Foratimeneitherthemannorthewomancouldspeak。Therewasnothingintheirhumdrum,habit-smoothedtillingofthesoilandwashingofpotsandpanstopreparethemforascenelikethis——amoonlitbarn,astrangedeadman,andthatdeadman’ssonbabblingofbrooksandsquirrels,andplayingjigsonafiddleforadirge。Atlast,however,Simeonfoundhisvoice。
\"Boy,boy,stopthat!\"hethundered。\"Areyoumad——cleanmad?Gointothehouse,Isay!\"Andtheboy,dazedbutobedient,putuphisviolin,andfollowedthewoman,who,withtear-blindedeyes,wasleadingthewaydownthestairs。
Mrs。Hollywasfrightened,butshewasalsostrangelymoved。Fromthelongagothesoundofanotherviolinhadcometoher——aviolin,too,playedbyaboy’shands。Butofthis,allthis,Mrs。
Hollydidnotliketothink。
Inthekitchennowsheturnedandfacedheryoungguest。
\"Areyouhungry,littleboy?\"
Davidhesitated;hehadnotforgottenthewoman,themilk,andthegold-piece。
\"Areyouhungry——dear?\"stammeredMrs。Hollyagain;andthistimeDavid’sclamorousstomachforceda\"yes\"fromhisunwillinglips;
whichsentMrs。Hollyatonceintothepantryforbreadandmilkandaheaped-upplateofdoughnutssuchasDavidhadneverseenbefore。
LikeanyhungryboyDavidatehissupper;andMrs。Holly,inthefaceofthisveryordinarysightofhungerbeingappeasedathertable,breathedmorefreely,andventuredtothinkthatperhapsthisstrangelittleboywasnotsoverystrange,afterall。
\"Whatisyourname?\"shefoundcouragetoaskthen。
\"David。\"
\"Davidwhat?\"
\"JustDavid。\"
\"Butyourfather’sname?\"Mrs。Hollyhadalmostasked,butstoppedintime。Shedidnotwanttospeakofhim。\"Wheredoyoulive?\"sheaskedinstead。
\"Onthemountain,’wayup,uponthemountainwhereIcanseemySilverLakeeveryday,youknow。\"
\"Butyoudidn’tlivetherealone?\"
\"Oh,no;withfather——beforehe——wentaway\"falteredtheboy。
Thewomanflushedredandbitherlip。
\"No,no,Imean——weretherenootherhousesbutyours?\"shestammered。
\"No,ma’am。\"
\"But,wasn’tyourmother——anywhere?\"
\"Oh,yes,infather’spocket。\"
\"YourMOTHER——inyourfather’sPOCKET!\"
SoplainlyaghastwasthequestionerthatDavidlookednotalittlesurprisedasheexplained。
\"Youdon’tunderstand。Sheisanangel-mother,andangel-mothersdon’thaveanythingonlytheirpicturesdownherewithus。Andthat’swhatwehave,andfatheralwayscarrieditinhispocket。\"
\"Oh————h,\"murmuredMrs。Holly,aquickmistinhereyes。Then,gently:\"Anddidyoualwayslivethere——onthemountain?\"
\"Sixyears,fathersaid。\"
\"Butwhatdidyoudoallday?Weren’tyouever——lonesome?\"
\"Lonesome?\"Theboy’seyeswerepuzzled。
\"Yes。Didn’tyoumissthings——people,otherhouses,boysofyourownage,and——andsuchthings?\"
David’seyeswidened。
\"Why,howcouldI?\"hecried。\"WhenIhaddaddy,andmyviolin,andmySilverLake,andthewholeofthegreatbigwoodswitheverythinginthemtotalkto,andtotalktome?\"
\"Woods,andthingsinthemto——toTALKtoyou!\"
\"Why,yes。Itwasthelittlebrook,youknow,afterthesquirrel,thattoldmeaboutbeingdead,and——\"
\"Yes,yes;butnevermind,dear,now,\"stammeredthewoman,risinghurriedlytoherfeet——theboywasalittlewild,afterall,shethought。\"You——youshouldgotobed。Haven’tyoua——abag,or——oranything?\"
\"No,ma’am;weleftit,\"smiledDavidapologetically。\"Yousee,wehadsomuchinitthatitgottooheavytocarry。Sowedidn’tbringit。\"
\"Somuchinityoudidn’tbringit,indeed!\"repeatedMrs。
Holly,underherbreath,throwingupherhandswithagestureofdespair。\"Boy,whatareyou,anyway?\"
Itwasnotmeantforaquestion,but,tothewoman’ssurprise,theboyanswered,frankly,simply:——
\"FathersaysthatI’monelittleinstrumentinthegreatOrchestraofLife,andthatImustseetoitthatI’malwaysintune,anddon’tdragorhitfalsenotes。\"
\"Myland!\"breathedthewoman,droppingbackinherchair,hereyesfixedontheboy。Then,withaneffort,shegottoherfeet。
\"Come,youmustgotobed,\"shestammered。\"I’msurebedis——isthebestplaceyou。IthinkIcanfindwhat——whatyouneed,\"shefinishedfeebly。
Inasnuglittleroomoverthekitchensomeminuteslater,Davidfoundhimselfatlastalone。Theroom,thoughithadoncebelongedtoaboyofhisownage,lookedverystrangetoDavid。
Onthefloorwasarag-carpetrug,thefirsthehadeverseen。Onthewallswereafishing-rod,atoyshotgun,andacasefullofbugsandmoths,eachlittlebodyimpaledonapin,toDavid’sshudderinghorror。Thebedhadfourtallpostsatthecorners,andaverypuffytopthatfilledDavidwithwonderastohowhewastoreachit,orstaythereifhedidgainit。Acrossachairlayaboy’slongyellow-whitenightshirtthatthekindladyhadleft,afterhurriedlywipinghereyeswiththeedgeofitshem。
