\"Comein,\"saidtheeditor。
Thedooroftheeditorialroomofthe\"ExcelsiorMagazine\"begantocreakpainfullyunderthehesitatingpressureofanuncertainandunfamiliarhand。Thiscontinueduntilwithastartofirritationtheeditorfaceddirectlyabout,throwinghislegoverthearmofhischairwithacertainyouthfuldexterity。Withonehandgrippingitsback,theotherstillgraspingaproof-slip,andhispencilinhismouth,hestaredattheintruder。
Thestranger,despitehishesitatingentrance,didnotseemintheleastdisconcerted。Hewasatallman,lookingeventallerbyreasonofthelongformlessovercoathewore,knownasa\"duster,\"
andbyalongstraightbeardthatdependedfromhischin,whichhecombedwithtworeflectivefingersashecontemplatedtheeditor。
Thereddustwhichstilllayinthecreasesofhisgarmentandinthecurvesofhissoftfelthat,andleftadustycirclelikeaprecipitatedhaloaroundhisfeet,proclaimedhim,ifnotacountryman,arecentinlandimportationbycoach。\"Busy?\"hesaid,inagravebutpleasantvoice。\"Ikinwait。Don\'tmindME。Goon。\"
Theeditorindicatedachairwithhisdisengagedhandandplungedagainintohisproof-slips。Thestrangersurveyedthescantfurnitureandappointmentsoftheofficewithalookofgravecuriosity,andthen,takingachair,fixedanearnest,penetratinggazeontheeditor\'sprofile。Theeditorfeltit,and,withoutlookingup,said——
\"Well,goon。\"
\"Butyou\'rebusy。Ikinwait。\"
\"Ishallnotbelessbusythismorning。Icanlisten。\"
\"Iwantyoutogivemethenameofacertainpersonwhowritesinyourmagazine。\"
Theeditor\'seyeglancedatthesecondright-handdrawerofhisdesk。Itdidnotcontainthenamesofhiscontributors,butwhatinthetraditionsofhisofficewasacceptedasanequivalent,——arevolver。Hehadneveryetpresentedeithertoaninquirer。Buthelaidasidehisproofs,and,withaslightdarkeningofhisyouthful,discontentedface,said,\"Whatdoyouwanttoknowfor?\"
Thequestionwassoevidentlyunexpectedthatthestranger\'sfacecoloredslightly,andhehesitated。Theeditormeanwhile,withouttakinghiseyesfromtheman,mentallyranoverthecontentsofthelastmagazine。Theyhadbeenofasingularlypeacefulcharacter。
Thereseemedtobenothingtojustifyhomicideonhispartorthestranger\'s。Yettherewasnoknowing,andhisquestioner\'sbucolicappearancebynomeansprecludedanassault。Indeed,ithadbeenalegendoftheofficethatapredecessorhadsufferedvicariouslyfromageologicalhammercovertlyintroducedintoascientificcontroversybyanirateprofessor。
\"Aswemakeourselvesresponsiblefortheconductofthemagazine,\"
continuedtheyoungeditor,withmatureseverity,\"wedonotgiveupthenamesofourcontributors。Ifyoudonotagreewiththeiropinions\"——
\"ButIDO,\"saidthestranger,withhisformercomposure,\"andI
reckonthat\'swhyIwanttoknowwhowrotethoseversescalled\'Underbrush,\'signed\'WhiteViolet,\'inyourlastnumber。They\'repow\'fulpretty。\"
Theeditorflushedslightly,andglancedinstinctivelyaroundforanyunexpectedwitnessofhisludicrousmistake。Thefearofridiculewasuppermostinhismind,andhewasmorerelievedathismistakenotbeingoverheardthanatitsgroundlessness。
\"TheversesAREpretty,\"hesaid,recoveringhimself,withacriticalair,\"andIamgladyoulikethem。Buteventhen,youknow,Icouldnotgiveyouthelady\'snamewithoutherpermission。
Iwillwritetoherandaskit,ifyoulike。\"
