AndsointotheroomintheeveningcameyoungEnoch\'sfriends。Therewasnothingparticularlystrikingaboutthemexceptthattheywereartistsofthekindthattalk。Everyoneknowsofthetalkingartists。Throughoutalloftheknownhistoryoftheworldtheyhavegatheredinroomsandtalked。Theytalkofartandarepassionately，almostfeverishly，inearnestaboutit。T1heythinkitmattersmuchmorethanitdoes。
Andsothesepeoplegatheredandsmokedciga-
rettesandtalkedandEnochRobinson，theboyfromthefarmnearWinesburg，wasthere。Hestayedinacornerandforthemostpartsaidnothing。Howhisbigbluechildlikeeyesstaredabout!Onthewallswerepictureshehadmade，crudethings，halffin-
ished。Hisfriendstalkedofthese。Leaningbackintheirchairs，theytalkedandtalkedwiththeirheadsrockingfromsidetoside。Wordsweresaidaboutlineandvaluesandcomposition，lotsofwords，suchasarealwaysbeingsaid。
Enochwantedtotalktoobuthedidn\'tknowhow。
Hewastooexcitedtotalkcoherently。Whenhetriedhesputteredandstammeredandhisvoicesoundedstrangeandsqueakytohim。Thatmadehimstoptalking。Heknewwhathewantedtosay，butheknewalsothathecouldneverbyanypossibilitysayit。Whenapicturehehadpaintedwasunderdiscussion，hewantedtoburstoutwithsomethinglikethis:\"Youdon\'tgetthepoint，\"hewantedtoexplain；\"thepictureyouseedoesn\'tconsistofthethingsyouseeandsaywordsabout。Thereissome-
thingelse，somethingyoudon\'tseeatall，somethingyouaren\'tintendedtosee。Lookatthisoneoverhere，bythedoorhere，wherethelightfromthewindowfallsonit。Thedarkspotbytheroadthatyoumightnotnoticeatallis，yousee，thebeginningofeverything。ThereisaclumpofelderstheresuchasusedtogrowbesidetheroadbeforeourhousebackinWinesburg，Ohio，andinamongtheeldersthereissomethinghidden。Itisawoman，that\'swhatitis。Shehasbeenthrownfromahorseandthehorsehasrunawayoutofsight。Doyounotseehowtheoldmanwhodrivesacartlooksanxiouslyabout？ThatisThadGraybackwhohasafarmuptheroad。HeistakingcorntoWinesburgtobegroundintomealatComstock\'smill。Heknowsthereissomethingintheelders，somethinghiddenaway，andyethedoesn\'tquiteknow。
\"It\'sawomanyousee，that\'swhatitis!It\'sawomanand，oh，sheislovely!Sheishurtandissufferingbutshemakesnosound。Don\'tyouseehowitis？Sheliesquitestill，whiteandstill，andthebeautycomesoutfromherandspreadsovereverything。Itisintheskybackthereandallaroundeverywhere。Ididn\'ttrytopaintthewoman，ofcourse。Sheistoobeautifultobepainted。Howdulltotalkofcompositionandsuchthings!WhydoyounotlookattheskyandthenrunawayasIusedtodowhenIwasaboybackthereinWinesburg，Ohio？\"
ThatisthekindofthingyoungEnochRobinsontrembledtosaytotheguestswhocameintohisroomwhenhewasayoungfellowinNewYorkCity，buthealwaysendedbysayingnothing。Thenhebegantodoubthisownmind。Hewasafraidthethingshefeltwerenotgettingexpressedinthepictureshepainted。Inahalfindignantmoodhestoppedinvitingpeopleintohisroomandpresentlygotintothehabitoflockingthedoor。Hebegantothinkthatenoughpeoplehadvisitedhim，thathedidnotneedpeopleanymore。Withquickimagina-
tionhebegantoinventhisownpeopletowhomhecouldreallytalkandtowhomheexplainedthethingshehadbeenunabletoexplaintolivingpeo-
ple。Hisroombegantobeinhabitedbythespiritsofmenandwomenamongwhomhewent，inhisturnsayingwords。ItwasasthougheveryoneEnochRobinsonhadeverseenhadleftwithhimsomees-
senceofhimself，somethinghecouldmouldandchangetosuithisownfancy，somethingthatunder-
stoodallaboutsuchthingsasthewoundedwomanbehindtheeldersinthepictures。
Themild，blue-eyedyoungOhioboywasacom-
pleteegotist，asallchildrenareegotists。Hedidnotwantfriendsforthequitesimplereasonthatnochildwantsfriends。Hewantedmostofallthepeo-
pleofhisownmind，peoplewithwhomhecouldreallytalk，peoplehecouldharangueandscoldbythehour，servants，yousee，tohisfancy。Amongthesepeoplehewasalwaysself-confidentandbold。
Theymighttalk，tobesure，andevenhaveopinionsoftheirown，butalwayshetalkedlastandbest。Hewaslikeawriterbusyamongthefiguresofhisbrain，akindoftinyblue-eyedkinghewas，inasix-
dollarroomfacingWashingtonSquareinthecityofNewYork。
ThenEnochRobinsongotmarried。Hebegantogetlonelyandtowanttotouchactualflesh-and-
bonepeoplewithhishands。Dayspassedwhenhisroomseemedempty。Lustvisitedhisbodyandde-
siregrewinhismind。Atnightstrangefevers，burn-
ingwithin，kepthimawake。HemarriedagirlwhosatinachairnexttohisownintheartschoolandwenttoliveinanapartmenthouseinBrooklyn。Twochildrenwereborntothewomanhemarried，andEnochgotajobinaplacewhereillustrationsaremadeforadvertisements。