InallthecircleofthecandlelighttherewasjustonefamiliarobjecttoDavid’shomesickeyes——thelongblackviolincasewhichhehadbroughtinhimself,andwhichheldhisbelovedviolin。
Withhisbackcarefullyturnedtowardtheimpaledbugsandmothsonthewall,Davidundressedhimselfandslippedintotheyellow-whitenightshirt,whichhesniffedatgratefully,solikepinewoodswastheperfumethathungaboutitsfolds。Thenheblewoutthecandleandgropedhiswaytotheonewindowthelittleroomcontained。
Themoonstillshone,butlittlecouldbeseenthroughthethickgreenbranchesofthetreeoutside。Fromtheyardbelowcamethesoundofwheels,andofmen’sexcitedvoices。Therecamealsothetwinkleoflanternsbornebyhurryinghands,andthetrampofshufflingfeet。InthewindowDavidshivered。Therewerenowidesweepofmountain,hill,andvalley,noSilverLake,norestfulhush,nodaddy,——nobeautifulThingsthatWere。Therewasonlythedreary,hollowmockeryoftheThingstheyhadBecome。
Longminuteslater,David,withtheviolininhisarms,laydownupontherug,and,forthefirsttimesincebabyhood,sobbedhimselftosleep——butitwasasleepthatbroughtnorest;forinithedreamedthathewasabig,white-wingedmothpinnedwithastartoanink-blacksky。
CHAPTERIV
TWOLETTERS
IntheearlygraydawnDavidawoke。Hisfirstsensationwasthephysicalnumbnessandstiffnessthatcamefromhishardbedonthefloor。
\"Why,daddy,\"hebegan,pullinghimselfhalf-erect,\"Isleptallnighton——\"Hestoppedsuddenly,brushinghiseyeswiththebacksofhishands。\"Why,daddy,where——\"Thenfullconsciousnesscametohim。
Withalowcryhesprangtohisfeetandrantothewindow。
Throughthetreeshecouldseethesunriseglowoftheeasternsky。Downintheyardnoonewasinsight;butthebarndoorwasopen,and,withaquickindrawingofhisbreath,Davidturnedbackintotheroomandbegantothrusthimselfintohisclothing。
Thegoldinhissaggingpocketsclinkedandjingledmusically;
andoncehalfadozenpiecesrolledoutuponthefloor。Foramomenttheboylookedasifheweregoingtoletthemremainwheretheywere。Butthenextminute,withanimpatientgesture,hehadpickedthemupandthrustthemdeepintooneofhispockets,silencingtheirjinglingwithhishandkerchief。
Oncedressed,Davidpickeduphisviolinandsteppedsoftlyintothehall。Atfirstnosoundreachedhisears;thenfromthekitchenbelowcametheclatterofbriskfeetandtherattleoftinsandcrockery。Tighteninghisclaspontheviolin,Davidslippedquietlydownthebackstairsandouttotheyard。Itwasonlyafewsecondsthenbeforehewashurryingthroughtheopendoorwayofthebarnandupthenarrowstairwaytotheloftabove。
Atthetop,however,hecametoasharppause,withalowcry。
Thenextmomentheturnedtoseeakindly-facedmanlookingupathimfromthefootofthestairs。
\"Oh,sir,please——please,whereishe?Whathaveyoudonewithhim?\"appealedtheboy,almostplungingheadlongdownthestairsinhishastetoreachthebottom。
Intotheman’sweather-beatenfacecamealookofsincerebutawkwardsympathy。
\"Oh,hullo,sonny!Soyou’retheboy,areye?\"hebegandiffidently。
\"Yes,yes,I’mDavid。Butwhereishe——myfather,youknow?I
meanthe——theparthe——heleftbehindhim?\"chokedtheboy。\"Thepartlike——theice-coat?\"
Themanstared。Then,involuntarily,hebegantobackaway。
\"Well,yesee,I——I——\"
\"But,maybeyoudon’tknow,\"interruptedDavidfeverishly。\"Youaren’tthemanIsawlastnight。Whoareyou?Whereishe——theotherone,please?\"
\"No,I——Iwa’n’there——thatis,notatthefirst,\"spokeupthemanquickly,stillunconsciouslybackingaway。\"Me——I’monlyLarson,PerryLarson,yeknow。’TwasMr。Hollyyouseelastnight——himthatIworksfor。\"
\"Then,whereisMr。Holly,please?\"falteredtheboy,hurryingtowardthebarndoor。\"Maybehewouldknow——aboutfather。Oh,thereheis!\"AndDavidranoutofthebarnandacrosstheyardtothekitchenporch。
ItwasanunhappytenminutesthatDavidspentthen。BesidesMr。
Holly,therewereMrs。Holly,andtheman,PerryLarson。Andtheyalltalked。ButlittleofwhattheysaidcouldDavidunderstand。
Tononeofhisquestionscouldheobtainananswerthatsatisfied。
Neither,onhispart,couldheseemtoreplytotheirquestionsinawaythatpleasedthem。
Theywentintobreakfastthen,Mr。andMrs。Holly,andtheman,PerryLarson。TheyaskedDavidtogo——atleast,Mrs。Hollyaskedhim。ButDavidshookhisheadandsaid\"No,no,thankyouverymuch;I’drathernot,ifyouplease——notnow。\"Thenhedroppedhimselfdownonthestepstothink。AsifhecouldEAT——withthatgreatchokinglumpinhisthroatthatrefusedtobeswallowed!
