第4章

Inspiteofallthis，however，Davidsoevidentlydidhisbesttocarryoutthe"dos"andavoidthe"don’ts，"thatatfouro’clockthatfirstMondayhewonfromthesternbutwould-be-justFarmerHollyhisfreedomfortherestoftheday；andverygaylyhesetoffforawalk。Hewentwithouthisviolin，astherewasthesmellofrainintheair；buthisfaceandhisstepandtheveryswingofhisarmsweresinging（toDavid）thejoyoussongofthemorningbefore。Evenyet，inspiteofthevicissitudesoftheday’swork，thewholeworld，toDavid’shomesick，lonelylittleheart，wasstillcarolingthatblessed"You’rewanted，you’rewanted，you’rewanted！"

Andthenhesawthecrow。

Davidknewcrows。Inhishomeonthemountainhehadhadseveralofthemforfriends。Hehadlearnedtoknowandanswertheircalls。Hehadlearnedtoadmiretheirwisdomandtorespecttheirmoodsandtempers。Helovedtowatchthem。Especiallyhelovedtoseethegreatbirdscutthroughtheairwithawidesweepofwings，soalive，sogloriouslyfree！

Butthiscrow——

Thiscrowwasnotcuttingthroughtheairwithawidesweepofwing。Itwasinthemiddleofacornfield，anditwasrisingandfallingandfloppingaboutinamostextraordinaryfashion。VerysoonDavid，runningtowardit，sawwhy。Byalongleatherstripitwasfastenedsecurelytoastakeintheground。

"Oh，oh，oh！"exclaimedDavid，insympatheticconsternation。

"Here，youjustwaitaminute。I’llfixit。"

WithconfidentcelerityDavidwhippedouthisjackknifetocutthethong；buthefoundthenthatto"fixit"andtosayhewould"fixit"weretwodifferentmatters。

ThecrowdidnotseemtorecognizeinDavidafriend。Hesawinhim，apparently，butanotherofthestone-throwing，gun-shooting，torturinghumanswhowereresponsibleforhispresenthatefulcaptivity。Withbeakandclawandwing，therefore，hefoughtthisnewevilthathadcomepresumedlytotorment；andnotuntilDavidhadhitupontheexpedientoftakingoffhisblouse，andthrowingitovertheangrybird，couldtheboygetnearenoughtoaccomplishhispurpose。EventhenDavidhadtoleaveupontheslenderlegatwistofleather。

Amomentlater，withawhirofwingsandafrightenedsquawkthatquicklyturnedintoasurprisedcawoftriumphantrejoicing，thecrowsoaredintotheairandmadestraightforadistanttree-top。David，afteraminute’sgladsurveyingofhiswork，donnedhisblouseagainandresumedhiswalk。

Itwasalmostsixo’clockwhenDavidgotbacktotheHollyfarmhouse。InthebarndoorwaysatPerryLarson。

"Well，sonny，"themangreetedhimcheerily，"didyegetyerweedin’done？"

"Y——yes，"hesitatedDavid。"Igotitdone；butIdidn’tlikeit。"

"’Tiskinderhotwork。"

"Oh，Ididn’tmindthatpart，"returnedDavid。"WhatIdidn’tlikewaspullingupallthoseprettylittleplantsandlettingthemdie。"

"Weeds——’prettylittleplants’！"ejaculatedtheman。"Well，I’llbejiggered！"

"ButtheyWEREpretty，"defendedDavid，readingarightthescorninPerryLarson’svoice。"Theveryprettiestandbiggesttherewere，always。Mr。Hollyshowedme，youknow，——andIhadtopullthemup。"

"Well，I’llbejiggered！"mutteredPerryLarsonagain。

"ButI’vebeentowalksince。Ifeelbetternow。"

"Oh，yedo！"

"Oh，yes。Ihadasplendidwalk。Iwent’wayupinthewoodsonthehillthere。Iwassingingallthetime——inside，youknow。I

wassogladMrs。Holly——wantedme。Youknowwhatitis，whenyousinginside。"

PerryLarsonscratchedhishead。

"Well，no，sonny，Ican’treallysayIdo，"heretorted。"Iain’tmuchonsingin’。"

"Oh，butIdon’tmeanaloud。Imeaninside。Whenyou’rehappy，youknow。"

"WhenI’m——oh！"Themanstoppedandstared，hismouthfallingopen。Suddenlyhisfacechanged，andhegrinnedappreciatively。

"Well，ifyouain’tthebeat’em，boy！’Tiskinderlikesingin’——thewayyefeelinside，whenyer’speciallyhappy，ain’tit？ButIneverthoughtofitbefore。"

"Oh，yes。Why，that’swhereIgetmysongs——insideofme，youknow——thatIplayonmyviolin。AndImadeacrowsing，too。OnlyHEsangoutside。"

"SING——ACROW！"scoffedtheman。"Shucks！It’lltakemore’nyoutermakemethinkacrowcansing，mylad。"

"Buttheydo，whenthey’rehappy，"maintainedtheboy。"Anyhow，itdoesn’tsoundthesameasitdoeswhenthey’recross，orplaguedoversomething。Yououghttohaveheardthisoneto-day。

