\"Well,onedayIan\'oleDocGurney,wewereinthere,andIundertooktoshowBibbshowtorunhismachine。Hetoldmetolookout,butIwouldn\'tlisten,andIdidn\'tlookout——andthat\'showIgotmyhandhurt,tryin\'toshowBibbshowtodosomethingheknewhowtodoandIdidn\'t。MademesomadIjustwouldn\'tevenadmittomyselfitWAShurt——andso,byandby,oleDocGurneyhadtotakekindo\'radicalmeasureswithme。He\'sarightgooddoctor,too。
Don\'tyouthinkso,MissVertrees？\"
\"Yes。\"
\"Yes,heisso！\"Sheridannowhadtheairofaramblingtalkerandgossipwithalldayonhishands。\"TakehimonBibbs\'scase。Iwastalkin\'aboutBibbs\'scasewithhimthismorning。Well,you\'dlaughtohearthewayoleGurneytalksaboutTHAT！\'CourseheISjustasmuchafriendasheisdoctor——andhetakesasmuchinterestinBibbsasifhewasinthefamily。HesaysBibbsisn\'tanywaysbadoffYET;andhethinkshecouldstandthepaceandgetfatonitif——well,thisiswhat\'dmadeYOUlaughifyou\'dbeenthere,MissVertrees——honestitwould！\"Hepausedtochuckle,andstoleaglanceather。Shewasgazingstraightbeforeheratthewall;herlipswereparted,and——visibly——shewasbreathingheavilyandquickly。Hefearedthatshewasgrowingfuriouslyangry;buthehadledtowhathewantedtosay,andhewenton,determinednowtosayitall。Heleanedforwardandalteredhisvoicetooneofconfidentialfriendliness,thoughinithestillmaintainedatonewhichindicatedthatoleDocGurney\'sopinionwasonlyajokehesharedwithher。\"Yes,sir,youcertainlywould\'a\'laughed！Why,thatolemanthinksYOUgotsomethingtodowithit。You\'llhavetoblameitonhim,younglady,ifitmakesyoufeellikestartin\'outtowhipsomebody！He\'sactuallygotTHIStheory:hesaysBibbsgottogettin\'betterwhileheworkedoverthereattheshopbecauseyoukepthimcheeredupandfeelin\'good。Andhesaysifyoucouldmanagetojuststandhimhangin\'aroundalittle——maybenotmuch,butjustSOMEtimes——again,hebelievedit\'ddoBibbsamightyloto\'good。
\'Course,that\'sonlywhatthedoctorsaid。Me,Idon\'tknowanythingaboutthat;butIcansaythismuch——IneversawanysuchaMENTALimprovementinanybodyinmylifeasIhavelatelyinBibbs。Iexpectyou\'dfindhimagooddealmoreentertainingthanwhatheusedtobe——andIknowit\'sakindofembarrassingthingtosuggestafterthewayhepiledinoverherethatdaytoaskyoutostandupbeforethepreacherwithhim,butaccordin\'tooleDocGURNEY,he\'sgotyouonhisbrainsobad——\"
Maryjumped。\"Mr。Sheridan！\"sheexclaimed。
Hesighedprofoundly。\"There！Inoticedyouweregettin\'mad。Ididn\'t——\"
\"No,no,no！\"shecried。\"ButIdon\'tunderstand——andIthinkyoudon\'t。
Whatisityouwantmetodo？\"
Hesighedagain,butthistimewithrelief。\"Well,well！\"hesaid。\"You\'reright。It\'llbeeasiertotalkplain。IoughttoknownIcouldwithyou,allthetime。Ijusthopedyou\'dletthatboycomeandseeyousometimes,oncemore。Couldyou？\"
\"Youdon\'tunderstand。\"Sheclaspedherhandstogetherinasorrowfulgesture。\"Yes,wemusttalkplain。BibbsheardthatI\'dtriedtomakeyouroldestsoncareformebecauseIwaspoor,andsoBibbscameandaskedmetomarryhim——becausehewassorryforme。AndICAN\'Tseehimanymore,\"shecriedindistress。\"ICAN\'T！\"
Sheridanclearedhisthroatuncomfortably。\"Youmeanbecausehethoughtthataboutyou？\"
\"No,no！WhathethoughtwasTRUE！\"