Davidwasthoroughlydazed,frightened,anddismayed。Heknewnowthatneveragaininthisworldwouldheseehisdearfather,orhearhimspeak。Thismuchhadbeenmadeverycleartohimduringthelasttenminutes。Whythisshouldbeso,orwhathisfatherwouldwanthimtodo,hecouldnotseemtofindout。Notuntilnowhadherealizedatallwhatthisgoingawayofhisfatherwastomeantohim。Andhetoldhimselffranticallythathecouldnothaveitso。HECOULDNOTHAVEITSO!Butevenashesaidthewords,heknewthatitwasso——irrevocablyso。
Davidbeganthentolongforhismountainhome。Thereatleasthewouldhavehisdearforestallabouthim,withthebirdsandthesquirrelsandthefriendlylittlebrooks。TherehewouldhavehisSilverLaketolookat,too,andallofthemwouldspeaktohimofhisfather。Hebelieved,indeed,thatupthereitwouldalmostseemasifhisfatherwerereallywithhim。And,anyway,ifhisfatherevershouldcomeback,itwouldbetherethathewouldbesuretoseekhim——upthereinthelittlemountainhomesodeartothemboth。Backtothecabinhewouldgonow,then。
Yes;indeedhewould!
Withalowwordandapassionatelyintentexpression,Davidgottohisfeet,pickeduphisviolin,andhurried,firm-footed,downthedrivewayandoutuponthemainhighway,turninginthedirectionfromwhencehehadcomewithhisfatherthenightbefore。
TheHollyshadjustfinishedbreakfastwhenHiggins,thecoroner,droveintotheyardaccompaniedbyWilliamStreeter,thetown’smostprominentfarmer,——andthemostmiserlyone,ifreportwastobecredited。
\"Well,couldyougetanythingoutoftheboy?\"demandedHiggins,withoutceremony,asSimeonHollyandLarsonappearedonthekitchenporch。
\"Verylittle。Reallynothingofimportance,\"answeredSimeonHolly。
\"Whereishenow?\"
\"Why,hewashereonthestepsafewminutesago。\"SimeonHollylookedabouthimabitimpatiently。
\"Well,Iwanttoseehim。I’vegotaletterforhim。\"
\"Aletter!\"exclaimedSimeonHollyandLarsoninamazedunison。
\"Yes。Founditinhisfather’spocket,\"noddedthecoroner,withallthetantalizingbrevityofamanwhoknowshehasachoicemorselofinformationthatiseagerlyawaited。\"It’saddressedto’MyboyDavid,’soIcalculatedwe’dbettergiveittohimfirstwithoutreadingit,seeingit’shis。Afterhereadsit,though,I
wanttoseeit。Iwanttoseeifwhatitsaysisanynearerbeinghorse-sensethantheotheroneis。\"
\"Theotherone!\"exclaimedtheamazedchorusagain。
\"Oh,yes,there’sanotherone,\"spokeupWilliamStreetertersely。\"AndI’vereadit——allbutthescrawlattheend。Therecouldn’tanybodyreadthat!\"Higginslaughed。
\"Well,I’mfreetoconfess’tisasticker——thatname,\"headmitted。\"Andit’sthenamewewant,ofcourse,totelluswhotheyare——sinceitseemstheboydon’tknow,fromwhatyousaidlastnight。Iwasinhopes,bythismorning,you’dhavefoundoutmorefromhim。\"
SimeonHollyshookhishead。
\"’Twasimpossible。\"
\"Gosh!Ishouldsay’twas,\"cutinPerryLarson,withemphasis。
\"An’queerain’tnonameforit。Oneminutehe’dbetalkin’goodcommonsenselikeanybody:an’thenexthe’dbechatterin’ofcoatsmadeo’ice,an’birdsan’squirrelsan’babblingbrooks。
Hesureisdippy!Listen。Heactuallydon’tseemterknowthediff’rencebetweenhimselfan’hisfiddle。Wewastryin’terfindoutthismornin’whathecoulddo,an’whathewantedterdo,whenifhedidn’tupan’saythathisfathertoldhimitdidn’tmakesomuchdiff’renceWHAThedidsolongashekepthisselfintunean’didn’tstrikefalsenotes。Now,whatdoyerthinko’
that?\"
\"Yes,I,know\"noddedHigginsmusingly。\"ThereWASsomethingqueeraboutthem,andtheyweren’tjustordinarytramps。DidI
tellyou?IovertookthemlastnightawayupontheFairbanksroadbytheTaylorplace,andIgave’emalift。Iparticularlynoticedwhatadecentsorttheywere。Theywerecleanandquiet-spoken,andtheirclothesweregood,eveniftheywererough。Yettheydidn’thaveanybaggagebutthemfiddles。\"
\"Butwhatwasthatsecondletteryoumentioned?\"askedSimeonHolly。