ThatbegananotherphaseofEnoch\'slife。Hebegantoplayatanewgame。Forawhilehewasveryproudofhimselfintheroleofproducingciti-
zenoftheworld。Hedismissedtheessenceofthingsandplayedwithrealities。Inthefallhevotedatanelectionandhehadanewspaperthrownonhisporcheachmorning。Whenintheeveninghecamehomefromworkhegotoffastreetcarandwalkedsedatelyalongbehindsomebusinessman，strivingtolookverysubstantialandimportant。Asapayeroftaxeshethoughtheshouldposthimselfonhowthingsarerun。\"I\'mgettingtobeofsomemoment，arealpartofthings，ofthestateandthecityandallthat，\"hetoldhimselfwithanamusingminiatureairofdignity。Once，cominghomefromPhiladel-
phia，hehadadiscussionwithamanmetonatrain。
Enochtalkedabouttheadvisabilityofthegovern-
ment\'sowningandoperatingtherailroadsandthemangavehimacigar。ItwasEnoch\'snotionthatsuchamoveonthepartofthegovernmentwouldbeagoodthing，andhegrewquiteexcitedashetalked。Laterherememberedhisownwordswithpleasure。\"Igavehimsomethingtothinkabout，thatfellow，\"hemutteredtohimselfasheclimbedthestairstohisBrooklynapartment。
Tobesure，Enoch\'smarriagedidnotturnout。Hehimselfbroughtittoanend。Hebegantofeelchokedandwalledinbythelifeintheapartment，andtofeeltowardhiswifeandeventowardhischildrenashehadfeltconcerningthefriendswhooncecametovisithim。Hebegantotelllittleliesaboutbusinessengagementsthatwouldgivehimfreedomtowalkaloneinthestreetatnightand，thechanceoffering，hesecretlyre-rentedtheroomfac-
ingWashingtonSquare。ThenMrs。AlRobinsondiedonthefarmnearWinesburg，andhegoteightthousanddollarsfromthebankthatactedastrusteeofherestate。ThattookEnochoutoftheworldofmenaltogether。Hegavethemoneytohiswifeandtoldherhecouldnotliveintheapartmentanymore。Shecriedandwasangryandthreatened，butheonlystaredatherandwenthisownway。Inrealitythewifedidnotcaremuch。ShethoughtEnochslightlyinsaneandwasalittleafraidofhim。
Whenitwasquitesurethathewouldnevercomeback，shetookthetwochildrenandwenttoavillageinConnecticutwhereshehadlivedasagirl。Intheendshemarriedamanwhoboughtandsoldrealestateandwascontentedenough。
AndsoEnochRobinsonstayedintheNewYorkroomamongthepeopleofhisfancy，playingwiththem，talkingtothem，happyasachildishappy。
Theywereanoddlot，Enoch\'speople。Theyweremade，Isuppose，outofrealpeoplehehadseenandwhohadforsomeobscurereasonmadeanappealtohim。Therewasawomanwithaswordinherhand，anoldmanwithalongwhitebeardwhowentaboutfollowedbyadog，ayounggirlwhosestock-
ingswerealwayscomingdownandhangingoverhershoetops。Theremusthavebeentwodozenoftheshadowpeople，inventedbythechild-mindofEnochRobinson，wholivedintheroomwithhim。
AndEnochwashappy。Intotheroomhewentandlockedthedoor。Withanabsurdairofimpor-
tancehetalkedaloud，givinginstructions，makingcommentsonlife。Hewashappyandsatisfiedtogoonmakinghislivingintheadvertisingplaceuntilsomethinghappened。Ofcoursesomethingdidhap-
pen。ThatiswhyhewentbacktoliveinWinesburgandwhyweknowabouthim。Thethingthathap-
penedwasawoman。Itwouldbethatway。Hewastoohappy。Somethinghadtocomeintohisworld。
SomethinghadtodrivehimoutoftheNewYorkroomtoliveouthislifeanobscure，jerkylittlefig-
ure，bobbingupanddownonthestreetsofanOhiotownateveningwhenthesunwasgoingdownbe-
hindtheroofofWesleyMoyer\'sliverybarn。
Aboutthethingthathappened。EnochtoldGeorgeWillardaboutitonenight。Hewantedtotalktosomeone，andhechosetheyoungnewspaperre-
porterbecausethetwohappenedtobethrownto-
getheratatimewhentheyoungermanwasinamoodtounderstand。
Youthfulsadness，youngman\'ssadness，thesad-
nessofagrowingboyinavillageattheyear\'send，openedthelipsoftheoldman。ThesadnesswasintheheartofGeorgeWillardandwaswithoutmean-
ing，butitappealedtoEnochRobinson。
Itrainedontheeveningwhenthetwometandtalked，adrizzlywetOctoberrain。Thefruitionoftheyearhadcomeandthenightshouldhavebeenfinewithamoonintheskyandthecrispsharppromiseoffrostintheair，butitwasn\'tthatway。
ItrainedandlittlepuddlesofwatershoneunderthestreetlampsonMainStreet。InthewoodsinthedarknessbeyondtheFairGroundwaterdrippedfromtheblacktrees。Beneaththetreeswetleaveswerepastedagainsttreerootsthatprotrudedfromtheground。IngardensbackofhousesinWinesburgdryshriveledpotatovineslaysprawlingontheground。Menwhohadfinishedtheeveningmealandwhohadplannedtogouptowntotalktheeve-
