\"Well,andhedon\'thaveasgoodcolorashewasgettin\'before。Andhe\'dbeguntofilloutsome,but——\"
Sheridangaveforthanotherdrychuckle,and,goingroundthetabletoher,pattedherupontheshoulderwithhislefthand,hisrightbeingstillheavilybandaged,thoughhenolongerworeasling。\"That\'sthewayitiswithyou,mamma——gottotakeyourfrettin\'outonewayifyoudon\'tanother！\"
\"No。Hedon\'tlookwell。Itain\'texactlythewayhelookedwhenhebeguntogetsickthattime,buthekindo\'seemstobelosin\',someway。\"
\"Yes,hemay\'a\'lostsomething,\"saidSheridan。\"Iexpecthe\'slostawholeloto\'foolishnessbesideshisGod—forsakennotionsaboutwritin\'poetryand——\"
\"No,\"hiswifepersisted。\"Imeanhelooksrightpeakid。Andyesterday,whenhewassettin\'withus,hekeptlookin\'outthewindow。Hewasn\'treadin\'。\"
\"Well,whyshouldn\'thelookoutthewindow？\"
\"Hewaslookin\'overthere。Heneverreadawordallafternoon,Idon\'tbelieve。\"
\"Look,here！\"saidSheridan。\"Bibbsmight\'a\'keptgoin\'onovertheretherestofhislife,moonin\'onandon,butwhatheheardSibylsaydidonebigthing,anyway。Itwokehimupoutofhistrance。Well,hehadtogoandbustcleanoutwithabang;andthatstoppedhisgoin\'overthere,anditstoppedhispoetry,butIreckonhe\'sbeguntogetprettyfairpayforwhathelost。
Iguessagoodmanyyoungmenhavehadtogetoverworrieslikehis;theygottoloseSOMETHINGifthey\'regoin\'tokeepaheado\'theprocessionnowadays——anditkindo\'lookstome,mamma,likeBibbsmightkeepquiteaconsiderablelongwayahead。Why,ayearfromnowI\'llbetyouhewon\'tknowthereeverWASsuchathingaspoetry！Andain\'thefunny？Hewantedtosticktotheshopso\'shecould\'think\'！Whathemeantwas,thinkaboutsomethinguseless。Well,Iguesshe\'skeepin\'hismingprettyoccupiedtheotherwaythesedays。Yes,sir,ittookaprettyfair—sizedshocktogethimoutofhistrance,butitcertainlydidthebusiness。\"Hepattedhiswife\'sshoulderagain,andthen,withoutanyprefatorysymptoms,brokeintoaboisterouslaugh。
\"Honest,mamma,heworkslikeagorilla！\"
AndsoBibbssatintheporchofthetemplewiththemoney—changers。ButnoOnecametoscourgehimforth,forthiswasthetempleofBigness,andthechangingofmoneywasholyworshipandtruereligion。Thepriestsworethat\"settish\"lookBibbs\'smotherhadseenbeginningtodevelopabouthismouthandeyes——awarylookwhichshecouldnotdefine,butitcomeswithserviceatthetemple;anditwasthemoremarkeduponBibbsforhissharpawakeningtothenecessitiesofthatservicce。
Hedidaslittle\"useless\"thinkingaspossible,givinghimselfnotimeforit。Heworkedcontinuously,keepinghisthoughtsstillonhisworkwhenhecamehomeatnight;andhetalkedofnothingwhateverexcepthiswork。Buthedidnotsingatit。Hewasofteninthestreets,andpeoplewerenotallowedtosinginthestreets。Theymightmakeanymannerofhideousuproar——theycouldshakebuildings;theycouldout—thunderthethunder,deafenthedeaf,andkillthesickwithnoise;ortheycouldwalkthestreetsordrivethroughthembawling,squawking,orscreeching,astheychose,ifthenoisewastraceablyconnectedwithbusiness;thoughstreetmusicianswerenottolerated,beingconsideredanuisanceandaninterference。Amanorwomanwhowentsingingforpleasurethroughthestreets——likeacrazyNeopolitan——wouldhavebeenstopped,andbelikelockedup;forFreedomdoesnotmeanthatacitizenisallowedtodoeveryoutrageousthingthatcomesintohishead。Thestreetsweredangerousenough,inallconscience,withoutanysinging！andtheMotorFederationissuedpublicwarningsdeclaringthatthepedestrian\'slifewasinhisownhands,andgivingdirectionshowtoproceedwiththeleastperil。