Higginssmiledoddly,andreachedintohispocket。
\"Theletter?Oh,you’rewelcometoreadtheletter,\"hesaid,ashehandedoverabitoffoldedpaper。
Simeontookitgingerlyandexaminedit。
Itwasaleaftornapparentlyfromanotebook。Itwasfoldedthreetimes,andboreontheoutsidethesuperscription\"Towhomitmayconcern。\"Thehandwritingwaspeculiar,irregular,andnotverylegible。Butasnearasitcouldbedeciphered,thenoteranthus:——
NowthatthetimehascomewhenImustgiveDavidbacktotheworld,Ihavesetoutforthatpurpose。
ButIamill——veryill,andshouldDeathhaveswifterfeetthanI,Imustleavemytaskforotherstocomplete。Dealgentlywithhim。Heknowsonlythatwhichisgoodandbeautiful。Heknowsnothingofsinnorevil。
Thenfollowedthesignature——athingofscrawlsandflourishesthatconveyednosortofmeaningtoSimeonHolly’spuzzledeyes。
\"Well?\"promptedHigginsexpectantly。
SimeonHollyshookhishead。
\"Icanmakelittleofit。Itcertainlyisamostremarkablenote。\"
\"Couldyoureadthename?\"
\"No。\"
\"Well,Icouldn’t。Neithercouldhalfadozenothersthat’sseenit。Butwhere’stheboy?Mebbehisnote’lltalksense。\"
\"I’llgofindhim,\"volunteeredLarson。\"Hemustbesomewheres’round。\"
ButDavidwasveryevidentlynot\"somewheres’round。\"Atleasthewasnotinthebarn,theshed,thekitchenbedroom,noranywhereelsethatLarsonlooked;andthemanwasjustcomingbackwithacrestfallen,perplexedfrown,whenMrs。Hollyhurriedoutontotheporch。
\"Mr。Higgins,\"shecried,inobviousexcitement,\"yourwifehasjusttelephonedthathersisterMolliehasjusttelephonedHER
thatthatlittletrampboywiththeviolinisatherhouse。\"
\"AtMollie’s!\"exclaimedHiggins。\"Why,that’samileormorefromhere。\"
\"Sothat’swhereheis!\"interposedLarson,hurryingforward。
\"Doggonethelittlerascal!Hemust’a’slippedawaywhilewewaseatinbreakfast。\"
\"Yes。But,Simeon,——Mr。Higgins,——wehadn’toughttolethimgolikethat,\"appealedMrs。Hollytremulously。\"YourwifesaidMolliesaidshefoundhimcryingatthecrossroads,becausehedidn’tknowwhichwaytotake。Hesaidhewasgoingbackhome。
Hemeanstothatwretchedcabinonthemountain,youknow;andwecan’tlethimdothatalone——achildlikethat!\"
\"Whereishenow?\"demandedHiggins。
\"InMollie’skitcheneatingbreadandmilk;butshesaidshehadanawfultimegettinghimtoeat。Andshewantstoknowwhattodowithhim。That’swhyshetelephonedyourwife。Shethoughtyououghttoknowhewasthere。\"
\"Yes,ofcourse。Well,tellhertotellhimtocomeback。\"
\"Molliesaidshetriedtohavehimcomeback,butthathesaid,no,thankyou,he’drathernot。Hewasgoinghomewherehisfathercouldfindhimifheshouldeverwanthim。Mr。Higgins,we——weCAN’Tlethimgoofflikethat。Why,thechildwoulddieuptherealoneinthosedreadfulwoods,evenifhecouldgetthereinthefirstplace——whichIverymuchdoubt。\"
\"Yes,ofcourse,ofcourse,\"mutteredHiggins,withathoughtfulfrown。\"There’shisletter,too。Say!\"headded,brightening,\"what’llyoubetthatletterwon’tfetchhim?Heseemstothinktheworldandallofhisdaddy。Here,\"hedirected,turningtoMrs。Holly,\"youtellmywifetotell——betteryet,youtelephoneMollieyourself,please,andtellhertotelltheboywe’vegotaletterhereforhimfromhisfather,andhecanhaveitifhe’llcomeback。\"。
\"Iwill,Iwill,\"calledMrs。Holly,overhershoulder,asshehurriedintothehouse。Inanunbelievablyshorttimeshewasback,herfacebeaming。
\"He’sstarted,sosoon,\"shenodded。\"He’scrazywithjoy,Molliesaid。Heevenleftpartofhisbreakfast,hewasinsuchahurry。
SoIguesswe’llseehimallright。\"
\"Oh,yes,we’llseehimallright,\"echoedSimeonHollygrimly。
\"Butthatisn’ttellingwhatwe’lldowithhimwhenwedoseehim。\"
\"Oh,well,maybethisletterofhiswillhelpusoutonthat,\"
suggestedHigginssoothingly。\"Anyhow,evenifitdoesn’t,I’mnotworryingany。Iguesssomeonewillwanthim——agoodhealthyboylikethat。\"