ningawaywithothermenatthebackofsomestorechangedtheirminds。GeorgeWillardtrampedaboutintherainandwasgladthatitrained。Hefeltthatway。HewaslikeEnochRobinsonontheeveningswhentheoldmancamedownoutofhisroomandwanderedaloneinthestreets。HewaslikethatonlythatGeorgeWillardhadbecomeatallyoungmananddidnotthinkitmanlytoweepandcarryon。
Foramonthhismotherhadbeenveryillandthathadsomethingtodowithhissadness，butnotmuch。Hethoughtabouthimselfandtotheyoungthatalwaysbringssadness。
EnochRobinsonandGeorgeWillardmetbeneathawoodenawningthatextendedoutovertheside-
walkbeforeVoight\'swagonshoponMaumeeStreetjustoffthemainstreetofWinesburg。Theywenttogetherfromtherethroughtherain-washedstreetstotheolderman\'sroomonthethirdflooroftheHeffnerBlock。Theyoungreporterwentwillinglyenough。EnochRobinsonaskedhimtogoafterthetwohadtalkedfortenminutes。Theboywasalittleafraidbuthadneverbeenmorecuriousinhislife。
Ahundredtimeshehadheardtheoldmanspokenofasalittleoffhisheadandhethoughthimselfratherbraveandmanlytogoatall。Fromtheverybeginning，inthestreetintherain，theoldmantalkedinaqueerway，tryingtotellthestoryoftheroominWashingtonSquareandofhislifeintheroom。\"You\'llunderstandifyoutryhardenough，\"
hesaidconclusively。\"IhavelookedatyouwhenyouwentpastmeonthestreetandIthinkyoucanunderstand。Itisn\'thard。AllyouhavetodoistobelievewhatIsay，justlistenandbelieve，that\'sallthereistoit。\"
Itwaspasteleveno\'clockthateveningwhenoldEnoch，talkingtoGeorgeWillardintheroomintheHeffnerBlock，cametothevitalthing，thestoryofthewomanandofwhatdrovehimoutofthecitytoliveouthislifealoneanddefeatedinWinesburg。
HesatonacotbythewindowwithhisheadinhishandandGeorgeWillardwasinachairbyatable。
Akerosenelampsatonthetableandtheroom，althoughalmostbareoffurniture，wasscrupulouslyclean。AsthemantalkedGeorgeWillardbegantofeelthathewouldliketogetoutofthechairandsitonthecotalso。Hewantedtoputhisarmsaboutthelittleoldman。Inthehalfdarknessthemantalkedandtheboylistened，filledwithsadness。
\"Shegottocominginthereaftertherehadn\'tbeenanyoneintheroomforyears，\"saidEnochRobinson。\"Shesawmeinthehallwayofthehouseandwegotacquainted。Idon\'tknowjustwhatshedidinherownroom。Ineverwentthere。Ithinkshewasamusicianandplayedaviolin。EverynowandthenshecameandknockedatthedoorandI
openedit。Inshecameandsatdownbesideme，justsatandlookedaboutandsaidnothing。Anyway，shesaidnothingthatmattered。\"
Theoldmanarosefromthecotandmovedabouttheroom。Theovercoatheworewaswetfromtherainanddropsofwaterkeptfallingwithasoftthumponthefloor。WhenheagainsatuponthecotGeorgeWillardgotoutofthechairandsatbesidehim。
\"Ihadafeelingabouther。Shesatthereintheroomwithmeandshewastoobigfortheroom。I
feltthatshewasdrivingeverythingelseaway。Wejusttalkedoflittlethings，butIcouldn\'tsitstill。I
wantedtotouchherwithmyfingersandtokissher。Herhandsweresostrongandherfacewassogoodandshelookedatmeallthetime。\"
Thetremblingvoiceoftheoldmanbecamesilentandhisbodyshookasfromachill。\"Iwasafraid，\"
hewhispered。\"Iwasterriblyafraid。Ididn\'twanttolethercomeinwhensheknockedatthedoorbutIcouldn\'tsitstill。\'No，no，\'Isaidtomyself，butIgotupandopenedthedoorjustthesame。Shewassogrownup，yousee。Shewasawoman。I
thoughtshewouldbebiggerthanIwasthereinthatroom。\"
EnochRobinsonstaredatGeorgeWillard，hischildlikeblueeyesshininginthelamplight。Againheshivered。\"IwantedherandallthetimeIdidn\'twanther，\"heexplained。\"ThenIbegantotellheraboutmypeople，abouteverythingthatmeantany-
thingtome。Itriedtokeepquiet，tokeepmyselftomyself，butIcouldn\'t。IfeltjustasIdidaboutopen-
ingthedoor。SometimesIachedtohavehergoawayandnevercomebackanymore。\"
Theoldmansprangtohisfeetandhisvoiceshookwithexcitement。\"Onenightsomethinghap-
pened。IbecamemadtomakeherunderstandmeandtoknowwhatabigthingIwasinthatroom。I
wantedhertoseehowimportantIwas。Itoldheroverandover。Whenshetriedtogoaway，Iranandlockedthedoor。Ifollowedherabout。Italkedandtalkedandthenallofasuddenthingswenttosmash。AlookcameintohereyesandIknewshedidunderstand。Maybeshehadunderstoodallthetime。Iwasfurious。Icouldn\'tstandit。Iwantedhertounderstandbut，don\'tyousee，Icouldn\'tletherunderstand。Ifeltthatthenshewouldknowevery-
thing，thatIwouldbesubmerged，drownedout，yousee。That\'showitis。Idon\'tknowwhy。\"
Theoldmandroppedintoachairbythelampandtheboylistened，filledwithawe。\"Goaway，boy，\"saidtheman。\"Don\'tstayherewithmeanymore。Ithoughtitmightbeagoodthingtotellyoubutitisn\'t。Idon\'twanttotalkanymore。Goaway。\"
GeorgeWillardshookhisheadandanoteofcom-