However,BibbsSheridanhadnodesiretosinginthestreets,oranywhere。Hehadgonetohisworkwithanenergythat,forthestart,atleast,wasbitter,andtherewasnosongleftinhim。
Hebegantoknowhisactivefellow—citizens。Hereandthereamongthemhefoundaleisurely,kindsoul,arelicoftheoldperiodofneighborliness,\"pioneerstock,\"usually;andthereweremen——particularlyamongthemerchantsandmanufacturers——\"sohonesttheyleanedbackward\";reputationssometimesattestedbystoriesofheroicsacrificestohonor;norweretherelackingsomeinstancesofgenerosityevennobler。Hereandthere,too,werebook—men,intheirlittleleisure;and,amongtheGermans,music—men。Andthese,withtheothers,worshipedBignessandthegrowth,eachmanservingforhisownsakeandforwhathecouldgetoutofit,butallunitedintheirfaithinthebeneficenceandgloryoftheirgod。
Toalmostallalikethatservicestoodasthemostimportantthinginlife,exceptonoccasionofsomesuchvital,briefinterregnumasthedangerousillnessofawifeorchild。Inthewayof\"relaxation\"someoftheserverstookgolf;sometookfishing;sometook\"shows\"——amixtureofinfantileandnegroidhumor,stockings,andtinmusic;sometookanoccasionaldebauch;sometooktrips;sometookcards;andsometooknothing。Thehighpriestswerevigilanttowatchthatno\"relaxation\"shouldaffecttheservice。Whenamanattendedtoanythingoutsidehisbusiness,eyeswereuponhim;hiscreditwasindanger——thatis,hislifewasindanger。Andtheoldpriestswereasardentastheyoungones;themillionwasaseagertobebiggerasthethousand;seventywasasbusyasseventeen。Theystovemightilyagainstoneanother,andtheoldpriestswerethemostwary,themostplausible,andthemostdangerous。Bibbslearnedhemustwalkcharilyamongthese——hemustwearathousandeyesandbewareofspidersindeed！
Andoutsidethetempleitselfwerethepretenders,theswarmingthievesandsharpersandfleecers,theslyrascalsandtheopenrascals;butthesewerefeeblefolk,notdangerousonceheknewthem,andhehadagoodguidetopointthemouttohim。Theywereusefulsometimes,helearned,andmanyofthemservedasgo—betweensinmatterswherebusinessmusttouchpolitics。Helearnedalsohowbreweriesand\"traction\"companiesandbanksandotherinstitutionsfoughtoneanotherforthepoliticalcontrolofthecity。Thenewspapers,hediscovered,hadlosttheirancientpoliticalinfluence,especiallywiththeknowing,wholookeduponthemwithaskepticalhumor,believingthejournalseithertoberetainedpartisans,likelawyers,orelsestrivingtoforwardthepersonalambitionsoftheirowners。Thecontrolofthecitylaynotwiththem,butwasusuallyobtainedbygivingthehordesofnegroesgin—money,andbyotherlargesses。Therevenuesofthepeoplewerethendistributedasfairlyaspossibleamongagreatnumberofmenwhohadassistedthewinningside。Namesandtitlesofofficeswentwithmanyoftheprizes,andmostofthesetitle—holderswereexpectedtopresentabusyappearanceattimes;and,indeed,someamongthemdidworkhonestlyandfaithfully。