\"Didyoufindanymoneyonthebody?\"askedStreeter。
\"Alittlechange——afewcents。Nothingtocount。Iftheboy’sletterdoesn’ttelluswhereanyoftheirfolksare,it’llbeuptothetowntoburyhimallright。\"
\"Hehadafiddle,didn’the?Andtheboyhadone,too。Wouldn’ttheybringanything?\"Streeter’sroundblueeyesgleamedshrewdly。
Higginsgaveaslowshakeofhishead。
\"Maybe——iftherewasamarketfor’em。Butwho’dbuy’em?Thereain’tasoulintownplaysbutJackGurnsey;andhe’sgotone。
Besides,he’ssick,andgotallhecandotobuybreadandbutterforhimandhissisterwithouttakinginmorefiddles,Iguess。
HEwouldn’tbuy’em。\"
\"Hm——m;maybenot,maybenot,\"gruntedStreeter。\"An’,asyousay,he’stheonlyonethat’sgotanyusefor’emhere;an’likeenoughtheyain’tworthmuch,anyway。SoIguess’tisuptothetownallright。\"
\"Yes;but——ifyer’lltakeitfromme,\"——interruptedLarson,——\"you’llbewiseifyekeepstillbeforetheboy。It’snouseASKIN’himanythin’。We’veprovedthatfastenough。An’ifheonceturns’roundan’beginsteraskYOUquestions,yerdonefor!\"
\"Iguessyou’reright,\"noddedHiggins,withaquizzicalsmile。
\"AndaslongasquestioningCAN’Tdoanygood,why,we’lljustkeepwhistbeforetheboy。MeanwhileIwishthelittlerascalwouldhurryupandgethere。IwanttoseetheinsideofthatlettertoHIM。I’mrelyingonthatbeingsomehelptounsnarlthistangleoftellingwhotheyare。\"
\"Well,he’sstarted,\"reiteratedMrs。Holly,assheturnedbackintothehouse;\"soIguesshe’llgethereifyouwaitlongenough。\"
\"Oh,yes,he’llgethereifwewaitlongenough,\"echoedSimeonHollyagain,crustily。
Thetwomeninthewagonsettledthemselvesmorecomfortablyintheirseats,andPerryLarson,afterahalf-uneasy,half-apologeticglanceathisemployer,droppedhimselfontothebottomstep。SimeonHollyhadalreadysatdownstifflyinoneoftheporchchairs。SimeonHollynever\"droppedhimself\"anywhere。
Indeed,accordingtoPerryLarson,iftherewereahardwaytodoathing,SimeonHollyfoundit——anddidit。Thefactthat,thismorning,hehadallowed,andwasstillallowing,thesacredroutineoftheday’sworktobethusinterrupted,fornothingmoreimportantthantheexpectedarrivalofastrollingurchin,wassomethingLarsonwouldnothavebelievedhadhenotseenit。
Evennowhewasconsciousonceortwiceofaninvoluntarydesiretorubhiseyestomakesuretheywerenotdeceivinghim。
ImpatientasthewaitingmenwereforthearrivalofDavid,theywereyetalmostsurprised,sosoondidheappear,runningupthedriveway。
\"Oh,whereisit,please?\"hepanted。\"Theysaidyouhadaletterformefromdaddy!\"
\"You’reright,sonny;wehave。Andhereitis,\"answeredHigginspromptly,holdingoutthefoldedpaper。
Plainlyeagerashewas,Daviddidnotopenthenotetillhehadfirstcarefullysetdownthecaseholdinghisviolin;thenhedevoureditwitheagereyes。
Asheread,thefourmenwatchedhisface。Theysawfirstthequicktearsthathadtobeblinkedaway。Thentheysawtheradiantglowthatgrewanddeepeneduntilthewholeboyishfacewasaflamewiththesplendorofit。Theysawtheshiningwonderofhiseyes,too,ashelookedupfromtheletter。
\"Anddaddywrotethistomefromthefarcountry?\"hebreathed。
SimeonHollyscowled。Larsonchokedoverastifledchuckle。
WilliamStreeterstaredandshruggedhisshoulders;butHigginsflushedadullred。
\"No,sonny,\"hestammered。\"Wefounditonthe——er——Imean,it——er——yourfatherleftitinhispocketforyou,\"finishedtheman,alittleexplosively。
Aswiftshadowcrossedtheboy’sface。
\"Oh,IhopedI’dheard——\"hebegan。Thensuddenlyhestopped,hisfaceoncemorealight。\"Butit’s’mostthesameasifhewroteitfromthere,isn’tit?Heleftitforme,andhetoldmewhattodo。\"
\"What’sthat,what’sthat?\"criedHiggins,instantlyalert。\"DID
hetellyouwhattodo?Then,let’shaveit,soWE’LLknow。Youwillletusreadit,won’tyou,boy?\"
\"Why,y——yes,\"stammeredDavid,holdingitoutpolitely,butwithevidentreluctance。