mandcameintohisvoice。\"Don\'tstopnow。Tellmetherestofit，\"hecommandedsharply。\"Whathappened？Tellmetherestofthestory。\"
EnochRobinsonsprangtohisfeetandrantothewindowthatlookeddownintothedesertedmainstreetofWinesburg。GeorgeWillardfollowed。Bythewindowthetwostood，thetallawkwardboy-
manandthelittlewrinkledman-boy。Thechildish，eagervoicecarriedforwardthetale。\"Isworeather，\"heexplained。\"Isaidvilewords。Iorderedhertogoawayandnottocomeback。Oh，Isaidterriblethings。AtfirstshepretendednottounderstandbutIkeptatit。Iscreamedandstampedonthefloor。I
madethehouseringwithmycurses。Ididn\'twantevertoseeheragainandIknew，aftersomeofthethingsIsaid，thatIneverwouldseeheragain。\"
Theoldman\'svoicebrokeandheshookhishead。
\"Thingswenttosmash，\"hesaidquietlyandsadly。
\"Outshewentthroughthedoorandallthelifetherehadbeenintheroomfollowedherout。Shetookallofmypeopleaway。Theyallwentoutthroughthedoorafterher。That\'sthewayitwas。\"
GeorgeWillardturnedandwentoutofEnochRobinson\'sroom。Inthedarknessbythewindow，ashewentthroughthedoor，hecouldhearthethinoldvoicewhimperingandcomplaining。\"I\'malone，allalonehere，\"saidthevoice。\"ItwaswarmandfriendlyinmyroombutnowI\'mallalone。\"
ANAWAKENING
BELLECARPENTERhadadarkskin，greyeyes，andthicklips。Shewastallandstrong。Whenblackthoughtsvisitedhershegrewangryandwishedshewereamanandcouldfightsomeonewithherfists。
SheworkedinthemillineryshopkeptbyMrs。KateMcHughandduringthedaysattrimminghatsbyawindowattherearofthestore。Shewasthedaugh-
terofHenryCarpenter，bookkeeperintheFirstNa-
tionalBankofWinesburg，andlivedwithhiminagloomyoldhousefaroutattheendofBuckeyeStreet。Thehousewassurroundedbypinetreesandtherewasnograssbeneaththetrees。Arustytineaves-troughhadslippedfromitsfasteningsatthebackofthehouseandwhenthewindblewitbeatagainsttheroofofasmallshed，makingadismaldrummingnoisethatsometimespersistedallthroughthenight。
WhenshewasayounggirlHenryCarpentermadelifealmostunbearableforBelle，butassheemergedfromgirlhoodintowomanhoodhelosthispoweroverher。Thebookkeeper\'slifewasmadeupofinnumerablelittlepettinesses。Whenhewenttothebankinthemorninghesteppedintoaclosetandputonablackalpacacoatthathadbecomeshabbywithage。Atnightwhenhereturnedtohishomehedonnedanotherblackalpacacoat。Everyeveninghepressedtheclothesworninthestreets。
Hehadinventedanarrangementofboardsforthepurpose。Thetrouserstohisstreetsuitwereplacedbetweentheboardsandtheboardswereclampedtogetherwithheavyscrews。Inthemorninghewipedtheboardswithadampclothandstoodthemuprightbehindthediningroomdoor。Iftheyweremovedduringthedayhewasspeechlesswithangeranddidnotrecoverhisequilibriumforaweek。
Thebankcashierwasalittlebullyandwasafraidofhisdaughter。She，herealized，knewthestoryofhisbrutaltreatmentofhermotherandhatedhimforit。Onedayshewenthomeatnoonandcarriedahandfulofsoftmud，takenfromtheroad，intothehouse。Withthemudshesmearedthefaceoftheboardsusedforthepressingoftrousersandthenwentbacktoherworkfeelingrelievedandhappy。
BelleCarpenteroccasionallywalkedoutintheeveningwithGeorgeWillard。Secretlyshelovedan-
otherman，butherloveaffair，aboutwhichnooneknew，causedhermuchanxiety。ShewasinlovewithEdHandby，bartenderinEdGriffith\'sSaloon，andwentaboutwiththeyoungreporterasakindofrelieftoherfeelings。ShedidnotthinkthatherstationinlifewouldpermithertobeseeninthecompanyofthebartenderandwalkedaboutunderthetreeswithGeorgeWillardandlethimkisshertorelievealongingthatwasveryinsistentinhernature。Shefeltthatshecouldkeeptheyoungermanwithinbounds。AboutEdHandbyshewassomewhatuncertain。
Handby，thebartender，wasatall，broad-shoulderedmanofthirtywholivedinaroomupstairsaboveGriffith\'ssaloon。Hisfistswerelargeandhiseyesunusuallysmall，buthisvoice，asthoughstrivingtoconcealthepowerbackofhisfists，wassoftandquiet。
Attwenty-fivethebartenderhadinheritedalargefarmfromanuncleinIndiana。Whensold，thefarmbroughtineightthousanddollars，whichEdspentinsixmonths。GoingtoSandusky，onLakeErie，hebegananorgyofdissipation，thestoryofwhichafterwardfilledhishometownwithawe。Hereandtherehewentthrowingthemoneyabout，drivingcarriagesthroughthestreets，givingwinepartiestocrowdsofmenandwomen，playingcardsforhighstakesandkeepingmistresseswhosewardrobescosthimhundredsofdollars。OnenightataresortcalledCedarPoint，hegotintoafightandranamucklikeawildthing。WithhisfisthebrokealargemirrorinthewashroomofahotelandlaterwentaboutsmashingwindowsandbreakingchairsindancehallsforthejoyofhearingtheglassrattleonthefloorandseeingtheterrorintheeyesofclerkswhohadcomefromSanduskytospendtheeveningattheresortwiththeirsweethearts。
