lady baltimore-第16节

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m。　Radium　has　exploded　the　conservation　of　energy　theoryturned　it　into　a　last　year's　hat。　Answer　me；　if　Christianity　is　the　same　as　when　it　wore　among　its　savage　ornaments　a　devil　with　horns　and　a　flaming　Hell！　Forever　and　forever　the　human　race　reaches　out　its　hand　and　shapes　some　system；　some　creed；　some　government；　and　declares：　'This　is　at　length　the　final　thing；　the　cure…all；'　and　lo　and　behold；　something　flowing　and　eternal　in　the　race　itself　presently　splits　the　creed　and　the　government　to　pieces！　Truth　is　a　very　marvelous　thing。　We　feel　it；　it　can　fill　our　eyes　with　tears；　our　hearts　with　joy；　it　can　make　us　die　for　it；　but　once　our　human　lips　attempt　to　formulate　and　thus　imprison　it；　it　becomes　a　lie。　You　cannot　shut　truth　up　in　any　words。〃

〃But　it　shall　prevail！〃　the　boy　exclaimed　with　a　sort　of　passion。

〃Everything　prevails；〃　I　answered　him。

〃I　don't　like　that；〃　he　said。

〃Neither　do　I；〃　I　returned。　〃But　Jacob　got　Esau's　inheritance　by　a　mean　trick。〃

〃Jacob　was　punished　for　it。〃

〃Did　that　help　Esau　much？〃

〃You　are　a　pessimist！〃

〃Just　because　I　see　Jacob　and　Esau　to…day；　alive　and　kicking　in　Wall　Street；　Washington；　Newport；　everywhere？〃

〃You're　no　optimist；　anyhow！〃

〃I　hope　I'm　blind　in　neither　eye。〃

〃You　don't　give　us　credit〃

〃For　what？〃

〃For　what　we've　accomplished　since　Jacob。〃

〃Printing；　steam；　and　electricity；　for　instance？　They　spread　the　Bible　and　the　yellow　journal　with　equal　velocity。〃

〃I　don't　mean　science。　Take　our　institutions。〃

〃Well；　we've　accomplished　hospitals　and　the　stock　marketa　pretty　even　set…off　between　God　and　the　devil。〃

He　laughed。　〃You　don't　take　a　high　view　of　us！〃

〃Nor　a　low　one。　I　don't　play　ostrich　with　any　of　the　staring　permanences　of　human　nature。　We're　just　as　noble　to…day　as　David　was　sometimes；　and　just　as　bestial　to…day　as　David　was　sometimes；　and　we've　every　possibility　inside　us　all　the　time；　whether　we　paint　our　naked　skins；　or　wear　steel　armor　or　starched　shirts。〃

〃Well；　I　believe　good　is　the　guiding　power　in　the　world。〃

〃Oh；　John　Mayrant！　Good　and　evil　draw　us　on　like　a　span　of　horses；　sometimes　like　a　tandem；　taking　turns　in　the　lead。　Order　has　melted　into　disorder；　and　disorder　into　new　orderhow　many　times？〃

〃But　better　each　time。〃

〃How　can　you　know；　who　never　lived　in　any　age　but　your　own？〃

〃I　know　we　have　a　higher　ideal。〃

〃Have　we？　The　Greek　was　taught　to　love　his　neighbor　as　himself。　He　gave　his　great　teacher　a　cup　of　poison。　We　gave　ours　the　cross。〃

Again　he　looked　away　from　me　into　the　sweet　old　churchyard。　〃I　can't　answer　you；　but　I　don't　believe　it。〃

This　brought　me　to　gayety。　〃That's　unanswerable；　anyhow！〃

He　still　stared　at　the　graves。　〃Those　people　in　there　didn't　think　all　these　uncomfortable　things。〃

〃Ah！　no！　They　belonged　in　the　first　volume　of　the　history　of　our　national　soul；　before　the　bloom　was　off　us。〃