\"Well——youmeanhewassomuchin——youmeanhethoughtsomuchofyou——\"ThewordswereinconceivablyawkwarduponSheridan\'stongue;heseemedtobeindoubtevenaboutpronouncingthem,butafteraghastlypausehebravelyrepeatedthem。\"Youmeanhethoughtsomuchofyouthatyoujustcouldn\'tstandhimaround？\"
\"NO！Hewassorryforme。Hecaredforme;hewasfondofme;andhe\'drespectedme——toomuch！Inthefinestwayhelovedme,ifyoulike,andhe\'dhavedoneanythingonearthforme,asIwouldforhim,andasheknewI
would。Itwasbeautiful,Mr。Sheridan,\"shesaid。\"Butthecheap,badthingsonehasdoneseemalwaystocomeback——theywait,andpullyoudownwhenyou\'rehappiest。Bibbsfoundmeout,yousee;andhewasn\'t\'inlove\'withmeatall。\"
\"Hewasn\'t？Well,itseemstomehegaveupeverythinghewantedtodo——itwasfoolstuff,buthecertainlywanteditmightybad——hejustthrewitawayandwalkedrightupandtookthejobhesworeheneverwould——justforyou。
Anditlookstomeasifamanthat\'ddothatmustthinkquiteaheapo\'thegirlhedoesitfor！Yousayitwasonlybecausehewassorry,butletmetellyouthere\'sonlyONEgirlhecouldfeelTHATsorryfor！Yes,sir！\"
\"No,no,\"shesaid。\"Bibbsisn\'tlikeothermen——hewoulddoanythingforanybody。\"
Sheridangrinned。\"Perhapsnotsomuchasyouthink,nowadays,\"hesaid。\"Forinstance,Igotkindofasuspicionhedoesn\'tbelievein\'sentimentinbusiness。\'Butthat\'sneitherherenorthere。Whathewantedwas,justplainandsimple,foryoutomarryhim。Well,Iwasafraidhisthinkin\'somuchOF
youhadkindo\'sickenedyouofhim——thewayitdoessometimes。Butfromthewayyoutalk,Iunderstandthatain\'tthetrouble。\"Hecoughed,andhisvoicetrembledalittle。\"Nowhere,MissVertrees,Idon\'thavetotellyou——becauseyouseethingseasy——IknowIgotnobusinesscomin\'toyoulikethis,butIhadtomakeBibbsgomywayinsteadofhisown——Ihadtodoitforthesakeo\'mybusinessandonhisownaccount,too——andIexpectyougotsomeideahowithurthimtogiveup。Well,he\'smadegood。Hedidn\'tcomeinhalf—heartedormean;hecamein——alltheway！Butthereisn\'tanythinginittohim;youcanseehe\'sjustshuthisteethonitandgoin\'aheadwithdustinhismouth。Yousee,onewayoflookin\'atit,he\'sgotnothin\'toworkFOR。Anditseemstomelikeitcosthimyourfriendship,andIbelieve——honest——that\'swhathurthimtheworst。Nowyousaidwe\'dtalkplain。Whycan\'tyoulethimcomeback？\"
Shecoveredherfacedesperatelywithherhands。\"Ican\'t！\"
Herose,defeated,andlookingit。
\"Well,Imustn\'tpressyou,\"hesaid,gently。
Atthatshecriedout,anddroppedherhandsandlethimseeherface。\"Ah！
Hewasonlysorryforme！\"
Hegazedatherintently。Marywasproud,butshehadafatalhonesty,anditconfessedthetruthofhernow;shewashelpless。ItwassoclearthatevenSheridan,marvelingandamazed,wasabletoseeit。Thenachangecameoverhim;gloomfellfromhim,andhegrewradient。
\"Don\'t！Don\'t\"shecried。\"Youmustn\'t——\"
\"Iwon\'ttellhim,\"saidSheridan,fromthedoorway。\"Iwon\'ttellanybodyanything！\"