TheaffairbetweenEdHandbyandBelleCarpen-
teronthesurfaceamountedtonothing。Hehadsuc-
ceededinspendingbutoneeveninginhercompany。
OnthateveninghehiredahorseandbuggyatWes-
leyMoyer\'sliverybarnandtookherforadrive。
Theconvictionthatshewasthewomanhisnaturedemandedandthathemustgethersettleduponhimandhetoldherofhisdesires。Thebartenderwasreadytomarryandtobegintryingtoearnmoneyforthesupportofhiswife，butsosimplewashisnaturethathefounditdifficulttoexplainhisintentions。Hisbodyachedwithphysicallongingandwithhisbodyheexpressedhimself。Takingthemillinerintohisarmsandholdinghertightlyinspiteofherstruggles，hekissedheruntilshebecamehelpless。Thenhebroughtherbacktotownandletheroutofthebuggy。\"WhenIgetholdofyouagainI\'llnotletyougo。Youcan\'tplaywithme，\"hede-
claredasheturnedtodriveaway。Then，jumpingoutofthebuggy，hegrippedhershoulderswithhisstronghands。\"I\'llkeepyouforgoodthenexttime，\"
hesaid。\"Youmightaswellmakeupyourmindtothat。It\'syouandmeforitandI\'mgoingtohaveyoubeforeIgetthrough。\"
OnenightinJanuarywhentherewasanewmoonGeorgeWillard，whowasinEdHandby\'smindtheonlyobstacletohisgettingBelleCarpenter，wentforawalk。EarlythateveningGeorgewentintoRansomSurbeck\'spoolroomwithSethRichmondandArtWilson，sonofthetownbutcher。SethRichmondstoodwithhisbackagainstthewallandremainedsilent，butGeorgeWillardtalked。ThepoolroomwasfilledwithWinesburgboysandtheytalkedofwomen。Theyoungreportergotintothatvein。Hesaidthatwomenshouldlookoutforthemselves，thatthefellowwhowentoutwithagirlwasnotresponsibleforwhathappened。Ashetalkedhelookedabout，eagerforattention。HeheldthefloorforfiveminutesandthenArtWilsonbegantotalk。
Artwaslearningthebarber\'stradeinCalProuse\'sshopandalreadybegantoconsiderhimselfanau-
thorityinsuchmattersasbaseball，horseracing，drinking，andgoingaboutwithwomen。HebegantotellofanightwhenhewithtwomenfromWines-
burgwentintoahouseofprostitutionatthecountyseat。Thebutcher\'ssonheldacigarinthesideofhismouthandashetalkedspatonthefloor。\"Thewomenintheplacecouldn\'tembarrassmealthoughtheytriedhardenough，\"heboasted。\"Oneofthegirlsinthehousetriedtogetfresh，butIfooledher。
AssoonasshebegantotalkIwentandsatinherlap。EveryoneintheroomlaughedwhenIkissedher。Itaughthertoletmealone。\"
GeorgeWillardwentoutofthepoolroomandintoMainStreet。FordaystheweatherhadbeenbittercoldwithahighwindblowingdownonthetownfromLakeErie，eighteenmilestothenorth，butonthatnightthewindhaddiedawayandanewmoonmadethenightunusuallylovely。With-
outthinkingwherehewasgoingorwhathewantedtodo，GeorgewentoutofMainStreetandbeganwalkingindimlylightedstreetsfilledwithframehouses。
Outofdoorsundertheblackskyfilledwithstarsheforgothiscompanionsofthepoolroom。Becauseitwasdarkandhewasalonehebegantotalkaloud。
Inaspiritofplayhereeledalongthestreetimitatingadrunkenmanandthenimaginedhimselfasoldiercladinshiningbootsthatreachedtothekneesandwearingaswordthatjingledashewalked。Asasoldierhepicturedhimselfasaninspector，passingbeforealonglineofmenwhostoodatattention。
Hebegantoexaminetheaccoutrementsofthemen。
Beforeatreehestoppedandbegantoscold。\"Yourpackisnotinorder，\"hesaidsharply。\"HowmanytimeswillIhavetospeakofthismatter？Everythingmustbeinorderhere。Wehaveadifficulttaskbe-
foreusandnodifficulttaskcanbedonewithoutorder。\"
Hypnotizedbyhisownwords，theyoungmanstumbledalongtheboardsidewalksayingmorewords。\"Thereisalawforarmiesandformentoo，\"
hemuttered，lostinreflection。\"Thelawbeginswithlittlethingsandspreadsoutuntilitcoversevery-
thing。Ineverylittlethingtheremustbeorder，intheplacewheremenwork，intheirclothes，intheirthoughts。Imyselfmustbeorderly。Imustlearnthatlaw。Imustgetmyselfintotouchwithsomethingorderlyandbigthatswingsthroughthenightlikeastar。InmylittlewayImustbegintolearnsome-
thing，togiveandswingandworkwithlife，withthelaw。\"
GeorgeWillardstoppedbyapicketfencenearastreetlampandhisbodybegantotremble。Hehadneverbeforethoughtsuchthoughtsashadjustcomeintohisheadandhewonderedwheretheyhadcomefrom。Forthemomentitseemedtohimthatsomevoiceoutsideofhimselfhadbeentalkingashewalked。Hewasamazedanddelightedwithhisownmindandwhenhewalkedonagainspokeofthematterwithfervor。\"TocomeoutofRansomSurbeck\'spoolroomandthinkthingslikethat，\"hewhispered。\"Itisbettertobealone。IfItalkedlikeArtWilsontheboyswouldunderstandmebuttheywouldn\'tunderstandwhatI\'vebeenthinkingdownhere。\"
