the turmoil-第53节

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And　if　you　want　a　monument　to　Jim；　at　least　you　want　one　that　will　stand。

Besides；　I　don't　think　you　can　reasonably　defend　sentiment　in　this　particular

kind　of　affair。〃



〃Oh；　you　don't？〃



〃No；　but　I'm　sorry　you　didn't　tell　me　you　felt　it。〃



Sheridan　was　puzzled　by　his　son's　tone。　　〃Why　are　you　'sorry'？〃　he　asked；

curiously。



〃Because　I　had　the　building　inspector　up　there；　this　noon；〃　said　Bibbs；　〃and　I

had　him　condemn　both　those　buildings。〃



〃What？〃



〃He'd　been　afraid　to　do　it　before；　until　he　heard　from　usafraid　you'd　see　he

lost　his　job。　　But　he　can't　un…condemn　themthey've　got　to　come　down　now。〃



Sheridan　gave　him　a　long　and　piercing　stare　from　beneath　lowered　brows。

Finally　he　said；　〃How　long　did　they　give　you　on　that　option　to　convince　me？〃



〃Until　two　o'clock　to…morrow　afternoon。〃



〃All　right；〃　said　Sheridan；　not　relaxing。　　〃I'm　convinced。〃



Bibbs　jumped　up。　　〃I　thought　you　would　be。　　I'll　telephone　the　Krivitch　agent。

He　gave　me　the　option　until　to…morrow；　but　I　told　him　I'd　settle　it　this

evening。〃



Sheridan　gazed　after　him　as　he　left　the　room；　and　then；　though　his　expression

did　not　alter　in　the　slightest；　a　sound　came　from　him　that　startled　his　wife。

It　had　been　a　long　time　since　she　had　heard　anything　resembling　a　chuckle　from

him；　and　this　soundalthough　it　was　grim　and　drybore　that　resemblance。



She　brightened　eagerly。　　〃Looks　like　he　was　startin'　right　well；　don't　it；

papa？〃



〃Startin'？　　Lord！　　He　got　me　on　the　hip！　　Why；　HE　knew　what　I　wanted　that's

why　he　had　the　inspector　up　there；　so　't　he'd　have　me　beat　before　we　even

started　to　talk　about　it。　　And　did　you　hear　him？　　'Can't　reasonably　defend

SENTIMENT！'　　And　the　way　he　says　'Us'：　'Took　an　option　for　Us'！　　'Stuff　piled

up　on　Us'！〃



There　was　always　an　alloy　for　Mrs。　sheridan。　　〃I　don't　just　like　the　way　he

looks；　though；　papa。〃



〃Oh；　there's　got　to　be　something！　　Only　one　chick　left　at　home；　so　you　start

to　frettin'　about　IT！〃



〃No。　　He's　changed。　　There's　kind　of　a　settish　look　to　his　face；　and〃



〃I　guess　that's　the　common　sense　comin'　out　on　him；　then；〃　said　Sheridan。

〃You'll　see　symptoms　like　that　in　a　good　many　business　men；　I　expect。〃



〃Well；　and　he　don't　have　as　good　color　as　he　was　gettin'　before。　　And　he'd

begun　to　fill　out　some；　but〃



Sheridan　gave　forth　another　dry　chuckle；　and；　going　round　the　table　to　her；

patted　her　upon　the　shoulder　with　his　left　hand；　his　right　being　still　heavily

bandaged；　though　he　no　longer　wore　a　sling。　　〃That's　the　way　it　is　with　you；

mammagot　to　take　your　frettin'　out　one　way　if　you　don't　another！〃



〃No。　　He　don't　look　well。　　It　ain't　exactly　the　way　he　looked　when　he　begun　to

get　sick　that　time；　but　he　kind　o'　seems　to　be　losin'；　some　way。〃



〃Yes；　he　may　'a'　lost　something；〃　said　Sheridan。　　〃I　expect　he's　lost　a　whole

lot　o'　foolishness　besides　his　God…forsaken　notions　about　writin'　poetry

and〃



〃No；〃　his　wife　persisted。　　〃I　mean　he　looks　right　peakid。　　And　yesterday；　when

he　was　settin'　with　us；　he　kept　lookin'　out　the　window。　　He　wasn't　readin'。〃



〃Well；　why　shouldn't　he　look　out　the　window？〃



〃He　was　lookin'　over　there。　　He　never　read　a　word　all　afternoon；　I　don't

believe。〃



〃Look；　here！〃　said　Sheridan。　　〃Bibbs　might　'a'　kept　goin'　on　over　there　the

rest　of　his　life；　moonin'　on　and　on；　but　what　he　heard　Sibyl　say　did　one　big

thing；　anyway。　　It　woke　him　up　out　of　his　trance。　　Well；　he　had　to　go　and　bust

clean　out　with　a　bang；　and　that　stopped　his　goin'　over　there；　and　it　stopped

his　poetry；　but　I　reckon　he's　begun　to　get　pretty　fair　pay　for　what　he　lost。

I　guess　a　good　many　young　men　have　had　to　get　over　worries　like　his；　they　got

to　lose　SOMETHING　if　they're　goin'　to　keep　ahead　o'　the　procession

nowadaysand　it　kind　o'　looks　to　me；　mamma；　like　Bibbs　might　keep　quite　a

considerable　long　way　ahead。　　Why；　a　year　from　now　I'll　bet　you　he　won't　know

there　ever　WAS　such　a　thing　as　poetry！　And　ain't　he　funny？　　He　wanted　to　stick

to　the　shop　so's　he　could　'think'！　What　he　meant　was；　think　about　something

useless。　　Well；　I　guess　he's　keepin'　his　ming　pretty　occupied　the　other　way

these　days。　　Yes；　sir；　it　took　a　pretty　fair…sized　shock　to　get　him　out　of　his

trance；　but　it　certainly　did　the　business。〃　　He　patted　his　wife's　shoulder

again；　and　then；　without　any　prefatory　symptoms；　broke　into　a　boisterous

laugh。



〃Honest；　mamma；　he　works　like　a　gorilla！〃





