHER？ThemanthatfoundhimselftieduptoTHATgirl——\"
\"Terriblefunny,terriblefunny！\"saidRoscoe,withsarcasm。\"It\'ssofunnyIbrokeacut—glassdecanterandspilledaquartof——\"
\"Wait！\"shebegged。\"You\'llsee。Iwassittingbythewindowalittlewhileago,andIsawabigwagondriveupacrossthestreetandsomemengointothehouse。Itwastoodarktomakeoutmuch,andforaminuteIgottheideatheyweremovingout——thehousehasbeenforeclosedon,Mrs。Kittersbysays。
Itseemedfunny,too,becauseIknewthatgirlwasoutridingwithBibbs。
Well,IthoughtI\'dsee,soIslippedover——anditwastheirPIANO！They\'dsolditandweretryingtosneakitoutafterdark,sonobody\'dcatchon！\"
Againshegavewaytoherenjoyment,butresumed,asherhusbandseemedabouttointerruptthenarrative。\"Waitaminute,can\'tyou？Theoldladywassuperintending,andshegaveitallaway。Isizedherupforoneofthoseoldchurchypeoplethattellallkindsofliesexceptwhenitcomestosomanywords,andthentheycan\'t。Shemightjustaswelltoldmeoutright！
Yes,they\'dsoldit;andIhopethey\'llpaysomeoftheirdebts。Theyoweeverybody,andlastweekacoal—dealermadeanawfulfussatthedoorwithMr。Vertrees。Theircooktoldourupstairsgirl,andshesaidshedidn\'tknowWHENshe\'dseenanymoney,herself！DidyoueverhearofsuchacaseasthatgirlinyouLIFE？\"
\"Whatgirl？Theircook？\"
\"ThatVertreesgirl！Don\'tyouseetheylookedonourcomingupintothisneighborhoodastheirlastchance？Theywerejustgoingdownandout,andherebobsupthegreen,richSheridanfamily！Sotheydollthegirlupinheroldthings,madeover,andsendherouttogetaSheridan——she\'sGOTtogetone！Andshejustgoesinblind;andshetriesitonfirstwithYOU。
Youremember,shejustplainTOLDyoushewasgoingtomashyou,andthenshefoundoutyouwerethemarriedone,andturnedrightsquarearoundtoJimandcarriedhimoffhisfeet。Oh,Jimwaslanded——there\'snodoubtaboutTHAT！
ButJimwaslucky;hedidn\'tlivetoSTAYlanded,andit\'sagoodthingforhim！\"Sibyl\'smirthhadvanished,andshespokewithvirulentrapidity。
\"Well,shecouldn\'tgetyou,becauseyouweremarried,andshecouldn\'tgetJim,becauseJimdied。Andtheretheywere,deadbroke！Doyouknowwhatshedid？Doyouknowwhatshe\'sDOING？\"
\"No,Idon\'t,\"saidRoscoe,gruffly。
Sibyl\'svoiceroseandculminatedinascreamofrenewedhilarity。\"BIBBS！
Shewaitedinthegrave—yard,anddrovehomewithhimfromJIM\'SFUNERAL！
Neverspoketohimbefore！Jimwasn\'tCOLD！\"
Sherockedherselfbackandforthuponthedivan。\"Bibbs！\"sheshrieked。
\"Bibbs！Roscoe,THINKofit！BIBBS！\"
Hestaredunsympathetically,buthermirthwasunabatedforallthat。\"Andyesterday,\"shecontinued,betweenparoxysms——\"yesterdayshecameoutofthehouse——justashewaspassing。Shemusthavebeenlookingout——waitingforthechance;Isawtheoldladywatchingatthewindow！Andshegothimtherelastnight——to\'PLAY\'tohim;theoldladygavethataway！Andto—dayshemadehimtakeheroutinamachine！Andthecreamofitisthattheydidn\'tevenknowwhetherhewasINSANEornot——theythoughtmaybehewas,butshewentafterhimjustthesame！Theoldladysetherselftopumpmeaboutitto—day。BIBBS！Oh,myLord！BIBBS！\"
ButRoscoelookedgrim。\"Soit\'sfunnytoyou,isit？Itsoundskindofpitifultome。Ishouldthinkitwouldtoawoman,too。\"
\"Oh,itmight,\"shereturned,sobering。\"Itmight,ifthosepeopleweren\'tsuchfrozen—facedsmartAlecks。Ifthey\'dhadthedecencytocomedownofftheperchalittleIprobablywouldn\'tthinkitwasfunny,buttosee\'emsitupontheirpedestalallthetimethey\'reeatingdirt——well,Ithinkit\'sfunny！ThatgirlsitsupasifshewasQueenElizabeth,andexpectspeopletowallowonthegroundbeforeheruntiltheygetnearenoughforhertogive\'emagoodkickwithheroldpatchedshoes——oh,she\'ddoTHAT,allright！——andthenshepowdersupandgoesouttomash——BIBBSSHERIDAN！\"
\"Lookhere,\"saidRoscoe,heavily;\"Idon\'tcareaboutthatonewayoranother。Ifyou\'rethrough,IgotsomethingIwanttotalktoyouabout。I