TheactualfactwasthattheverseshadbeensenttohimanonymouslyfromaremotevillageintheCoastRange,——theaddressbeingthepost-officeandthesignatureinitials。
Thestrangerlookeddisturbed。\"Thensheain\'tabouthereanywhere?\"hesaid,withavaguegesture。\"Shedon\'tbelongtotheoffice?\"
Theyoungeditorbeamedwithtolerantsuperiority:\"No,Iamsorrytosay。\"
\"Ishouldliketohavegottoseeherandkinderaskedherafewquestions,\"continuedthestranger,withthesamereflectiveseriousness。\"Yousee,itwasn\'tjusttherhymin\'o\'themverses,——
andtheykindersingthemselvestoye,don\'tthey?——itwasn\'tthechyceo\'words,——andIreckontheyallushittheideeinthecentreshoteverytime,——itwasn\'ttheideesandmoralshesorto\'drewouto\'whatshewastellin\',——butitwasthestraightthingitself,——thetruth!\"
\"Thetruth?\"repeatedtheeditor。
\"Yes,sir。I\'vebinthere。I\'veseenallthatshe\'sseeninthebrush——thelittleflicksandcheckerso\'lightandshadderdowninthebrowndustthatyouwonderhowitevergotthroughthedarkofthewoods,andthatallusseemstoslipawaylikeasnakeoralizardifyougrope。I\'veheardallthatshe\'sheardthere——thecreepin\',thesighin\',andthewhisperin\'throughthebrackenandtheground-vinesofallthatlivesthere。\"
\"Youseemtobeapoetyourself,\"saidtheeditor,withapatronizingsmile。
\"I\'malumberman,upinMendocino,\"returnedthestranger,withsublimenaivete。\"Gotamillthere。Yousee,sightin\'standin\'
timberandselectin\'fromthegen\'ralshowofthetreesinthegroundandthelayofrootshezsortermademetakenotice。\"Hepaused。\"Then,\"headded,somewhatdespondingly,\"youdon\'tknowwhosheis?\"
\"No,\"saidtheeditor,reflectively;\"notevenifitisreallyaWOMANwhowrites。\"
\"Eh?\"
\"Well,yousee,\'WhiteViolet\'mayaswellbethenomdeplumeofamanasofawoman,especiallyifadoptedforthepurposeofmystification。Thehandwriting,Iremember,WASmoreboyishthanfeminine。\"
\"No,\"returnedthestrangerdoggedly,\"itwasn\'tnoMAN。There\'sideasandwordstherethatonlycomefromawoman:baby-talktothebirds,youknow,andakindoffearsomekeerofbugsandcreepin\'
thingsthatdon\'tcometoamanwhowearsbootsandtrousers。
Well,\"headded,withareturntohispreviousairofresigneddisappointment,\"Isupposeyoudon\'tevenknowwhatshe\'slike?\"
\"No,\"respondedtheeditor,cheerfully。Then,followinganideasuggestedbytheoddminglingofsentimentandshrewdperceptioninthemanbeforehim,headded:\"Probablynotatalllikeanythingyouimagine。Shemaybeamotherwiththreeorfourchildren;oranoldmaidwhokeepsaboarding-house;orawrinkledschool-
mistress;orachitofaschool-girl。I\'vehadsomefairversesfromared-hairedgirloffourteenattheSeminary,\"heconcludedwithprofessionalcoolness。
Thestrangerregardedhimwiththenaivewonderofaninexperiencedman。Havingpaidthistributetohissuperiorknowledge,heregainedhispreviousairofgraveperception。\"Ireckonsheain\'tnoneofthem。ButI\'mkeepin\'youfromyourwork。Good-by。Myname\'sBowers——JimBowers,ofMendocino。Ifyou\'reupmyway,givemeacall。Andifyoudowritetothisyer\'WhiteViolet,\'andshe\'swillin\',sendmeheraddress。\"
Heshooktheeditor\'shandwarmly——eveninitsliteralsignificanceofimpartingagooddealofhisownearnestcalorictotheeditor\'sfingers——andlefttheroom。Hisfootfallechoedalongthepassageanddiedout,andwithit,Ifear,allimpressionofhisvisitfromtheeditor\'smind,asheplungedagainintothesilenttaskbeforehim。