And　so　Bibbs　sat　in　the　porch　of　the　temple　with　the　money…changers。　　But　no

One　came　to　scourge　him　forth；　for　this　was　the　temple　of　Bigness；　and　the

changing　of　money　was　holy　worship　and　true　religion。　　The　priests　wore　that

〃settish〃　look　Bibbs's　mother　had　seen　beginning　to　develop　about　his　mouth

and　eyesa　wary　look　which　she　could　not　define；　but　it　comes　with　service　at

the　temple；　and　it　was　the　more　marked　upon　Bibbs　for　his　sharp　awakening　to

the　necessities　of　that　servicce。



He　did　as　little　〃useless〃　thinking　as　possible；　giving　himself　no　time　for

it。　　He　worked　continuously；　keeping　his　thoughts　still　on　his　work　when　he

came　home　at　night；　and　he　talked　of　nothing　whatever　except　his　work。　　But　he

did　not　sing　at　it。　　He　was　often　in　the　streets；　and　people　were　not　allowed

to　sing　in　the　streets。　　They　might　make　any　manner　of　hideous　uproarthey

could　shake　buildings；　they　could　out…thunder　the　thunder；　deafen　the　deaf；

and　kill　the　sick　with　noise；　or　they　could　walk　the　streets　or　drive　through

them　bawling；　squawking；　or　screeching；　as　they　chose；　if　the　noise　was

traceably　connected　with　business；　though　street　musicians　were　not　tolerated；

being　considered　a　nuisance　and　an　interference。　　A　man　or　woman　who　went

singing　for　pleasure　through　the　streetslike　a　crazy　Neopolitanwould　have

been　stopped；　and　belike　locked　up；　for　Freedom　does　not　mean　that　a　citizen

is　allowed　to　do　every　outrageous　thing　that　comes　into　his　head。　　The　streets

were　dangerous　enough；　in　all　conscience；　without　any　singing！　and　the　Motor

Federation　issued　public　warnings　declaring　that　the　pedestrian's　life　was　in

his　own　hands；　and　giving　directions　how　to　proceed　with　the　least　peril。

However；　Bibbs　Sheridan　had　no　desire　to　sing　in　the　streets；　or　anywhere。　He

had　gone　to　his　work　with　an　energy　that；　for　the　start；　at　least；　was　bitter；

and　there　was　no　song　left　in　him。



He　began　to　know　his　active　fellow…citizens。　　Here　and　there　among　them　he

found　a　leisurely；　kind　soul；　a　relic　of　the　old　period　of　neighborliness；

〃pioneer　stock；〃　usually；　and　there　were　menparticularly　among　the　merchants

and　manufacturers〃so　honest　they　leaned　backward〃；　reputations　sometimes

attested　by　stories　of　heroic　sacrifices　to　honor；　nor　were　there　lacking　some

instances　of　generosity　even　nobler。　　Here　and　there；　too；　were　book…men；　in

their　little　leisure；　and；　among　the　Germans；　music…men。　　And　these；　with　the

others；　worshiped　Bigness　and　the　growth；　each　man　serving　for　his　own　sake

and　for　what　he　could　get　out　of　it；　but　all　united　in　their　faith　in　the

beneficence　and　glory　of　their　god。



To　almost　all　alike　that　service　stood　as　the　most　important　thing　in　life；

except　on　occasion　of　some　such　vital；　brief　interregnum　as　the　dangerous

illness　of　a　wife　or　child。　　In　the　way　of　〃relaxation〃　some　of　the　servers

took　golf；　some　took　fishing；　some　took　〃shows〃a　mixture　of　infantile　and

negroid　humor；　stockings；　and　tin　music；　some　took　an　occasional　debauch；　some

took　trips；　some　took　cards；　and　some　took　nothing。　　The　high　priests　were

vigilant　to　watch　that　no　〃relaxation〃　should　affect　the　service。　　When　a　man

attended　to　anything　outside　his　business；　eyes　were　upon　him；　his　credit　was

in　dangerthat　is；　his　life　was　in　danger。　　And　the　old　priests　were　as

ardent　as　the　young　ones；　the　million　was　as　eager　to　be　bigger　as　the

thousand；　seventy　was　as　busy　as　seventeen。　　They　stove　mightily　against　one

another；　and　the　old　priests　were　the　most　wary；　the　most　plausible；　and　the

most　dangerous。　Bibbs　learned　he　must　walk　charily　among　thesehe　must　wear　a

thousand　eyes　and　beware　of　spiders　indeed！



And　outside　the　temple　itself　were　the　pretenders；　the　swarming　thieves　and

sharpers　and　fleecers；　the　sly　rascals　and　the　open　rascals；　but　these　were

feeble　folk；　not　dangerous　once　he　knew　them；　and　he　had　a　good　guide　to　point

them　out　to　him。　　They　were　useful　sometimes；　he　learned；　and　many　of　them

served　as　go…betweens　in　matters　where　business　must　touch　politics。　　He

learned　also　how　breweries　and　〃traction〃　companies　and　banks　and　other

institutions　fought　one　another　for　the　political　control　of　the　city。　　The

newspapers；　he　discovered；　had　lost　their　ancient　political　influence；

especially　with　the　knowing；　who　looked　upon　them　with　a　skeptical　humor；

believing　the　journals　either　to　be　retained　partisans；　like　lawyers；　or　else

striving　to　forward　the　personal　ambitions　of　their　owners。　　The　control　of

the　city　l