Bibbshadbeenveryignorant。Allthesesimplethings,sowellknownandcustomary,astonishedhimatfirst,andonce——inabriefmomentofforgettingthathewasdonewithwriting——hethoughtthatifhehadknownthemandwrittenofthem,howlikeasatiretheplainestrelationofthemmusthaveseemed！Strangestofalltohimwasthevehementandsincerepatriotism。Oneverysideheheardit——itwasapermeation;thenewestschool—childcaughtit,thoughjustfromHungaryandlearningtostammerafewwordsofthelocallanguage。Everywherethepeopleshoutedofthepower,thesize,theriches,andthegrowthoftheircity。Notonlythat,theysaidthatthepeopleoftheircitywerethegreatest,the\"finest,\"thestrongest,theBiggestpeopleonearth。Theycitednoauthorities,andfelttheneedofnone,beingthemselvesthepeoplethuscelebrated。Andifthethingwasquestioned,orifitwashintedthattheremightbeonesmallvirtueinwhichtheywerenotperfectandsupreme,theywastednotimeexaminingthemselvestoseeifwhatthecriticsaidwastrue,butfelluponhimandhootedhimandcursedhim,fortheyweresensitive。SoBibbs,learningtheirwaysandwalkingwiththem,harkenedtothevoiceofthepeopleandservedBignesswiththem。Forthevoiceofthepeopleisthevoiceoftheirgod。
SheridanhadmadetheroomnexttohisownintoanofficeforBibbs,andthedoorbetweenthetworoomsusuallystoodopen——thefatherhadestablishedthatintimacy。OnemorninginFebruary,whenBibbswasalone,Sheridancamein,somesheetsoftypewrittenmemorandainhishand。
\"Bibbs,\"hesaid,\"Idon\'tliketobuttinveryoftenthisway,andwhenIdoIusuallywishIhadn\'t——butforHeaven\'ssakewhathaveyoubeenbuyingthatolebustedinter—tractionstockfor？\"
Bibbsleanedbackfromhisdesk。\"Forelevenhundredandfifty—fivedollars。
That\'sallitcost。\"
\"Well,itain\'tworthelevenhundredandfifty—fivecents。Yououghttoknowthat。Idon\'tgetyouridea。Thatstuff\'sdeader\'nAdam\'scat！\"
\"Itmightbeworthsomething——someday。\"
\"How？\"
\"Itmightn\'tbesodead——notifWewentintoit,\"saidBibbs,coolly。
\"Oh！\"Sheridanconsideredthismusingly;thenhesaid,\"Who\'dyoubuyitfrom？\"
\"Abroker——Fansmith。\"
\"Well,hemust\'a\'gotitfromoneo\'thecrowdo\'poorninniesthatwassoakedwithit。Don\'tyouknowwhoownedit？\"
\"Yes,Ido。\"
\"Ain\'tsayin\',though？Thatit？What\'sthematter？\"
\"ItbelongedtoMr。Vertrees,\"saidBibbs,shortly,applyinghimselftohisdesk。
\"So！\"Sheridangazeddownathisson\'sthinface。\"Excuseme,\"hesaid。
\"Yourbusiness。\"Andhewentbacktohisownroom。Butpresentlyhelookedinagain。
\"Ireckonyouwon\'tmindlunchin\'aloneto—day\"——hewasshufflinghimselfintohisovercoat——\"becauseIjustthoughtI\'dgouptothehouseandgetTHISoverwithmamma。\"Heglancedapologeticallytowardhisrighthandasitemergedfromthesleeveoftheovercoat。Thebandageshadbeenremoved,finally,thatmorning,revealingbutthreefingers——theforefingerandthefingernexttoithadbeenamputated。\"She\'sboundtomakeanawfulfuss,anditbetterspoilherlunchthanherdinner。I\'llbebackabouttwo。\"
ButhecalculatedthetimeofhisarrivalattheNewHousesoaccuratelythatMrs。Sheridan\'slunchwasnotdisturbed,andshewasrisingfromthelonelytablewhenhecameintothedining—room。Hehadlefthisovercoatinthehall,buthekepthishandsinhistrouserspockets。
\"What\'sthematter,papa？\"sheasked,quickly。\"Hasanythinggonewrong？Youain\'tsick？\"
\"Me！\"Helaughedloudly。\"MeSICK？\"
\"Youhadlunch？\"
\"Didn\'twantanyto—day。Youcangivemeacupo\'coffe,though。\"
Sherang,andtoldGeorgetohavecoffeemade,andwhenhehadwithdrawnshesaidquerulously,\"Ijustknowthere\'ssomethingwrong。\"
\"Nothin\'intheworld,\"heresponed,heartily,takingaseatattheheadofthetable。\"IthoughtI\'dtalkoveranotiono\'minewithyou,that\'sall。
It\'smorewomen—folks\'businessthanwhatitisman\'s,anyhow。\"
\"Whatabout？\"
\"Why,oleDocGurneywasupattheofficethismorningawhile——\"
\"Tolookatyourhand？How\'shesayit\'sdoin\'？\"