wasgoingto,thatdayjustbeforeweheardaboutJim。\"
AtthisSibylstiffenedquickly;hereyesbecameintenselybright。\"Whatisit？\"
\"Well,\"hebegan,frowning,\"whatIwasgoingtosaythen——\"Hebrokeoff,and,becomingconsciousthathewasstillholdingthewetnapkininhishand,threwitpettishlyintoacorner。\"IneverexpectedI\'dhavetosayanythinglikethistoanybodyIMARRIED;butIwasgoingtoaskyouwhatwasthematterbetweenyouandLamhorn。\"
Sibylutteredasharpmonosyllable。\"Well？\"
\"Ifeltthetimehadcomeformetoknowaboutit,\"hewenton。\"Younevertoldmeanything——\"
\"Youneverasked,\"sheinterposed,curtly。
\"Well,we\'dgotinawayofnottalkingmuch,\"saidRoscoe。\"Itlookstomenowasifwe\'dprettymuchlosttherunofeachotherthewayagoodmanypeopledo。Idon\'tsayitwasn\'tmyfault。Iwasupearlyanddowntoworkallday,andI\'dcomehometiredatnight,andwanttogotobedsoonasI\'dgotthepaperread——unlesstherewassomegoodmusicalshowintown。Well,youseemedallrightuntilherelately,thelastmonthorso,Ibegantoseesomethingwaswrong。Icouldn\'thelpseeingit。\"
\"Wrong？\"shesaid。\"Whatlike？\"
\"Youchanged;youdidn\'tlookthesame。Youwereallstrungupandexcitedandfidgety;yougottolookingpeakidandrundown。Nowthen,Lamhornhadbeengoingwithusagoodwhile,butInoticedthatnotlongagoyougottopickingonhimabouteverylittlethinghedid;yougottoquarrelingwithhimwhenIwasthereandwhenIwasn\'t。Icouldseeyou\'dbeenquarrelingwheneverIcameinandhewashere。\"
\"Doyouobjecttothat？\"askedSibyl,breathingquickly。
\"Yes——whenitinjuresmywife\'shealth！\"hereturned,withaquickliftofhiseyestohers。\"Youbegantorundownjustaboutthetimeyoubeganfallingoutwithhim。\"Hesteppedclosetoher。\"Seehere,Sibyl,I\'mgoingtoknowwhatitmeans。\"
\"Oh,youARE？\"shesnapped。
\"You\'retrembling,\"hesaid,gravely。
\"Yes。I\'mangryenoughtodomorethantremble,you\'llfind。Goon！\"
\"ThatwasallIwasgoingtosaytheotherday,\"hesaid。\"Iwasgoingtoaskyou——\"
\"Yes,thatwasallyouweregoingtosayTHEOTHERDAY。Yes。Whatelsehaveyoutosayto—night？\"
\"To—night,\"hereplied,withgrimswiftness,\"Iwanttoknowwhyyoukeeptelephoninghimyouwanttoseehimsincehestoppedcominghere。\"
Shemadealong,lowsoundofcomprehensionbeforeshesaid,\"AndwhatelsedidEdithwantyoutoaskme？\"
\"IwanttoknowwhatyousayoverthetelephonetoLamhorn,\"hesaid,fiercely。
\"IsthatallEdithtoldyoutoaskme？Yousawherwhenyoustoppedinthereonyourwayhomethisevening,didn\'tyou？Didn\'tshetellyouthenwhatI
saidoverthetelephonetoMr。Lamhorn？\"
\"No,shedidn\'t！\"hevociferated,hisvoicegrowinglouder。\"Shesaid,\'YoutellyourwifetostoptelephoningRobertLamhorntocomeandseeher,becauseheisn\'tgoingtodoit！\'That\'swhatshesaid！AndIwanttoknowwhatitmeans。Iintend——\"
Amaidappearedatthelowerendofthehall。\"Dinnerisready,\"shesaid,and,givingthetroubledpaironeglance,wentdemurelyintothedining—room。
Roscoedisregardedtheinterruption。
\"Iintendtoknowexactlywhathasbeengoingon,\"hedeclared。\"Imeantoknowjustwhat——\"
Sibyljumpedup,almosttouchinghim,standingfacetofacewithhim。
\"Oh,youDO！\"shecried,shrilly。\"Youmeantoknowjustwhat\'swhat,doyou？Youlistentoyoursisterinsinuatinguglythingsaboutyourwife,andthenyoucomehomemakingascenebeforetheservantsandhumiliatingmeintheirpresence！DoyousupposethatIrishgirldidn\'theareverywordyousaid？Yougointhereandeatyourdinneralone！Goon！Goandeatyourdinneralone——becauseIwon\'teatwithyou！\"
Andshebrokeawayfromthedetaininggrasphesoughttofastenuponher,anddashedupthestairway,panting。Heheardthedoorofherroomslamoverhead,andthesharpclickofthekeyinthelock。