Therewasaheavytown—fogthatafternoon,asmoke—mist,densestinthesanctuaryofthetemple。Thepeoplewentaboutinit,busyanddirty,thickeningtheiroutsideandinsideliningsofcoal—tar,asphalt,sulphurousacid,oilofvitriol,andtheotherfamiliarthingsthemenlikedtobreatheandtohaveupontheirskinsandgarmentsandupontheirwivesandbabiesandsweethearts。Thegrowthofthecitywasvisibleinthesmokeandthenoiseandtherush。TherewasmoresmokethantherehadbeenthisdayofFebruaryayearearlier;therewasmorenoise;andthecrowdswerethicker——yetquickerinspiteofthat。Thetrafficpolicemanhadahardtime,forthepeoplewereindependent——theyretainedsomehabitsoftheoldmarket—townperiod,andwouldcrossthestreetanywhereandanyhow,whichnotonlygotthemkilledmorefrequentlythaniftheyclungtothelegalcrossings,butkeptthemotormen,thechauffeurs,andthetruck—driversinastewofprofanenervousness。Sothetrafficpolicemenledharriedlives;theythemselveswerekilled,ofcourse,withacertainperiodicity,buttheirmaintroublewasthattheycouldnotmakethecitizensrealizethatitwasactuallyandmortallyperiloustogoabouttheircity。Itwasstrange,fortherewereprobablynocitizensofanylengthofresidencewhohadnotpersonallyknowneithersomeonewhohadbeenkilledorinjuredinanaccident,orsomeonewhohadaccidentallykilledorinjuredothers。Andyet,perhapsitwasnotstrange,seeingthesharppreoccupationofthefaces——thepeoplehadsomethingontheirminds;theycouldnotstoptobotheraboutdirtanddanger。
MaryVertreeswasnotoftendown—town;shehadneverseenanaccidentuntilthisafternoon。Shehadcomeuponerrandsforhermotherconnectedwithatimorousrefurbishment;andasshedidthese,inandoutofthedepartmentstores,shehadaninsistentconsciousnessoftheSheridanBuilding。Fromthestreet,anywhere,itwasalmostalwaysinsight,likesomemonstrousgeometricalshadow,murk—coloredandrisinglimitlesslyintotheswimmingheightsofthesmoke—mist。Itwasgauntandgrimyandrepellent;ithadnothingbutstrengthandsize——butinthatconsciousnessofMary\'sthegreatstructuremayhavepartakenofbeauty。Sheridanhadmadesomeofthethingshesaidemphaticenoughttoremainwithher。Shewentoverandoverthem——andtheybegantoseemtrue:\"OnlyONEgirlhecouldfeelTHATsorryfor！\"
\"Gurneysayshe\'sgotyouonhisbrainsobad——\"Theman\'sclumsytalkbegantosinginherheart。Thesongwasbeguntherewhenshesawtheaccident。
ShewasdirectlyoppositetheSheridanBuildingthen,waitingforthetraffictothinbeforeshecrossed,thoughotherpeoplewereriskingthepassage,dartingandhaltinganddodgingparlously。Twomencamefromthecrowdbehindher,talkingearnestly,andstartedacross。Bothworeblack;onewastallandbroadandthick,andtheotherwastaller,butnoticeablyslender。AndMarycaughtherbreath,fortheywereBibbsandhisfather。Theydidnotseeher,andshecaughtaphraseinBibbs\'smellowvoice,whichhadtakenacrisperring:\"Sixty—eightthousanddollars？Notsixty—eightthousandbuttons！\"Itstartledherqueerly,andastherewasaglimpseofhisprofileshesawforthefirsttimearesemblancetohisfather。
Shewatchedthem。InthemiddleofthestreetBibbshadtostepaheadofhisfather,andthetwowereseparated。Buttherecklesspassingofatruck,beyondthesecondlineofrails,frightenedagroupofcountrywomenwhowereincourseofpassage;theywerejustinfrontofBibbs,andshovedbackwarduponhimviolently。Toextricatehimselffromthemhesteppedback,directlyinfrontofamovingtrolley—car——noplaceforabsent—mindedness,butBibbswasstillabsorbedinthoughtsconcernedwithwhathehadbeensayingtohisfather。Therewereshrieksandyells;Bibbslookedthewrongway——andthenMarysawtheheavyfigureofSheridanplungestraightforwardinfrontofthecar。Withabsolutedisregardofhisownlife,hehurledhimselfatBibbslikeafootball—playershuntingoffanopponent,andtoMaryitseemedthattheybothwentdowntogether。Butthatwasallshecouldsee——automobiles,trucks,andwagonsclosedinbetween。Shemadeoutthatthetrolley—carstoppedjerkily,andshesawapolicemanbreakinghiswaythroughtheinstantlycondensingcrowd,whilethetrafficcametoastandstill,andpeoplestoodupinautomobilesorclimbeduponthehubsandtiresofwheels,nottomissachanceofseeinganythinghorrible。