\"Fine！Well,hewentinandsataroundwithBibbsawhile——\"
Mrs。Sheridannoddedpessimistically。\"Iguessit\'stimeyouhadhim,too。I
KNEWBibbs——\"
\"Now,mamma,holdyourhorses！IwantedhimtolookBibbsoverBEFORE
anything\'sthematter。Youdon\'tsupposeI\'mgoin\'totakeanychanceswithBIBBS,doyou？Well,afterwards,Ishutthedoor,andIan\'oleGurneyhadatalk。He\'samightydisagreeableman;herubbeditinonmewhathesaidaboutBibbshavin\'brainsifheeverwokeup。ThenIthoughthemustwanttogetsomethingouto\'me,hegosoflattering——foraminute！\'Bibbscouldn\'thelphavin\'businessbrains,\'hesays,\'bein\'YOURson。Don\'tbesurprised,\'
hesays——\'don\'tbesurprisedathismakin\'asuccess,\'hesays。\'Hecouldn\'tgetoverhisheredity;hecouldn\'tHELPbein\'abusinesssuccess——onceyougothimintoit。It\'sinhisblood。Yes,sir\'hesays,\'itdoesn\'tneedMUCH
brains,\'hesays,\'anonlythird—ratebrains,atthat,\'hesays,\'butitdoesneedaspecialKINDo\'brains,\'hesays,\'tobeamillionaire。Imean,\'hesays,\'whenaman\'sgivenastart。Ifnobodygiveshimastart,why,coursehe\'sgottohaveluckANDtherightkindo\'brains。TheonlymiracleaboutBibbs,\'hesays,\'iswherehegottheOTHERkindo\'brains——thebrainsyoumadehimquitusin\'andthrowaway。\'\"
\"Butwhat\'dhesayabouthishealth？\"Mrs。Sheridandemanded,impatiently,asGeorgeplacedacupofcoffeebeforeherhusband。Sheridanhelpedhimselftocreamandsugar,andbegantosipthecoffee。
\"I\'mcomin\'tothat,\"hereturned,placidly。\"SeehoweasyImanagethiscupwithmylefthand,mamma？\"
\"Youbeendoin\'thatallwinter。Whatdid——\"
\"It\'swonderful,\"heinterrupted,admiringly,\"whatafellowcandowithhislefthand。Icansignmynamewithminenow,well\'sIevercouldwithmyright。Itcamealittlehardatfirst,butnow,honest,IbelieveIRATHER
signwithmyleft。That\'sallIeverhavetowrite,anyway——justthesignature。Rest\'salldictatin\'。\"Heblewacrossthetopofthecupunctuously。\"Goodcoffee,mamma！Well,aboutBibbs。OleGurneysayshebelievesifBibbscouldsomehowgetbacktothestateo\'mindhewasinaboutthemachine—shop——thatis,ifhecouldsomewaygettofeelin\'aboutbusinessthewayhefeltabouttheshop——notthepoetryandwritin\'part,but——\"Hepaused,supplementinghisremarkswithamotionofhisheadtowardtheoldhousenextdoor。\"HesaysBibbsisolderandharder\'nwhathewaswhenhebrokedownthattime,andbesides,heain\'tthekindo\'dreamywayhewasthen——andIshouldsayheAIN\'T！I\'dlike\'emtoshowMEanybodyhisagethat\'sanywiderawake！ButhesaysBibbs\'shealthneverneedbotherusagainif——\"
Mrs。Sheridanshookherhead。\"Idon\'tseeanyhelpTHATway。Youknowyourselfshewouldn\'thaveJim。\"
\"Who\'stalkin\'aboutherhavin\'anybody？But,myLord！shemightlethimLOOK
ather！Sheneedn\'t\'a\'gotsomad,justbecauseheaskedher,thatshewon\'tlethimcomeinthehouseanymore。He\'samightyfunnyboy,andsomewaysI
reckonhe\'sprettynearashardtounderstandastheBible,butGurneykindo\'
gotmeinthewayo\'thinkin\'thatifshe\'dlethimcomebackandsetaroundwithheraneveningortwosometimes——notreg\'lar,Idon\'tmean——why——Well,I
justthoughtI\'dseewhatYOU\'Dthinkofit。Thereain\'tanywaytotalkaboutittoBibbshimself——Idon\'tsupposehe\'dletyou,anyhow——butIthoughtmaybeyoucouldkindo\'slipovertheresomeday,andsorto\'fixuptohavealittletalkwithher,andkindo\'hintaroundtillyouseehowthelandlays,andaskher——\"
\"ME！\"Mrs。Sheridanlookedbothhelplessandfrightened。\"No。\"Sheshookherheaddecidedly。\"Itwouldn\'tdoanygood。\"
\"Youwon\'ttryit？\"