\"Thankyou,\"noddedHiggins,ashereachedforthenote。
David’sletterwasverydifferentfromtheotherone。Itwaslonger,butitdidnothelpmuch,thoughitwaseasilyread。Inhisletter,inspiteofthewaveringlines,eachwordwasformedwithacarethattoldofafather’sthoughtfortheyoungeyesthatwouldreadit。Itwaswrittenontwoofthenotebook’sleaves,andattheendcamethesingleword\"Daddy。\"
David,myboy[readHigginsaloud],inthefarcountryIamwaitingforyou。Donotgrieve,forthatwillgrieveme。Ishallnotreturn,butsomedayyouwillcometome,yourviolinatyourchin,andthebowdrawnacrossthestringstogreetme。Seethatittellsmeofthebeautifulworldyouhaveleft——foritisabeautifulworld,David;neverforgetthat。Andifsometimeyouaretemptedtothinkitisnotabeautifulworld,justrememberthatyouyourselfcanmakeitbeautifulifyouwill。
Youareamongnewfaces,surroundedbythingsandpeoplethatarestrangetoyou。Someofthemyouwillnotunderstand;someofthemyoumaynotlike。Butdonotfear,David,anddonotpleadtogobacktothehills。Rememberthis,myboy,——inyourviolinlieallthethingsyoulongfor。Youhaveonlytoplay,andthebroadskiesofyourmountainhomewillbeoveryou,andthedearfriendsandcomradesofyourmountainforestswillbeaboutyou。
DADDY。
\"Gorry!that’sworsethantheother,\"groanedHiggins,whenhehadfinishedthenote。\"There’sactuallynothinginit!Wouldn’tyouthink——ifamanwroteanythingatsuchatime——thathe’d’a’
wrotesomethingthathadsomesensetoit——somethingthatonecouldgetholdof,andfindoutwhotheboyis?\"
Therewasnoansweringthis。Theassembledmencouldonlygruntandnodinagreement,which,afterall,wasnorealhelp。
CHAPTERV
DISCORDS
ThedeadmanfoundinFarmerHolly’sbarncreatedadecidedstirinthevillageofHinsdale。Thecasewasapeculiaroneformanyreasons。First,becauseoftheboy——Hinsdalesupposeditknewboys,butitfeltinclinedtochangeitsmindafterseeingthisone。Second,becauseofthecircumstances。Theboyandhisfatherhadenteredthetownliketramps,yetHiggins,whotalkedfreelyofhishavinggiventhepaira\"lift\"onthatveryevening,didnothesitatetodeclarethathedidnotbelievethemtobeordinarytrampsatall。
Astherehadbeenlittlefoundinthedeadman’spockets,savethetwonotes,andasnobodycouldbefoundwhowantedtheviolins,thereseemedtobenothingtodobuttoturnthebodyovertothetownforburial。NothingwassaidofthistoDavid;
indeed,aslittleaspossiblewassaidtoDavidaboutanythingafterthatmorningwhenHigginshadgivenhimhisfather’sletter。Atthattimethemenhadmadeonemoreeffortto\"gettrackofSOMETHING,\"asHigginshaddespairinglyputit。Buttheboy’sanswerstotheirquestionswereanythingbutsatisfying,anythingbuthelpful,andwereoftenmostdisconcerting。Theboywas,infact,regardedbymostofthemen,afterthatmorning,asbeing\"alittleoff\";andwashenceletseverelyalone。
Whothemanwasthetownauthoritiescertainlydidnotknow,neithercouldtheyapparentlyfindout。Hisname,aswrittenbyhimself,wasunreadable。Hisnotestoldnothing;hissoncouldtelllittlemore——ofconsequence。Areport,tobesure,didcomefromthevillage,farupthemountain,thatsuchamanandboyhadlivedinahutthatwasalmostinaccessible;buteventhisdidnothelpsolvethemystery。
DavidwasleftattheHollyfarmhouse,thoughSimeonHollymentallydeclaredthatheshouldlosenotimeinlookingaboutforsomeonetotaketheboyaway。
OnthatfirstdayHiggins,pickingupthereinspreparatorytodrivingfromtheyard,hadsaid,withanodofhisheadtowardDavid:——
\"Well,howaboutit,Holly?Shallweleavehimheretillwefindsomebodythatwantshim?\"
\"Why,y——yes,Isupposeso,\"hesitatedSimeonHolly,withuncordialaccent。
Buthiswife,hoveringinthebackground,hastenedforwardatonce。
\"Oh,yes;yes,indeed,\"sheurged。\"I’msurehe——hewon’tbeamiteoftrouble,Simeon。\"
\"Perhapsnot,\"concededSimeonHollydarkly。\"Neither,itissafetosay,willhebeanythingelse——worthanything。\"