Marytriedtogetthrough;itwasimpossible。Otherpolicemencametohelpthefirst,andinaminuteortwothetrafficwasinmotionagain。Thecrowdbecamepliant,dispersing——therewasnofigureupontheground,andnoambulancecame。Butoneofthepolicemenwasdetainedbytheclingingandbeseechingofaglovedhand。
\"WhatISthematter,lady？\"
\"Wherearethey？\"Marycried。
\"Who？OlemanSheridan？IreckonHEwasn\'tmuchhurt！\"
\"HisSON——\"
\"Wasthatwhotheotheronewas？Iseenhimknockhim——oh,he\'snotbadoff,Iguess,lady。Theolemangothimoutofthewayallright。Thefendershovedtheolemanaroundsome,butIreckonheonlygotshookup。TheybothwentonintheSheridanBuildingwithoutanyhelp。Excuseme,lady。\"
SheridanandBibbs,infact,wereatthatmomentintheelevator,ascending。
\"Whisk—broomupintheoffice,\"Sheridanwassaying。\"Yougottolookoutonthosecornersnowadays,Itellyou。Idon\'tknowIgotanycalltoblow,though——becauseItriedtocrossafteryoudid。That\'showIhappenedtorunintoyou。Well,youwantremembertolookoutafterthis。Weweretalkin\'
aboutMurtrie\'saskin\'sixty—eightthousandflatforthatninety—nine—yearlease。It\'shislookoutifhe\'drathertakeitthatway,andIdon\'tknowbut——\"
\"No,\"saidBibbs,emphatically,astheelevatorstopped;\"hewon\'tgetit。NotfromUs,hewon\'t,andI\'llshowyouwhy。Icanconvinceyouinfiveminutes。\"Hefollowedhisfatherintotheofficeanteroom——andconvincedhim。
Then,havingbeendiligentlybrushedbyayouthofcolor,Bibbswentintohisownroomandclosedthedoor。
Hewasmoreshakenthanhehadallowedhisfathertoperceive,andhissidewassorewhereSheridanhadstruckhim。Hedesiredtobealone;hewantedtorubhimselfand,foronce,todosomeuselessthinkingagain。Heknewthathisfatherhadnot\"happened\"torunintohim;heknewthatSheridanhadinstantly——andinstinctively——provedthatheheldhisownlifeofnoaccountwhatevercomparedtothatofhissonandheir。Bibbshadbeenunabletospeakofthat,ortoseemtoknowit;forSheridan,justasinstinctively,hadsweptthematteraside——asofnoimportance,sinceallwaswell——revertingimmediatelytobusiness。
Bibbsbegantothinkintentlyofhisfather。Heperceived,ashehadneverperceivedbefore,theshadowingofsomethingenormousandindomitable——andlawless;nottobedauntedbythewillofnature\'sveryself;laughingatthelightningandatwoundsandmutilation;conquering,irresistible——andblindlynoble。ForthefirsttimeinhislifeBibbsbegantounderstandthemeaningofbeingtrulythisman\'sson。
Hewouldbethemoretrulyhissonhenceforth,though,asSheridansaid,Bibbshadnotcomedown—townwithhimmeanlyorhalf—heartedly。Hehadgivenhiswordbecausehehadwantedthemoney,simply,forMaryVertreesinherneed。