Presentlyhewasconsciousofamelodioushummingandalightleisurelystepattheentranceofthehall。Theycontinuedoninaneasyharmonyandunaffectedasthepassageofabird。Bothwerepleasantandbothfamiliartotheeditor。TheybelongedtoJackHamlin,byvocationagambler,bytasteamusician,onhiswayfromhisapartmentsontheupperfloor,wherehehadjustrisen,todropintohisfriend\'seditorialroomandglanceovertheexchanges,aswashishabitbeforebreakfast。
Thedooropenedlightly。Theeditorwasconsciousofafaintodorofscentedsoap,asensationoffreshnessandcleanliness,theimpressionofasofthandlikeawoman\'sonhisshoulderand,likeawoman\'s,momentarilyandplayfullycaressing,thepassageofagracefulshadowacrosshisdesk,andthenextmomentJackHamlinwasostentatiouslydustingachairwithanopennewspaperpreparatorytosittingdown。
\"Yououghttoshipthatoffice-boyofyours,ifhecan\'tkeepthingscleaner,\"hesaid,suspendinghismelodytoeyegrimlythedustwhichMr。Bowershadshakenfromhisdepartingfeet。
Theeditordidnotlookupuntilhehadfinishedrevisingadifficultparagraph。BythattimeMr。Hamlinhadcomfortablysettledhimselfonacanesofa,and,possiblyoutofdeferencetohissurroundings,hadsubduedhissongtoapeculiarlylow,soft,andheartbreakingwhistleasheunfoldedanewspaper。Cleanandfaultlessinhisappearance,hehadtheraregiftofbeingabletogetupattwointheafternoonwithmuchofthedewyfreshnessandallofthemoralsuperiorityofanearlyriser。
\"Yououghttohavebeenherejustnow,Jack,\"saidtheeditor。
\"Notarow,oldman,eh?\"inquiredJack,withafaintaccessionofinterest。
\"No,\"saidtheeditor,smiling。Thenherelatedtheincidentsofthepreviousinterview,withacertainhumorousexaggerationwhichwaspartofhisnature。ButJackdidnotsmile。
\"Yououghttohavebootedhimoutoftheranchonsight,\"hesaid。
\"Whatrighthadhetocomeherepryingintoalady\'saffairs?——atleastaladyasfarasHEknows。Ofcourseshe\'ssomeoldblowzywithfrumpledhairtryingtoropeinagreenhornwithastringofwordsandphrases,\"concludedJack,carelessly,whohadanequallycynicaldistrustofthesexandofliterature。
\"That\'saboutwhatItoldhim,\"saidtheeditor。
\"That\'sjustwhatyouSHOULDN\'Thavetoldhim,\"returnedJack。
\"Yououghttohavestuckupforthatwomanasifshe\'dbeenyourownmother。Lord!youfellowsdon\'tknowhowtorunamagazine。
YououghttoletMEsitonthatchairandtackleyourcustomers。\"
\"Whatwouldyouhavedone,Jack?\"askedtheeditor,muchamusedtofindthathishithertoinvincibleherowasnotabovetheordinaryhumanweaknessofofferingadviceastoeditorialconduct。
\"Done?\"reflectedJack。\"Well,first,sonny,Ishouldn\'tkeeparevolverinadrawerthatIhadtoOPENtogetat。\"
\"Butwhatwouldyouhavesaid?\"
\"IshouldsimplyhaveaskedhimwhatwasthepriceoflumberatMendocino,\"saidJack,sweetly,\"andwhenhetoldme,Ishouldhavesaidthatthesampleshewasofferingoutofhisownheadwouldn\'tsuit。Yousee,youdon\'twantanytriflinginsuchmatters。Youwritewellenough,myboy,\"continuedhe,turningoverhispaper,\"butwhatyou\'relackinginiseditorialdignity。Butgoonwithyourwork。Don\'tmindme。\"
Thusadmonished,theeditoragainbentoverhisdesk,andhisfriendsoftlytookuphissuspendedsong。TheeditorhadnotproceededfarinhiscorrectionswhenJack\'svoiceagainbrokethesilence。
\"Wherearethosed——dverses,anyway?\"
Withoutlookingup,theeditorwavedhispenciltowardsanuncutcopyofthe\"ExcelsiorMagazine\"lyingonthetable。