InWinesburg，asinallOhiotownsoftwentyyearsago，therewasasectioninwhichliveddaylaborers。Asthetimeoffactorieshadnotyetcome，thelaborersworkedinthefieldsorweresectionhandsontherailroads。Theyworkedtwelvehoursadayandreceivedonedollarforthelongdayoftoil。Thehousesinwhichtheylivedweresmallcheaplyconstructedwoodenaffairswithagardenattheback。Themorecomfortableamongthemkeptcowsandperhapsapig，housedinalittleshedattherearofthegarden。
Withhisheadfilledwithresoundingthoughts，GeorgeWillardwalkedintosuchastreetontheclearJanuarynight。Thestreetwasdimlylightedandinplacestherewasnosidewalk。Inthescenethatlayabouthimtherewassomethingthatexcitedhisal-
readyarousedfancy。Forayearhehadbeendevot-
ingallofhisoddmomentstothereadingofbooksandnowsometalehehadreadconcerningfifeinoldworldtownsofthemiddleagescamesharplybacktohismindsothathestumbledforwardwiththecuriousfeelingofonerevisitingaplacethathadbeenapartofsomeformerexistence。Onanimpulseheturnedoutofthestreetandwentintoalittledarkalleywaybehindtheshedsinwhichlivedthecowsandpigs。
Forahalfhourhestayedinthealleyway，smellingthestrongsmellofanimalstoocloselyhousedandlettinghismindplaywiththestrangenewthoughtsthatcametohim。Theveryranknessofthesmellofmanureintheclearsweetairawokesomethingheadyinhisbrain。Thepoorlittlehouseslightedbykerosenelamps，thesmokefromthechimneysmountingstraightupintotheclearair，thegruntingofpigs，thewomencladincheapcalicodressesandwashingdishesinthekitchens，thefootstepsofmencomingoutofthehousesandgoingofftothestoresandsaloonsofMainStreet，thedogsbarkingandthechildrencrying——allofthesethingsmadehimseem，ashelurkedinthedarkness，oddlydetachedandapartfromalllife。
Theexcitedyoungman，unabletobeartheweightofhisownthoughts，begantomovecautiouslyalongthealleyway。Adogattackedhimandhadtobedrivenawaywithstones，andamanappearedatthedoorofoneofthehousesandsworeatthedog。
Georgewentintoavacantlotandthrowingbackhisheadlookedupatthesky。Hefeltunutterablybigandremadebythesimpleexperiencethroughwhichhehadbeenpassingandinakindoffervorofemo-
tionputuphishands，thrustingthemintothedark-
nessabovehisheadandmutteringwords。Thedesiretosaywordsovercamehimandhesaidwordswithoutmeaning，rollingthemoveronhistongueandsayingthembecausetheywerebravewords，fullofmeaning。\"Death，\"hemuttered，night，thesea，fear，loveliness。\"
GeorgeWillardcameoutofthevacantlotandstoodagainonthesidewalkfacingthehouses。Hefeltthatallofthepeopleinthelittlestreetmustbebrothersandsisterstohimandhewishedhehadthecouragetocallthemoutoftheirhousesandtoshaketheirhands。\"IftherewereonlyawomanhereIwouldtakeholdofherhandandwewouldrununtilwewerebothtiredout，\"hethought。\"Thatwouldmakemefeelbetter。\"WiththethoughtofawomaninhismindhewalkedoutofthestreetandwenttowardthehousewhereBelleCarpenterlived。
Hethoughtshewouldunderstandhismoodandthathecouldachieveinherpresenceapositionhehadlongbeenwantingtoachieve。Inthepastwhenhehadbeenwithherandhadkissedherlipshehadcomeawayfilledwithangerathimself。Hehadfeltlikeonebeingusedforsomeobscurepurposeandhadnotenjoyedthefeeling。Nowhethoughthehadsuddenlybecometoobigtobeused。
WhenGeorgegottoBelleCarpenter\'shousetherehadalreadybeenavisitortherebeforehim。EdHandbyhadcometothedoorandcallingBelleoutofthehousehadtriedtotalktoher。Hehadwantedtoaskthewomantocomeawaywithhimandtobehiswife，butwhenshecameandstoodbythedoorhelosthisself-assuranceandbecamesullen。\"Youstayawayfromthatkid，\"hegrowled，thinkingofGeorgeWillard，andthen，notknowingwhatelsetosay，turnedtogoaway。\"IfIcatchyoutogetherI
willbreakyourbonesandhistoo，\"headded。Thebartenderhadcometowoo，nottothreaten，andwasangrywithhimselfbecauseofhisfailure。
WhenherloverhaddepartedBellewentindoorsandranhurriedlyupstairs。FromawindowattheupperpartofthehouseshesawEdHandbycrossthestreetandsitdownonahorseblockbeforethehouseofaneighbor。Inthedimlightthemansatmotionlessholdinghisheadinhishands。Shewasmadehappybythesight，andwhenGeorgeWillardcametothedoorshegreetedhimeffusivelyandhurriedlyputonherhat。Shethoughtthat，asshewalkedthroughthestreetswithyoungWillard，EdHandbywouldfollowandshewantedtomakehimsuffer。
ForanhourBelleCarpenterandtheyoungre-