Atseveno\'clockonthelastmorningofthatmonth,Sheridan,passingthroughtheupperhallonhiswaytodescendthestairsforbreakfast,foundacoupleofscribbledsheetsofnote—paperlyingonthefloor。AwindowhadbeenopeninBibbs\'sroomtheeveningbefore;hehadlefthisnote—bookonthesill——andthesheetswereloose。Thedoorwasopen,andwhenBibbscameinandclosedit,hedidnotnoticethatthetwosheetshadblownoutintothehall。Sheridanrecognizedthehandwritingandputthesheetsinhiscoatpocket,intendingtogivethemtoGeorgeorJacksonforreturntotheowner,butheforgotandcarriedthemdown—townwithhim。Atnoonhefoundhimselfaloneinhisoffice,and,havingalittleleisure,rememberedthebitsofmanuscript,tookthemout,andglancedatthem。Agrancewasenoughtorevealthattheywerenotepistolary。Sheridanwouldnothavereada\"privateletter\"thatcameintohispossessioninthatway,thoughina\"matterofbusiness\"hemighthavefeltithisdutytotakeadvantageofanopportunityaffordedinanymannerwhatsoever。HavingsatisfiedhimselfthatBibbs\'sscribblingswereonlyasampleofthekindofwritinghissonpreferredtothemachine—shop,hedecided,innocentlyenough,thathewouldbejustifiedinreadingthem。
Itappearsthataladywillnodpleasantlyuponsomewindygeneralizationofacompanion,andwillwearthemostagreeableexpressionofacceptingitasthelaw,andthen——daysafterward,whenthethingisamummytoitspromulgator——shewillinquireoutofaclearsky:\"WHYdidyousaythatthepeopledown—townhavenothinginlifethatachickenhasn\'t？Whatdidyoumean？\"Andshemaysayitinamannerthatmakesasensiblereplyverydifficult——youwillbesofullofwonderthatsherememberedsoseriously。
Yet,whatdoestheroosterlack？Hehasfoodandshelter;heiswarminwinter;hiswivesraisenotonefinefamilyforhim,butdozens。Hehasaclearskyoverhim;hebreathessweetair;hewalksinhisAprilorchardunderaroofofflowers。Hemustdie,violentlyperhaps,butquickly。IsMidas\'scancerabetterway？Therooster\'swivesandchildrenmustdie。ArethoseofMidasimmortal？HislifeisshorterthanthelifeofMidas,butMidas\'slifeisonlyasixthaslongasthatoftheGalapagostortoise。
Theworthymoney—workertakeshisvacationsothathemayrefreshhimselfanewforthehardworkofgettingnothingthattheroosterdoesn\'tget。Theoffice—buildinghasanelevator,theroosterfliesuptothebough。Midashasamachinetotakehimtohiswork;theroosterfindshiswormunderfoot。
The\"businessman\"feelsapressuresometimes,withoutknowingwhy,andsitslateatwineaftertheday\'slabor;nextmorninghecurseshisheadbecauseitinterfereswiththework——heswearsnevertorelievethatpressureagain。
Theroosterhasnopressureandnowine;thisdifferenceisinhisfavor。
Theroosterisadependent;hedependsuponthefarmerandtheweather。
Midasisadependent;hedependsuponthefarmerandtheweather。Theroosterthinksonlyofthemoment;Midasprovidesforto—morrow。Whatdoesheprovideforto—morrow？Nothingthattheroosterwillnothavewithoutproviding。
Theroosterandtheprosperousworker:theyareborn,theygrub,theylove;
theygrubandlovegrubbing;theygrubandtheydie。Neitherknowsbeauty;
neitherknowsknowledge。Andafterall,whenMidasdiesandtheroosterdies,thereisonethingMidashashadandroosterhasnot。Midashashadtheexcitementofaccumulatingwhathehasgrubbed,andthathasbeenhislifeandhisloveandhisgod。Hecannottakethatgodwithhimwhenhedies。Iwonderiftheworthygodsarethosewecantakewithus。
MidasmustteachalltobeasMidas;theyoungmustberaisedinhisreligion——
Themanuscriptendedthere,andSheridanwasnotanxiousformore。Hecrumpledthesheetsintoaball,depositingit（withvigor）inawaste—basketbesidehim;then,rising,heconsultedaCyclopediaofNames,whichabook—agenthadsomehowsoldtohimyearsbefore;avolumenowfirstputtouseforthelocationof\"Midas。\"Havingreadthelegend,Sheridanwalkedupanddownthespaciousoffice,exhalingthebreathofcontempt。\"Dam\'fool！\"
hemumbled。Butthiswasnonewthought,norwasthecontrarinessofBibbs\'snotesasurpisetohim;andpresentlyhedismissedthematterfromhismind。