〃That's　an　odd　notion！　And　pray　what　volume　are　we　in　now？〃

〃Only　the　second。〃

〃Since　when？〃

〃Since　that　momentous　picnic；　the　Spanish　War！〃

〃I　don't　see　how　that　took　the　bloom　off　us。〃

〃It　didn't。　It　merely　waked　Europe　up　to　the　facts。〃

〃Our　battleships；　you　mean？〃

〃Our　steel　rails；　our　gold　coffers；　our　roaring　affluence。〃

〃And　our　very　accurate　shooting！〃　he　insisted；　for　he　was　a　Southerner；　and　man's　gallantry　appealed　to　him　more　than　man's　industry。

I　laughed。　〃Yes；　indeed！　We　may　say　that　the　Spanish　War　closed　our　first　volume　with　a　bang。　And　now　in　the　second　we　bid　good…by　to　the　virgin　wilderness；　for　it's　explored；　to　the　Indian；　for　he's　conquered；　to　the　pioneer；　for　he's　dead；　we've　finished　our　wild；　romantic　adolescence　and　we　find　ourselves　a　recognized　world　power　of　eighty　million　people；　and　of　general　commercial　endlessness；　and　playtime　over。〃

I　think；　John　Mayrant　now　asserted；　〃that　it　is　going　too　far　to　say　the　bloom　is　off　us。〃

〃Oh；　you'll　find　snow　in　the　woods　away　into　April　and　May。　The　freedom…loving　American；　the　embattled　farmer；　is　not　yet　extinct　in　the　far　recesses。　But　the　great　cities　grow　like　a　creeping　paralysis　over　freedom；　and　the　man　from　the　country　is　walking　into　them　all　the　time　because　the　poor；　restless　fellow　believes　wealth　awaits　him　on　their　pavements。　And　when　he　doesn't　go　to　them；　they　come　to　him。　The　Wall　Street　bucket…shop　goes　fishing　in　the　woods　with　wires　a　thousand　miles　long；　and　so　we　exchange　the　solid　trailblazing　enterprise　of　Volume　One　for　Volume　Two's　electric　unrest。　In　Volume　One　our　wagon　was　hitched　to　the　star　of　liberty。　Capital　and　labor　have　cut　the　traces。　The　labor　union　forbids　the　workingman　to　labor　as　his　own　virile　energy　and　skill　prompt　him。　If　he　disobeys；　he　is　expelled　and　called　a　'scab。'　Don't　let　us　call　ourselves　the　land　of　the　free　while　such　things　go　on。　We're　all　thinking　a　deal　too　much　about　our　pockets　nowadays。　Eternal　vigilance　cannot　watch　liberty　and　the　ticker　at　the　same　time。

〃Well；〃　said　John　Mayrant；　〃we're　not　thinking　about　our　pockets　in　Kings　Port；　because〃　（and　here　there　came　into　his　voice　and　face　that　sudden　humor　which　made　him　so　delightful）〃because　we　haven't　got　any　pockets　to　think　of！〃

This　brought　me　down　to　cheerfulness　from　my　flight　among　the　cold　clouds。

He　continued：　〃Any　more　lamentations；　Mr。　Jeremiah？〃

〃Those　who　begin　to　call　names；　John　Mayrantbut　never　mind！　I　could　lament　you　sick　if　I　chose　to　go　on　about　our　corporations　and　corruption　that　I　see　with　my　pessimistic　eye；　but　the　other　eye　sees　the　American　man　himselfthe　type　that　our　eighty　millions　on　the　whole　melt　into　and　to　which　my　heart　warms　each　time　I　land　again　from　more　polished　and　colder　shoresmy　optimistic　eye　sees　that　American　dealing　adequately　with　these　political　diseases。　For　stronger　even　than　his　kindness；　his　ability；　and　his　dishonesty　is　his　self…preservation。　He's　going　to　stand　up　for　the　'open　shop'　and　sit　down　on　the　'trust'；　and　I　assure　you　that　I　don't　in　the　least　resemble　the　Evening　Post。〃

A　look　of　inquiry　was　in　John　Mayrant's　features。

〃The　New　York　Evening　Post；〃　I　repeated　with　surprise。　Still　the　inquiry　of　his　face　remained。