porterwalkedaboutunderthetreesinthesweetnightair。GeorgeWillardwasfullofbigwords。Thesenseofpowerthathadcometohimduringthehourinthedarknessinthealleywayremainedwithhimandhetalkedboldly，swaggeringalongandswinginghisarmsabout。HewantedtomakeBelleCarpenterrealizethathewasawareofhisformerweaknessandthathehadchanged。\"You\'llfindmedifferent，\"hedeclared，thrustinghishandsintohispocketsandlookingboldlyintohereyes。\"Idon\'tknowwhybutitisso。You\'vegottotakemeforamanorletmealone。That\'showitis。\"
Upanddownthequietstreetsunderthenewmoonwentthewomanandtheboy。WhenGeorgehadfinishedtalkingtheyturneddownasidestreetandwentacrossabridgeintoapaththatranupthesideofahill。ThehillbeganatWaterworksPondandclimbedupwardtotheWinesburgFairGrounds。Onthehillsidegrewdensebushesandsmalltreesandamongthebusheswerelittleopenspacescarpetedwithlonggrass，nowstiffandfrozen。
AshewalkedbehindthewomanupthehillGeorgeWillard\'sheartbegantobeatrapidlyandhisshouldersstraightened。SuddenlyhedecidedthatBelleCarpenterwasabouttosurrenderherselftohim。Thenewforcethathadmanifesteditselfinhimhad，hefelt，beenatworkuponherandhadledtoherconquest。Thethoughtmadehimhalfdrunkwiththesenseofmasculinepower。Althoughhehadbeenannoyedthatastheywalkedaboutshehadnotseemedtobelisteningtohiswords，thefactthatshehadaccompaniedhimtothisplacetookallhisdoubtsaway。\"Itisdifferent。Everythinghasbecomedifferent，\"hethoughtandtakingholdofhershoulderturnedheraboutandstoodlookingather，hiseyesshiningwithpride。
BelleCarpenterdidnotresist。Whenhekissedheruponthelipssheleanedheavilyagainsthimandlookedoverhisshoulderintothedarkness。Inherwholeattitudetherewasasuggestionofwaiting。
Again，asinthealleyway，GeorgeWillard\'smindranoffintowordsand，holdingthewomantightlyhewhisperedthewordsintothestillnight。\"Lust，\"
hewhispered，\"lustandnightandwomen。\"
GeorgeWillarddidnotunderstandwhathap-
penedtohimthatnightonthehillside。Later，whenhegottohisownroom，hewantedtoweepandthengrewhalfinsanewithangerandhate。HehatedBelleCarpenterandwassurethatallhislifehewouldcontinuetohateher。Onthehillsidehehadledthewomantooneofthelittleopenspacesamongthebushesandhaddroppedtohiskneesbesideher。Asinthevacantlot，bythelaborers\'
houses，hehadputuphishandsingratitudeforthenewpowerinhimselfandwaswaitingforthewomantospeakwhenEdHandbyappeared。
Thebartenderdidnotwanttobeattheboy，whohethoughthadtriedtotakehiswomanaway。Heknewthatbeatingwasunnecessary，thathehadpowerwithinhimselftoaccomplishhispurposewithoutusinghisfists。GrippingGeorgebytheshoulderandpullinghimtohisfeet，heheldhimwithonehandwhilehelookedatBelleCarpenterseatedonthegrass。Thenwithaquickwidemove-
mentofhisarmhesenttheyoungermansprawlingawayintothebushesandbegantobullythewoman，whohadrisentoherfeet。\"You\'renogood，\"hesaidroughly。\"I\'vehalfamindnottobotherwithyou。I\'dletyoualoneifIdidn\'twantyousomuch。\"
OnhishandsandkneesinthebushesGeorgeWillardstaredatthescenebeforehimandtriedhardtothink。Hepreparedtospringatthemanwhohadhumiliatedhim。Tobebeatenseemedtobeinfinitelybetterthantobethushurledignominiouslyaside。
ThreetimestheyoungreportersprangatEdHandbyandeachtimethebartender，catchinghimbytheshoulder，hurledhimbackintothebushes。
TheoldermanseemedpreparedtokeeptheexercisegoingindefinitelybutGeorgeWillard\'sheadstrucktherootofatreeandhelaystill。ThenEdHandbytookBelleCarpenterbythearmandmarchedheraway。
Georgeheardthemanandwomanmakingtheirwaythroughthebushes。Ashecreptdownthehill-
sidehisheartwassickwithinhim。Hehatedhimselfandhehatedthefatethathadbroughtabouthishumiliation。Whenhismindwentbacktothehouraloneinthealleywayhewaspuzzledandstoppinginthedarknesslistened，hopingtohearagainthevoiceoutsidehimselfthathadsoshortatimebeforeputnewcourageintohisheart。Whenhiswayhomewardledhimagainintothestreetofframehouseshecouldnotbearthesightandbegantorun，wantingtogetquicklyoutoftheneighborhoodthatnowseemedtohimutterlysqualidandcommonplace。
\"QUEER\"
FROMHISSEATonaboxintheroughboardshedthatstucklikeaburrontherearofCowley&Son\'sstoreinWinesburg，ElmerCowley，thejuniormemberofthefirm，couldseethroughadirtywindowintotheprintshopoftheWinesburgEagle。Elmerwasputtingnewshoelacesinhisshoes。Theydidnotgoinreadilyandhehadtotaketheshoesoff。Withtheshoesinhishandhesatlookingatalargeholeintheheelofoneofhisstockings。ThenlookingquicklyuphesawGeorgeWillard，theonlynewspa-