\"Iwon\'triskherturnin\'meouto\'thehouse。Someway,that\'swhatI
believeshedidtoSibyl,fromwhatRoscoesaidonce。No,ICAN\'T——and,what\'smore,it\'donlymakethingsworse。Ifpeoplefindoutyou\'rerunnin\'
after\'emtheythinkyou\'recheap,andthentheywon\'tdoasmuchforyouasifyoulet\'emalone。Idon\'tbelieveit\'sanyuse,andIcouldn\'tdoitifitwas。\"
Hesighedwithresignation。\"Allright,mamma。That\'sall。\"Then,inaliveliertone,hesaid:\"OleGurneytookthebandagesoffmyhandthismorning。Allhealedup。SaysIdon\'tneed\'emanymore。\"
\"Why,that\'ssplendid,papa！\"shecried,beaming。\"Iwasafraid——Let\'ssee。\"
Shecametowardhim,butherose,stillkeepinghishandinhispocket。\"Waitaminute,\"hesaid,smiling。\"Nowitmaygiveyoujustateenybitofashock,butthefactis——well,yourememberthatSundaywhenSibylcameoverhereandmadeallthatfussaboutnothin\'——itwasthedayafterIgottiredo\'
thatstatuewhenEdith\'stelegramcame——\"
\"Letmeseeyourhand！\"shecried。
\"Nowwait！\"hesaid,laughingandpushingherawaywithhislefthand。\"Thetruthis,mamma,thatIkindo\'slippedoutonyouthatmorning,whenyouwasn\'tlookin\',andwentdowntooleGurney\'soffice——he\'dtoldmeto,yousee——and,well,itdoesn\'tAMOUNTtoanything。\"Andheheldout,forherinspection,themutilatedhand。\"Yousee,thesedayswhenit\'salldictatin\',anyhow,nobody\'dmindjustacoupleo\'——\"
Hehadtojumpforher——shewentoverbackward。ForthesecondtimeinherlifeMrs。Sheridanfainted。
Itwasafullhourlaterwhenheleftherlyinguponacouchinherownroom,stilllamentingintermittently,thoughheassuredherwithheatthatthe\"fuss\"shewasmakingirkedhimfarmorethanhisphysicalloss。Hepermittedhertothinkthathemeanttoreturndirectlytohisoffice,butwhenhecameouttotheopenairhetoldthechauffeurinattendancetoawaithiminfrontofMr。Vertrees\'shouse,whitherhehimselfproceededonfoot。
Mr。Vertreeshadtakenthesaleofhalfofhisworthlessstockasmannainthewilderness;itcamefromheaven——bywhatagencyhedidnotparticularlyquestion。Thebrokerinformedhimthat\"partieswereinterestedingettingholdofthestock,\"andthatlatertheremightbeapossibleincreaseinthevalueofthelargeamountretainedbyhisclient。Itmightgo\"quiteawaysup\"withinayearorso,hesaid,andheadvised\"sittingtight\"withit。Mr。
Vertreeswenthomeandprayed。
Herosefromhiskneesfeelingthathewassurelycomingintohisownagain。
Itwasmorethanameregaspoftemporaryreliefwithhim,andhiswifesharedhisoptimism;butMarywouldnotlethimbuybackherpiano,andasforfurs——springwasontheway,shesaid。Buttheypaidthebutcher,thebaker,andthecandlestick—maker,andhiredacookoncemore。ItwasthisservitresswhoopenedthedoorforSheridanandpresentlyassuredhimthatMissVertreeswould\"bedown。\"
Hewasnotthemantoconcealadmirationwhenhefeltit,andheflushedandbeamedasMarymadeherappearance,almostupontheheelsofthecook。Shehadalookofapprehensionforthefirstfractionofasecond,butitvanishedatthesightofhim,anditsplacewastakeninhereyesbyasoftbrilliance,whilecolorrushedinhercheeks。
\"Don\'tbesurprised,\"hesaid。\"Truthis,inawayit\'ssortofonbusinessI
lookedinhere。It\'llonlytakeaminute,Iexpect。\"
\"I\'msorry,\"saidMary。\"Ihopedyou\'dcomebecausewe\'reneighbors。\"
Hechuckled。\"Neighbors！Sometimespeopledon\'tseesomucho\'theirneighborsastheyusedto。Thatis,Ihearso——lately。\"
\"You\'llstaylongenoughtositdown,won\'tyou？\"
\"IguessIcouldmanagethatmuch。\"Andtheysatdown,facingeachotherandnotfarapart。