\"That’sitexactly,\"spokeupStreeter,fromhisseatinthewagon。\"IfIthoughthe’dbeworthhissalt,now,I’dtakehimmyself;but——well,lookathimthisminute,\"hefinished,withadisdainfulshrug。
David,ontheloweststep,wasveryevidentlynothearingawordofwhatwasbeingsaid。Withhissensitivefaceillumined,hewasagainporingoverhisfather’sletter。
Somethinginthesuddenquietcutthroughhisabsorptionasthenoisyhumofvoiceshadnotbeenabletodo,andheraisedhishead。Hiseyeswerestarlike。
\"I’msogladfathertoldmewhattodo,\"hebreathed。\"It’llbeeasiernow。\"
Receivingnoanswerfromthesomewhatawkwardlysilentmen,hewenton,asifinexplanation:——
\"Youknowhe’swaitingforme——inthefarcountry,Imean。Hesaidhewas。Andwhenyou’vegotsomebodywaiting,youdon’tmindstayingbehindyourselfforalittlewhile。Besides,I’veGOTtostaytofindoutaboutthebeautifulworld,youknow,soIcantellhim,when_I_go。That’sthewayIusedtodobackhomeonthemountain,yousee,——tellhimaboutthings。Lotsofdayswe’dgotowalk;then,whenwegothome,he’dhavemetellhim,withmyviolin,whatI’dseen。AndnowhesaysI’mtostayhere。\"
\"Here!\"Itwasthequick,sternvoiceofSimeonHolly。
\"Yes,\"noddedDavidearnestly;\"tolearnaboutthebeautifulworld。Don’tyouremember?AndhesaidIwasnottowanttogobacktomymountains;thatIwouldnotneedto,anyway,becausethemountains,andthesky,andthebirdsandsquirrelsandbrooksarereallyinmyviolin,youknow。And——\"ButwithanangryfrownSimeonHollystalkedaway,motioningLarsontofollowhim;andwithamerryglanceandalowchuckleHigginsturnedhishorseaboutanddrovefromtheyard。AmomentlaterDavidfoundhimselfalonewithMrs。Holly,whowaslookingathimwithwistful,thoughslightlyfearfuleyes。
\"Didyouhaveallthebreakfastyouwanted?\"sheaskedtimidly,resorting,asshehadresortedthenightbefore,totheeverydaythingsofherworldinthehopethattheymightmakethisstrangelittleboyseemlesswild,andmorenearlyhuman。
\"Oh,yes,thankyou。\"David’seyeshadstrayedbacktothenoteinhishand。Suddenlyhelookedup,anewsomethinginhiseyes。
\"Whatisittobea——atramp?\"heasked。\"ThosemensaiddaddyandIweretramps。\"
\"Atramp?Oh——er——why,justa——atramp,\"stammeredMrs。Holly。
\"Butnevermindthat,David。I——Iwouldn’tthinkanymoreaboutit。\"
\"Butwhatisatramp?\"persistedDavid,asmoulderingfirebeginningtoshowinhiseyes。\"BecauseiftheymeantTHIEVES——\"
\"No,no,David,\"interruptedMrs。Hollysoothingly。\"Theynevermeantthievesatall。\"
\"Then,whatisittobeatramp?\"
\"Why,it’sjustto——totramp,\"explainedMrs。Hollydesperately;——\"walkalongtheroadfromonetowntoanother,and——andnotliveinahouseatall。\"
\"Oh!\"David’sfacecleared。\"That’sallright,then。I’dlovetobeatramp,andso’dfather。Andweweretramps,sometimes,too,’causelotsoftimes,inthesummer,wedidn’tstayinthecabinhardlyany——justlivedoutofdoorsalldayandallnight。Why,I
neverknewreallywhatthepinetreesweresayingtillIheardthematnight,lyingunderthem。YouknowwhatImean。You’veheardthem,haven’tyou?\"
\"Atnight?Pinetrees?\"stammeredMrs。Hollyhelplessly。
\"Yes。Oh,haven’tyoueverheardthematnight?\"criedtheboy,inhisvoiceaverygenuinesympathyasforagrievousloss。
\"Why,then,ifyou’veonlyheardthemdaytimes,youdon’tknowabitwhatpinetreesreallyare。ButIcantellyou。Listen!Thisiswhattheysay,\"finishedtheboy,whippinghisviolinfromitscase,and,afteraswifttestingofthestrings,plungingintoaweird,hauntinglittlemelody。
Inthedoorway,Mrs。Holly,bewildered,yetbewitched,stoodmotionless,hereyeshalf-fearfully,half-longinglyfixedonDavid’sglorifiedface。ShewasstillinthesamepositionwhenSimeonHollycamearoundthecornerofthehouse。
\"Well,Ellen,\"hebegan,withquietscorn,afteramoment’ssternwatchingofthescenebeforehim,\"haveyounothingbettertodothismorningthantolistentothisminstrelfellow?\"