\"Youdon\'tsupposeI\'mgoingtoREADthem,doyou?\"saidJack,aggrievedly。\"Whydon\'tyousaywhatthey\'reabout?That\'syourbusinessaseditor。\"
Butthatfunctionary,nowwhollylostandwanderinginthenon-
sequiturofaninvolvedpassageintheproofbeforehim,onlywavedanimpatientremonstrancewithhispencilandknithisbrows。
Jack,withasigh,tookupthemagazine。
Alongsilencefollowed,brokenonlybythehurriedrustlingofsheetsofcopyandanoccasionalexasperatedstartfromtheeditor。
Thesunwasalreadybeginningtoslantadustybeamacrosshisdesk;Jack\'swhistlinghadlongsinceceased。Presently,withanexclamationofrelief,theeditorlaidasidethelastproof-sheetandlookedup。
JackHamlinhadclosedthemagazine,butwithonehandthrownoverthebackofthesofahewasstillholdingit,hisslimforefingerbetweenitsleavestokeeptheplace,andhishandsomeprofileanddarklashesliftedtowardsthewindow。Theeditor,smilingatthisunwontedabstraction,saidquietly,——
\"Well,whatdoyouthinkofthem?\"
Jackrose,laidthemagazinedown,settledhiswhitewaistcoatwithbothhands,andloungedtowardshisfriendwithaudaciousbutslightlyveiledandshiningeyes。\"Theysortofsingthemselvestoyou,\"hesaid,quietly,leaningbesidetheeditor\'sdesk,andlookingdownuponhim。Afterapausehesaid,\"Thenyoudon\'tknowwhatshe\'slike?\"
\"That\'swhatMr。Bowersaskedme,\"remarkedtheeditor。
\"D——nBowers!\"
\"Isupposeyoualsowishmetowriteandaskforpermissiontogiveyouheraddress?\"saidtheeditor,withgreatgravity。
\"No,\"saidJack,coolly。\"IproposetogiveittoYOUwithinaweek,andyouwillpaymewithabreakfast。IshouldliketohaveitsaidthatIwasonceapaidcontributortoliterature。IfI
don\'tgiveittoyou,I\'llstandyouadinner,that\'sall。\"
\"Done!\"saidtheeditor。\"Andyouknownothingofhernow?\"
\"No,\"saidJack,promptly。\"Noryou?\"
\"NomorethanIhavetoldyou。\"
\"That\'lldo。Solong!\"AndJack,carefullyadjustinghisglossyhatoverhiscurlsatanominouslywickedangle,saunteredlightlyfromtheroom。Theeditor,glancingafterhishandsomefigureandhearinghimtakeuphispretermittedwhistleashepassedout,begantothinkthatthecontingentdinnerwasbynomeansaninevitableprospect。
Howbeit,heplungedoncemoreintohismonotonousduties。ButthefreshnessofthedayseemedtohavedepartedwithJack,andthelaterinterruptionsofforemanandpublisherwereofamorepracticalcharacter。Itwasnotuntilthepostarrivedthatthesuperscriptionononeoftheletterscaughthiseye,andrevivedhisformerinterest。Itwasthesamehandasthatofhisunknowncontributor\'smanuscript——ill-formedandboyish。Heopenedtheenvelope。Itcontainedanotherpoemwiththesamesignature,butalsoanote——muchlongerthanthebrieflinesthataccompaniedthefirstcontribution——wasscrawleduponaseparatepieceofpaper。
Thistheeditoropenedfirst,andreadthefollowing,withanamazementthatforthemomentdominatedallothersense:——
MR。EDITOR,——Iseeyouhavegotmypoetryin。ButIdon\'tseethespondulixthatoughterfollow。Perhapsyoudon\'tknowwheretosendit。ThenI\'lltellyou。SendthemoneytoLockBox47,GreenSpringsP。O。,perWellsFargo\'sExpress,andI\'llgetitthere,onaccountofmyparentsnotknowing。We\'reveryhigh-toned,andtheywouldthinkit\'slowmakingpoetryforpapers。Sendamountusuallypaidforpoetryinyourpapers。OrmaybeyouthinkImakepoetryfornothing?That\'swhereyouslipup!