Andheshiveredwithhorrorofhimself,thinkinghowhehadgonetohertoofferit,askinghertomarryhim——withhisheadonhisbreastinshamefulfearthatshewouldaccepthim！Hehadnotknownher;theknowinghadlosthertohim,andthishadbeenhisrealawakening;forheknewnowhowdeephadbeenthatslumberwhereinhedreamilycelebratedthesuperiorityof\"friendship\"！Thesleep—walkerhadwakenedtobitterknowledgeofloveandlife,findinghimselfafailureinboth。Hehadmadeaburntofferingofhisdreams,andthesacrificehadbeenanunforgivablehurttoMary。Allthatwasleftforhimwastheworkhehadnotchosen,butatleasthewouldnotfailinthat,thoughitwasindeednomorethan\"dustinhismouth。\"Iftherehadbeenanything\"toworkfor——\"
Hewenttothewindow,raisedit,andletintheuproarofthestreetsbelow。
Helookeddownattheblurred,hurryingswarms——andhelookedacross,overtheroofswiththeirpantingjetsofvapor,intothevast,foggyheartofthesmoke。Dizzytraceriesofsteelwererisingdimlyagainstit,chatteringwithsteelonsteel,andscreechinginsteam,whiletinyfiguresofmenwalkedonthreadsinthedullsky。BuildingswouldovertoptheSheridan。Bignesswasbeingserved。
Butwhatfor？TheoldquestioncametoBibbswithanewdespair。Here,wherehiseyesfell,hadoncebeengreenfieldsandrunningbrooks,andhowhadthekindearthbeendespoiledanddisfigured！Thepioneershadbegunthework,butintheiroldagetheiroratorshadsaidforthemthattheyhadtoiledandriskedandsacrificedthattheirposteritymightliveinpeaceandwisdom,enjoyingthefruitsoftheearth。Well,theirposteritywashere——andtherewasonlyturmoil。Wherewasthepromisedland？Ithadbeenpromisedbythesoldiersofallthewars;ithadbeenpromisedtothisgenerationbythepioneers;butherewastheveryposteritytowhomithadbeenpromised,toilingandriskingandsacrificinginturn——forwhat？
Theharshroarofthecitycameinthroughtheopenwindow,continuouslybeatinguponBibbs\'searuntilhebegantodistinguishapulsationinit——abrokenandirregularcadence。Itseemedtohimthatitwaslikeatitanicvoice,discordant,hoarse,rustilymetallic——thevoiceofthegod,Bigness。
AndthevoicesummonedBibbsasitsummonedallitsservants。
\"Comeandwork！\"itseemedtoyell。\"ComeandworkforMe,allmen！ByyouryouthandyourhopeIsummonyou！ByyourageandyourdespairIsommonyoutoworkforMeyetalittle,withwhatstrengthyouhave。ByyourloveofhomeIsummonyou！ByyourloveofwomanIsummonyou！ByyourhopeofchildrenIsummonyou！
\"YoushallbeblindslavesofMine,blindtoeverythingbutMe,youMasterandDriver！Foryourrewardyoushallgazeonlyuponmyugliness。Youshallgiveyourtoilandyourlives,youshallgomadforloveandworshipofmyugliness！YoushallperishstillworshippingMe,andyourchildrenshallperishknowingnoothergod！\"
Andthen,asBibbsclosedthewindowdowntight,heheardhisfather\'svoiceboominginthenextroom;hecouldnotdistinguishthewords,butthetonewasexultant——andtherecametheTHUMP！THUMP！ofthemaimedhand。BibbsguessedthatSheridanwasbraggingofthecityandofBignesstosomevisitorfromout—of—town。
AndhethoughthowtrulySheridanwasthehighpriestofBigness。Butwiththeold,oldthoughtagain,,\"Whatfor？\"Bibbscaughtaglimmeroffar,faintlight。HesawthatSheridanhadallhislifestruggledandconquered,andmustallhislifegoonstrugglingandinevitablyconquering,aspartofavastimpulsenothisown。Sheridanservedblindly——butwastheimpulseblind？
Bibbsaskedhimselfifitwasnothewhohadbeeninthegreaterhurry,afterall。Thekilnmustbefiredbeforethevaseisglazed,andtheAcropoliswasnotcrownedwithmarbleinaday。