perreporterinWinesburg，standingatthebackdooroftheEagleprintshopandstaringabsentmindedlyabout。\"Well，well，whatnext!\"exclaimedtheyoungmanwiththeshoesinhishand，jumpingtohisfeetandcreepingawayfromthewindow。
AflushcreptintoElmerCowley\'sfaceandhishandsbegantotremble。InCowley&Son\'sstoreaJewishtravelingsalesmanstoodbythecountertalk-
ingtohisfather。Heimaginedthereportercouldhearwhatwasbeingsaidandthethoughtmadehimfurious。Withoneoftheshoesstillheldinhishandhestoodinacorneroftheshedandstampedwithastockingedfootupontheboardfloor。
Cowley&Son\'sstoredidnotfacethemainstreetofWinesburg。ThefrontwasonMaumeeStreetandbeyonditwasVoight\'swagonshopandashedfortheshelteringoffarmers\'horses。Besidethestoreanalleywayranbehindthemainstreetstoresandalldaydraysanddeliverywagons，intentonbringinginandtakingoutgoods，passedupanddown。Thestoreitselfwasindescribable。WillHendersononcesaidofitthatitsoldeverythingandnothing。InthewindowfacingMaumeeStreetstoodachunkofcoalaslargeasanapplebarrel，toindicatethatordersforcoalweretaken，andbesidetheblackmassofthecoalstoodthreecombsofhoneygrownbrownanddirtyintheirwoodenframes。
Thehoneyhadstoodinthestorewindowforsixmonths。Itwasforsaleaswerealsothecoathang-
ers，patentsuspenderbuttons，cansofroofpaint，bottlesofrheumatismcure，andasubstituteforcof-
feethatcompanionedthehoneyinitspatientwill-
ingnesstoservethepublic。
EbenezerCowley，themanwhostoodinthestorelisteningtotheeagerpatterofwordsthatfellfromthelipsofthetravelingman，wastallandleanandlookedunwashed。Onhisscrawnyneckwasalargewenpartiallycoveredbyagreybeard。HeworealongPrinceAlbertcoat。Thecoathadbeenpur-
chasedtoserveasaweddinggarment。BeforehebecameamerchantEbenezerwasafarmerandafterhismarriageheworethePrinceAlbertcoattochurchonSundaysandonSaturdayafternoonswhenhecameintotowntotrade。Whenhesoldthefarmtobecomeamerchantheworethecoatconstantly。Ithadbecomebrownwithageandwascoveredwithgreasespots，butinitEbenezeralwaysfeltdressedupandreadyforthedayintown。
AsamerchantEbenezerwasnothappilyplacedinlifeandhehadnotbeenhappilyplacedasafarmer。Stillheexisted。Hisfamily，consistingofadaughternamedMabelandtheson，livedwithhiminroomsabovethestoreanditdidnotcostthemmuchtolive。Histroubleswerenotfinancial。Hisunhappinessasamerchantlayinthefactthatwhenatravelingmanwithwarestobesoldcameinatthefrontdoorhewasafraid。Behindthecounterhestoodshakinghishead。Hewasafraid，firstthathewouldstubbornlyrefusetobuyandthuslosetheopportunitytosellagain；secondthathewouldnotbestubbornenoughandwouldinamomentofweaknessbuywhatcouldnotbesold。
InthestoreonthemorningwhenElmerCowleysawGeorgeWillardstandingandapparentlylis-
teningatthebackdooroftheEagleprintshop，asituationhadarisenthatalwaysstirredtheson\'swrath。ThetravelingmantalkedandEbenezerlis-
tened，hiswholefigureexpressinguncertainty。\"Youseehowquicklyitisdone，\"saidthetravelingman，whohadforsaleasmallflatmetalsubstituteforcollarbuttons。Withonehandhequicklyunfastenedacollarfromhisshirtandthenfasteneditonagain。
Heassumedaflatteringwheedlingtone。\"Itellyouwhat，menhavecometotheendofallthisfoolingwithcollarbuttonsandyouarethemantomakemoneyoutofthechangethatiscoming。Iamoffer-
ingyoutheexclusiveagencyforthistown。TaketwentydozenofthesefastenersandI\'llnotvisitanyotherstore。I\'llleavethefieldtoyou。\"
ThetravelingmanleanedoverthecounterandtappedwithhisfingeronEbenezer\'sbreast。\"It\'sanopportunityandIwantyoutotakeit，\"heurged。
\"Afriendofminetoldmeaboutyou。\'SeethatmanCowley，\'hesaid。\'He\'saliveone。\'\"
Thetravelingmanpausedandwaited。Takingabookfromhispockethebeganwritingouttheorder。StillholdingtheshoeinhishandElmerCow-
leywentthroughthestore，pastthetwoabsorbedmen，toaglassshowcasenearthefrontdoor。Hetookacheaprevolverfromthecaseandbegantowaveitabout。\"Yougetoutofhere!\"heshrieked。
\"Wedon\'twantanycollarfastenershere。\"Anideacametohim。\"Mind，I\'mnotmakinganythreat，\"
headded。\"Idon\'tsayI\'llshoot。MaybeIjusttookthisgunoutofthecasetolookatit。Butyoubettergetout。Yessir，I\'llsaythat。Youbettergrabupyourthingsandgetout。\"
Theyoungstorekeeper\'svoicerosetoascreamandgoingbehindthecounterhebegantoadvanceuponthetwomen。\"We\'rethroughbeingfoolshere!\"hecried。\"Weain\'tgoingtobuyanymorestuffuntilwebegintosell。Weain\'tgoingtokeeponbeingqueerandhavefolksstaringandlistening。