Yourstruly,WHITEVIOLET。
P。S——Ifyoudon\'tpayforpoetry,sendthisback。It\'sasgoodaswhatyoudidputin,andisjustashardtomake。Youhearme?
that\'sme——allthetime。
WHITEVIOLET。
Theeditorturnedquicklytothenewcontributionforsomecorroborationofwhathefeltmustbeanextraordinaryblunder。
Butno!Thefewlinesthathehurriedlyreadbreathedthesameatmosphereofintellectualrepose,gentleness,andimaginationasthefirstcontribution。Andyettheywereinthesamehandwritingasthesingularmissive,andbothwereidenticalwiththepreviousmanuscript。
Hadhebeenthevictimofahoax,andweretheversesnotoriginal?
No;theyweredistinctlyoriginal,localincolor,andevenlocalintheuseofcertainoldEnglishwordsthatwerecommonintheSouthwest。Hehadbeforenoticedtheapparentincongruityofthehandwritingandthetext,anditwaspossiblethatforthepurposesofdisguisethepoetmighthaveemployedanamanuensis。Buthowcouldhereconciletheincongruityofthemercenaryandslangypurportofthemissiveitselfwiththementalhabitofitsauthor?
Wasitpossiblethattheseinconsistentqualitiesexistedintheoneindividual?HesmiledgrimlyashethoughtofhisvisitorBowersandhisfriendJack。HewasstartledasherememberedthepurelyimaginativepicturehehadhimselfgiventotheseriouslyinterestedBowersofthepossibleincongruouspersonalityofthepoetess。
WashequitefairinkeepingthisfromJack?Wasitreallyhonorable,inviewoftheirwager?ItistobefearedthataveryhumanenjoymentofJack\'spossiblediscomfiturequiteasmuchasanychivalrousfriendshipimpelledtheeditortoringeventuallyfortheoffice-boy。
\"SeeifMr。Hamlinisinhisrooms。\"
Theeditorthensatdown,andwroterapidlyasfollows:——
DEARMADAM,——Youareasrightasyouaregenerousinsupposingthatonlyignoranceofyouraddresspreventedthemanagerfrompreviouslyremittingthehonorariumforyourbeautifulverses。Henowbegstosendittoyouinthemanneryouhaveindicated。Astheverseshaveattracteddeservedattention,Ihavebeenappliedtoforyouraddress。Shouldyoucaretosubmitittometobeusedatmydiscretion,Ishallfeelhonoredbyyourconfidence。Butthisisamatterleftentirelytoyourownkindnessandbetterjudgment。Meantime,Itakepleasureinaccepting\"WhiteViolet\'s\"
presentcontribution,andremain,dearmadam,yourobedientservant,THEEDITOR。
Theboyreturnedashewasfoldingtheletter。Mr。HamlinwasnotonlyNOTinhisrooms,but,accordingtohisnegroservantPete,hadlefttownanhouragoforafewdaysinthecountry。
\"Didhesaywhere?\"askedtheeditor,quickly。
\"No,sir:hedidn\'tknow。\"
\"Verywell。Takethistothemanager。\"Headdressedtheletter,and,scrawlingafewhieroglyphicsonamemorandum-tag,toreitoff,andhandeditwiththelettertotheboy。
Anhourlaterhestoodinthemanager\'soffice。\"Thenextnumberisprettywellmadeup,\"hesaid,carelessly,\"andIthinkoftakingadayortwooff。\"
\"Certainly,\"saidthemanager。\"Itwilldoyougood。Wheredoyouthinkyou\'llgo?\"
\"Ihaven\'tquitemadeupmymind。\"
CHAPTERII
\"Hullo!\"saidJackHamlin。
Hehadhaltedhismareattheedgeofanabruptchasm。Itdidnotappeartobefiftyfeetacross,yetitsdepthmusthavebeennearlytwohundredtowherethehiddenmountain-stream,ofwhichitwasthebanks,alternatelyslipped,tumbled,andfellwithmurmuringandmonotonousregularity。Oneortwopine-treesgrowingontheoppositeedge,loosenedattheroots,hadtiltedtheirstraightshaftslikespearsovertheabyss,andthetopofone,restingontheupperbranchesofasycamoreafewyardsfromhim,servedasanaerialbridgeforthepassageofaboyoffourteentowhomMr。
Hamlin\'schallengewasaddressed。