Thenthevoicecametohimagain,buttherewasastraininitasofsomehughmusicstrugglingtobebornoftheturmoil。\"UglyIam,\"itseemedtosaytohim,\"butneverforgetthatIAMagod！\"Andthevoicegrewinsonorousnessandindignity。\"Thehighestshouldserve,butsolongasyouworshipmeformyownsakeIwillnotserveyou。Itismanwhomakesmeugly,byhisworshipofme。Ifmanwouldletmeservehim,Ishouldbebeautiful！\"
Lookingoncemorefromthewindow,Bibbssculpturedforhimself——inthevaguecontortionsofthesmokeandfogabovetheroofs——agiganitcfigurewithfeetpedestaleduponthegreatbuildingsandshouldersdisappearingintheclouds,acolossusofsteelandwhollyblackenedwithsoot。ButBibbscarriedhisfancyfurther——fortherewasstillalittlepoetlingeringinthebackofhishead——andhethoughtthatupovertheclouds,unseenfrombelow,thegiantlaboredwithhishandsinthecleansunshine;andBibbshadaglimpseofwhathemadethere——perhapsforafellowshipofthechildrenofthechildrenthatwerechildrennow——anobleandjoyouscity,unbelievablywhite——\"
Itwasthetelephonethatcalledhimfromhisvision。Itrangfiercely。
Heliftedthethingfromhisdeskandanswered——andasthesmallvoiceinsideitspokehedroppedthereceiverwithacrash。Hetrembledviolentlyashepickeditup,buthetoldhimselfhewaswrong——hehadbeenmistaken——yetitwasastartlinglybeautifulvoice;startlinglykind,too,andineffablyliketheonehehungeredmosttohear。
\"Who？\"hesaid,hisownvoiceshaking——likehishand。
\"Mary。\"
Herespondedwithtwohushedandincredulouswords:\"ISIT？\"
Therewasalittlethrillofpathetichalf—laughterintheinstrument。
\"Bibbs——Iwantedto——justtoseeifyou——\"
\"Yes——Mary？\"
\"Iwaslookingwhenyouweresonearlyrunover。Isawit,Bibbs。Theysaidyouhadn\'tbeenhurt,theythought,butIwantedtoknowformyself。\"
\"No,no,Iwasn\'thurtatall——Mary。Itwasfatherwhocamenearerit。Hesavedme。\"
\"Yes,Isaw;butyouhadfallen。Icouldn\'tgetthroughthecrowduntilyouhadgone。AndIwantedtoKNOW。\"
\"Mary——wouldyou——haveminded？\"hesaid。
Therewasalongintervalbeforesheanswered。
\"Yes。\"
\"Thenwhy——\"
\"Yes,Bibbs？\"
\"Idon\'tknowwhattosay,\"hecried。\"It\'ssowonderfultohearyourvoiceagain——I\'mshaking,Mary——I——Idon\'tknow——Idon\'tknowanythingexceptthatI
AMtalkingtoyou！ItISyou——Mary？\"
\"Yes,Bibbs！\"
\"Mary——I\'veseenyoufrommywindowathome——onlyfivetimessinceI——sincethen。Youlooked——oh,howcanItellyou？Itwaslikeamanchainedinacavecatchingaglimpseofthebluesky,Mary。Mary,won\'tyou——letmeseeyouagain——near？IthinkIcouldmakeyoureallyforgiveme——you\'dhaveto——\"
\"IDID——then。\"
\"No——notreally——oryouwouldn\'thavesaidyoucouldn\'tseemeanymore。\"
\"Thatwasn\'tthereason。\"Thevoicewasverylow。
\"Mary,\"hesaid,evenmoretremulouslythanbefore,\"Ican\'t——youCOULDN\'T
meanitwasbecause——youcan\'tmeanitwasbecauseyou——care？\"
Therewasnoanswer。
\"Mary？\"hecalled,huskily。\"IfyoumeanTHAT——you\'dletmeseeyou——
wouldn\'tyou？\"
Andnowthevoicewassolowhecouldnotbesureitspokeatall,butifitdid,thewordswere,\"Yes,Bibbs——dear。\"
Butthevoicewasnotintheinstrument——itwassogentleandsolight,soalmostnothing,itseemedtobemadeofair——anditcamefromtheair。
Slowlyandincredulouslyheturned——andgloryfelluponhisshiningeyes。Thedoorofhisfather\'sroomhadopened。
Marystooduponthethreshold。