\"Oh,Simeon!Why,yes,ofcourse。I——Iforgot——whatIwasdoing,\"
falteredMrs。Holly,flushingguiltilyfromnecktobrowassheturnedandhurriedintothehouse。
David,ontheporchsteps,seemedtohaveheardnothing。Hewasstillplaying,hisraptgazeonthedistantsky-line,whenSimeonHollyturneduponhimwithdisapprovingeyes。
\"Seehere,boy,can’tyoudoanythingbutfiddle?\"hedemanded。
Then,asDavidstillcontinuedtoplay,headdedsharply:\"Didn’tyouhearme,boy?\"
Themusicstoppedabruptly。Davidlookedupwiththeslightlydazedairofonewhohasbeensummonedasfromanotherworld。
\"Didyouspeaktome,sir?\"heasked。
\"Idid——twice。Iaskedifyouneverdidanythingbutplaythatfiddle。\"
\"Youmeanathome?\"David’sfaceexpressedmildwonderwithoutatraceofangerorresentment。\"Why,yes,ofcourse。Icouldn’tplayALLthetime,youknow。Ihadtoeatandsleepandstudymybooks;andeverydaywewenttowalk——liketramps,asyoucallthem,\"heelucidated,hisfacebrighteningwithobviousdelightatbeingable,foronce,toexplainmattersintermsthathefeltsurewouldbeunderstood。
\"Tramps,indeed!\"mutteredSimeonHolly,underhisbreath。Then,sharply:\"Didyouneverperformanyusefullabor,boy?Wereyourdaysalwaysspentinthisungodlyidleness?\"
AgainDavidfrownedinmildwonder。
\"Oh,Iwasn’tidle,sir。FathersaidImustneverbethat。HesaideveryinstrumentwasneededinthegreatOrchestraofLife;
andthatIwasone,youknow,evenifIwasonlyalittleboy。
AndhesaidifIkeptstillanddidn’tdomypart,theharmonywouldn’tbecomplete,and——\"
\"Yes,yes,butnevermindthatnow,boy,\"interruptedSimeonHolly,withharshimpatience。\"Imean,didheneversetyoutowork——realwork?\"
\"Work?\"Davidmeditatedagain。Thensuddenlyhisfacecleared。
\"Oh,yes,sir,hesaidIhadabeautifulworktodo,andthatitwaswaitingformeoutintheworld。That’swhywecamedownfromthemountain,youknow,tofindit。Isthatwhatyoumean?\"
\"Well,no,\"retortedtheman,\"Ican’tsaythatitwas。Iwasreferringtowork——realworkaboutthehouse。Didyouneverdoanyofthat?\"
Davidgavearelievedlaugh。
\"Oh,youmeangettingthemealsandtidyingupthehouse,\"hereplied。\"Oh,yes,Ididthatwithfather,only\"——hisfacegrewwistful——\"I’mafraidIdidn’tdoitverywell。Mybaconwasneverasniceandcrispasfather’s,andthefirewasalwaysspoilingmypotatoes。\"
\"Humph!baconandpotatoes,indeed!\"scornedSimeonHolly。\"Well,boy,wecallthatwomen’sworkdownhere。Wesetmentosomethingelse。Doyouseethatwoodpilebythesheddoor?\"
\"Yes,sir。\"
\"Verygood。Inthekitchenyou’llfindanemptywoodbox。Doyouthinkyoucouldfillitwithwoodfromthatwoodpile?You’llfindplentyofshort,smallsticksalreadychopped。\"
\"Oh,yes,sir,I’dliketo,\"noddedDavid,hastilybutcarefullytuckinghisviolinintoitscase。Aminutelaterhehadattackedthewoodpilewithawill;andSimeonHolly,afterasharplywatchfulglance,hadturnedaway。
Butthewoodbox,afterall,wasnotfilled。Atleast,itwasnotfilledimmediately。forattheverybeginningofgatheringthesecondarmfulofwood,Davidpickedupastickthathadlonglaininonepositionontheground,therebydisclosingsundryanddiversecrawlingthingsofmanylegs,whichfilledDavid’ssoulwithdelight,anddroveawayeverythoughtoftheemptywoodbox。
Itwasonlyamatterofsomestrengthandmorepatience,andstillmoretime,tooverturnotherandbiggersticks,tofindotherandbiggerofthemany-legged,many-jointedcreatures。One,indeed,wassoverywonderfulthatDavid,withawhoopofglee,summonedMrs。Hollyfromthesheddoorwaytocomeandsee。
SourgentwashispleathatMrs。Hollycamewithhurriedsteps——butshewentawaywithstepsevenmorehurried;andDavid,sittingbackonhiswoodpileseat,waslefttowonderwhysheshouldscreamandshudderandsay\"Ugh-h-h!\"atsuchabeautiful,interestingthingaswasthislittlecreaturewholivedinherwoodpile。