〃Oh；　fortunate　youth！〃　I　cried。　〃To　have　escaped　the　New　York　Evening　Post！〃

〃Is　it　so　heinous？〃

〃Well！　。。。　well！　。。。　how　exactly　describe　it？　。。。　make　you　see　it？　。。。　It's　partially　tongue…tied；　a　sad　victim　of　its　own　excesses。　Habitual　over…indulgence　in　blaming　has　given　it　a　painful　stutter　when　attempting　praise；　it's　the　sprucely　written　sheet　of　the　supercilious；　it's　the　after…dinner　pill　of　the　American　who　prefers　Europe；　it's　our　Republic's　common　scold；　the　Xantippe　of　journalism；　the　paper　without　a　country。〃

〃The　paper　without　a　country！　That's　very　good！〃

〃Oh；　no！　I'll　tell　you　something　much　better；　but　it　is　not　mine。　A　clever　New　Yorker　said　that　what　with　The　Sun〃

〃I　know　that　paper。〃

〃what　with　The　Sun　making　vice　so　attractive　in　the　morning　and　the　Post　making　virtue　so　odious　in　the　evening；　it　was　very　hard　for　a　man　to　be　good　in　New　York。〃

〃I　fear　I　should　subscribe　to　The　Sun；〃　said　John　Mayrant。　He　took　his　hand　from　the　church…gate　railing；　and　we　had　turned　to　stroll　down　Worship　Street　when　he　was　unexpectedly　addressed。

For　some　minutes；　while　John　Mayrant　and　I　had　been　talking；　I　had　grown　aware；　without　taking　any　definite　note　of　it；　that　the　old　custodian　of　the　churchyard；　Daddy　Ben；　had　come　slowly　near　us　from　the　distant　corner　of　his　demesne；　where　he　had　been　（to　all　appearances）　engaged　in　some　trifling　activity　among　the　flowersperhaps　picking　off　the　faded　blossoms。　It　now　came　home　to　me　that　the　venerable　negro　had　really　been；　in　a　surreptitious　way；　watching　John　Mayrant；　and　waiting　for　somethingeither　for　the　right　moment　to　utter　what　he　now　uttered；　or　his　own　delayed　decision　to　utter　it　at　all。

〃Mas'　John！〃　he　called　quite　softly。　His　tone　was　fairly　padded　with　caution；　and　I　saw　that　in　the　pause　which　followed；　his　eye　shot　a　swift　look　at　the　bruise　on　Mayrant's　forehead；　and　another　look；　equally　swift；　at　me

〃Well；　Daddy　Ben；　what　is　it？〃

The　custodian　shunted　close　to　the　gate　which　separated　him　from　us。　〃Mas'　John；　I　speck　de　President　he　dun'　know　de　cullud　people　like　we　knows　'um；　else　he　nebber　bin　'pint　dat　ar　boss　in　de　Cussum　House；　no；　sah。〃

After　this　effort　he　wiped　his　forehead　and　breathed　hard。

To　my　astonishment；　the　effort　brought　immediately　a　stern　change　over　John　Mayrant's　face；　then　he　answered　in　the　kindest　tones；　〃Thank　you；　Daddy　Ben。〃

This　answer　interpreted　for　me　the　whole　thing；　which　otherwise　would　have　been　obscure　enough：　the　old　man　held　it　to　be　an　indignity　that　his　young　〃Mas'　John〃　should；　by　the　President's　act；　find　himself　the　subordinate　of　a　member　of　the　black　race；　and　he　had　just　now；　in　his　perspiring　effort；　expressed　his　sympathy！　Why　he　had　chosen　this　particular　moment　（after　quite　obvious　debate　with　himself）　I　did　not　see　until　somewhat　later。

He　now　left　us　standing　at　the　gate；　and　it　was　not　for　some　moments　that　John　Mayrant　spoke　again；　evidently　closing；　for　our　two　selves；　this　delicate　subject。

〃I　wish　we　had　not　got　into　that　second　volume　of　yours。〃

〃That's　not　progressive。〃

〃I　hate　progr