Theboystoppedmidwayinhisperiloustransit,and,lookingdownuponthehorseman,responded,coolly,\"Hullo,yourself!\"
\"Isthattheonlywayacrossthisinfernalhole,ortheoneyoupreferforexercise?\"continuedHamlin,gravely。
Theboysatdownonabough,allowinghisbarefeettodangleoverthedizzydepths,andcriticallyexaminedhisquestioner。Jackhadonthisoccasionmodifiedhisusualcorrectconventionalattirebyatastefulcombinationofavaquero\'scostume,and,inloosewhitebullion-fringedtrousers,redsash,jacket,andsombrero,lookedinfinitelymoredashingandpicturesquethanhisoriginal。
Nevertheless,theboydidnotreply。Mr。Hamlin\'sprideinhisusualascendencyoverwomen,children,horses,andallunreasoninganimalswasdeeplynettled。Hesmiled,however,andsaid,quietly,——
\"Comehere,GeorgeWashington。Iwanttotalktoyou。\"
Withoutrejectingthisaugustyetimpossibletitle,theboypresentlyliftedhisfeet,andcarelesslyresumedhispassageacrossthechasmuntil,reachingthesycamore,hebegantolethimselfdownsquirrel-wise,leapbyleap,withanoccasionaltrapezeswingingfromboughtobough,droppingatlasteasilytotheground。Hereheappearedtoberathergood-looking,albeitthesunandairhadworkedamiracleofbrowntanandfrecklesonhisexposedsurfaces,untilthemottlingofhisovalcheekslookedlikeapolishedbird\'segg。Indeed,itstruckMr。Hamlinthathewasasintenselyapartofthatsylvanseclusionasthehiddenbrookthatmurmured,thebrownvelvetshadowsthatlayliketrappingsonthewhiteflanksofhishorse,thequiveringheat,andthestingingspiceofbay。Mr。Hamlinhadvagueideasofdryadsandfauns,butatthatmomentwouldhavebetsomethingonthechancesoftheirsurvival。
\"Ididnothearwhatyousaidjustnow,general,\"heremarked,withgreateleganceofmanner,\"butIknowfromyourreputationthatitcouldnotbealie。IthereforegatherthatthereISanotherwayacross。\"
Theboysmiled;rather,hisveryshortupperlipapparentlyvanishedcompletelyoverhiswhiteteeth,andhisveryblackeyes,whichshowedagreatdealofthewhitearoundthem,dancedintheirorbits。
\"ButYOUcouldn\'tfindit,\"hesaid,slyly。
\"Nomorecouldyoufindthehalf-dollarIdroppedjustnow,unlessIhelpedyou。\"
Mr。Hamlin,bywayofillustration,leaneddeeplyoverhisleftstirrup,andpointedtotheground。Atthesamemomentabrighthalf-dollarabsolutelyappearedtoglitterintheherbageatthepointofhisfinger。Itwasatrickthathadalwaysbroughtgreatpleasureandprofittohisyoungfriends,andsomelossanddiscomfitureofwagertohisolderones。
Theboypickedupthecoin:\"There\'sadipandalevelcrossingaboutamileoveryer,\"——hepointed,——\"butit\'sthroughthewoods,andthey\'rethathighwiththickbresh。\"
\"Withwhat?\"
\"Bresh,\"repeatedtheboy;\"THAT,\"——pointingtoafewfrondsofbrackengrowingintheshadowofthesycamore。
\"Oh!underbrush?\"
\"Yes;Isaid\'bresh,\'\"returnedtheboy,doggedly。\"YOUmightgetthrough,efyouwarspry,butnotyourhoss。Wheredoyouwanttogo,anyway?\"
\"Doyouknow,George,\"saidMr。Hamlin,lazilythrowinghisrightlegoverthehornofhissaddleforgreatereaseanddeliberationinreplying,\"it\'sveryodd,butthat\'sjustwhatI\'Dliketoknow。
Now,whatwouldYOU,inyourbroadstatesmanlikeviewsofthingsgenerally,advise?\"
Quiteconvincedofthestranger\'smentalunsoundness,theboyglancedagainathishalf-dollar,asiftomakesureofitsintegrity,pocketeditdoubtfully,andturnedaway。
\"Whereareyougoing?\"saidHamlin,resuminghisseatwiththeagilityofacircus-rider,andspurringforward。
\"ToGreenSprings,whereIlive,twomilesovertheridgeonthefarslope,\"——indicatingthedirection。