\"Ofcourse,itcouldn\'tbecalledbusiness,exactly,\"hesaid,moregravely。
\"Notatall,Iexpect。Butthere\'ssomethingo\'yoursitseemedtomeIoughttogiveyou,andIjustthoughtitwasbettertobringitmyselfandexplainhowIhappenedtohaveit。It\'sthis——thisletteryouwrotemyboy。\"Heextendedthelettertohersolomnly,inhislefthand,andshetookitgentlyfromhim。\"Itwasinhismail,afterhewashurt。Youknewhenevergotit,Iexpect。\"
\"Yes,\"shesaid,inalowvoice。
Hesighed。\"I\'mgladhedidn\'t。Not,\"headded,quickly——\"notbutwhatyoudidjustrighttosendit。Youdid。Youcouldn\'tactedanyotherwaywhenitcamerightdownTOit。Thereain\'tanyblamecomin\'toyou——youwereabove—boardallthrough。\"
Marysaid,\"Thankyou,\"almostinawhisper,andwithherheadbowedlow。
\"You\'llhavetoexcusemeforreadin\'it。Ihadtotakechargeofallhismailandeverything;Ididn\'tknowthehandwritin\',andIreaditall——onceI
gotstarted。\"
\"I\'mgladyoudid。\"
\"Well\"——heleanedforwardasiftorise——\"Iguessthat\'saboutall。Ijustthoughtyououghttohaveit。\"
\"Thankyouforbringingit。\"
Helookedatherhopefully,asifhethoughtandwishedthatshemighthavesomethingmoretosay。Butsheseemednottobeawareofthisglance,andsatwithhereyesfixedsorrowfullyuponthefloor。
\"Well,IexpectIbetterbegettin\'backtotheoffice,\"hesaid,risingdesperately。\"Itold——ItoldmypartnerI\'dbebackattwoo\'clock,andI
guesshe\'llthinkI\'mapoorbusinessmanifhecatchesmebehindtime。Igottowalkthechalkamightystraightlinethesedays——withTHATfellowkeepin\'
tabsonme！\"
Maryrosewithhim。\"I\'vealwaysheardYOUweretheharddriver。\"
Heguffawedderisively。\"Me？I\'mnothin\'tothatpartnero\'mine。Youcouldn\'tguesstosaveyourlifehowhekeepsaftermetoholdupmyendo\'
thejob。Ishouldn\'tbesurprisedhe\'dgivemethegrandbouncesomeday,andrunthewholecircusbyhimself。Youknowhowheis——oncehegoesATathing！\"
\"No,\"shesmiled。\"Ididn\'tknowyouhadapartner。I\'dalwaysheard——\"
Helaughed,lookingawayfromher。\"It\'sjustmywayo\'speakin\'o\'thatboyo\'mine,Bibbs。\"
Hestoodthen,expectant,staringoutintothehallwithanairofcarelessgeniality。Hefeltthatshecertainlymustatleastsay,\"HowISBibbs？\"
butshesaidnothingatall,thoughhewaiteduntilthesilencebecameembarrassing。
\"Well,IguessIbetterbegettin\'downthere,\"hesaid,atlast。\"Hemightworry。\"
\"Good—by——andthankyou,\"saidMary。
\"Forwhat？\"
\"Fortheletter。\"
\"Oh,\"hesaid,blankly。\"You\'rewelcome。Good—by。\"
Maryputoutherhand。\"Good—by。\"
\"You\'llhavetoexcusemylefthand,\"hesaid。\"Ihadalittleaccidenttotheotherone。\"
Shegaveapityingcryasshesaw。\"Oh,poorMr。Sheridan！\"
\"Nothin\'atall！Dictateeverythingnowadays,anyhow。\"Helaughedjovially。
\"Didanybodytellyouhowithappened？\"
\"Iheardyouhurtyourhand,butno——notjusthow。\"
\"Itwasthisway,\"hebegan,andboth,asifunconsciously,satdownagain。
\"Youmaynotknowit,butIusedtoworryagooddealabouttheyoungesto\'myboys——theonethatusedtocometoseeyousometimes,afterJim——thatis,I
meanBibbs。He\'stheoneIspokeofasmypartner;andthetruthisthat\'swhatit\'sjustaboutgoin\'toamountto,oneo\'thesedays——ifhishealthholdsout。Well,youremember,Iexpect,Ihadhimonamachineoverataplanto\'mine;andsometimesI\'dkindo\'sneakinthereandseehowhewasgettin\'along。Takeadoctorwithmesometimes,becauseBibbsneverWASsorobust,youmightsay。OleDocGurney——Iguessmaybeyouknowhim？Tall,thinman;actssleepy——\"
\"Yes。\"
