第7章

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。