Hesang。Hewassogladtogetaway。Ilethimloose，yousee。"

"Youmean，youCAUGHTacrowupthereinthemwoods？"Theman’svoicewasskeptical。

"Oh，no，Ididn’tcatchit。Butsomebodyhad，andtiedhimup。

Andhewassounhappy！"

"Acrowtiedupinthewoods！"

"Oh，Ididn’tfindTHATinthewoods。ItwasbeforeIwentupthehillatall。"

"Acrowtiedup——Looka-here，boy，whatareyoutalkin’about？

Wherewasthatcrow？"PerryLarson’swholeselfhadbecomesuddenlyalert。

"Inthefield’Wayoverthere。Andsomebody——"

"Thecornfield！Jingo！Boy，youdon’tmeanyoutouchedTHAT

crow？"

"Well，hewouldn’tletmeTOUCHhim，"half-apologizedDavid。"Hewassoafraid，yousee。Why，Ihadtoputmyblouseoverhisheadbeforehe’dletmecuthimlooseatall。"

"Cuthimloose！"PerryLarsonsprangtohisfeet。"Youdidn’t——youDIDn’tletthatcrowgo！"

Davidshrankback。

"Why，yes；heWANTEDtogo。He——"Butthemanbeforehimhadfallenbackdespairinglytohisoldposition。

"Well，sir，you’vedoneitnow。Whattheboss’llsay，Idon’tknow；butIknowwhatI’dliketersaytoye。Iwasawholeweek，offan’on，gettin’holdofthatcrow，an’Iwouldn’thavegothimatallifIhadn’thidhalfthenightan’allthemornin’inthatclumpo’bushes，watchin’achanceterwinghim，jestenoughan’nottoomuch。An’eventhenthejobwa’n’tdone。Letmetellyer，’twa’n’tnosmallthingtergethimhitched。I’mwearin’

themarksoftherascal’sbeakyet。An’nowyou’vegonean’lethimgo——justlikethat，"hefinished，snappinghisfingersangrily。

InDavid’sfacetherewasnocontrition。Therewasonlyincreduloushorror。

"Youmean，YOUtiedhimthere，onpurpose？"

"SureIdid！"

"Buthedidn’tlikeit。Couldn’tyouseehedidn’tlikeit？"

criedDavid。

"Likeit！Whatifhedidn’t？Ididn’tliketerhavemycornpulledup，either。Seehere，sonny，younoneedterlookatmeinthattoneo’voice。Ididn’thurtthevarmintnoneterspeakof——yeseehecouldfly，didn’tye？——an’hewa’n’tstarvin’。I

sawtoitthathehadenoughtereatan’adisho’waterhandy。

An’ifhedidn’tflopan’pullan’trytergetawayheneedn’t’a’hurthisselfnever。Iain’tterblameforwhatpullin’hedone。"

"Butwouldn’tyoupullifyouhadtwobigwingsthatcouldcarryyoutothetopofthatbigtreethere，andawayup，upinthesky，whereyoucouldtalktothestars？——wouldn’tyoupullifsomebodyahundredtimesbigger’nyoucamealongandtiedyourlegtothatpostthere？"

Theman，Perry，flushedanangryred。

"Seehere，sonny，Iwa’n’taskin’youterdonopreachin’。WhatI

didain’tnomore’nanyman’roundheredoes——ifhe’ssmartenoughtercatchone。Rigged-upbroomsticksain’tinitwithalivebirdwhenitcomesterdrivin’awaythempesky，thievin’

crows。Thereain’tafarmer’roundherethathain’tbeengreenwithenvy，eversinceIcaughtthecritter。An’nowterhaveyoucomealongan’withoneflipo’yerknifespileitall，I——Well，itjestmakesmemad，cleanthrough！That’sall。"

"Youmean，youtiedhimtheretofrightenawaytheothercrows？"

"Sure！Thereain’tnothin’likeit。"

"Oh，I’msosorry！"

"Well，you’dbetterbe。Butthatwon’tbringbackmycrow！"

David’sfacebrightened。

"No，that’sso，isn’tit？I’mgladofthat。Iwasthinkingofthecrows，yousee。I’msosorryforthem！Onlythinkhowwe’dhatetobetiedlikethat——"ButPerryLarson，withastareandanindignantsnort，hadgottohisfeet，andwasrapidlywalkingtowardthehouse。

Veryplainly，thatevening，Davidwasindisgrace，andittookallofMrs。Holly’stactandpatience，andsomeprivatepleading，tokeepageneralexplosionfromwreckingallchancesofhisstayinglongeratthefarmhouse。Evenasitwas，Davidwassorrowfullyawarethathewasprovingtobeagreatdisappointmentsosoon，andhisviolinplayingthateveningcarriedamoaningplaintivenessthatwouldhavebeenverysignificanttoonewhoknewDavidwell。

Veryfaithfully，thenextday，theboytriedtocarryoutallthe"dos，"andthoughhedidnotalwayssucceed，yethiseffortsweresoobvious，thateventheindignantowneroftheliberatedcrowwassomewhatmollified；andagainSimeonHollyreleasedDavidfromworkatfouro’clock。

Alas，forDavid’speaceofmind，however；foronhiswalkto-day，thoughhefoundnocaptivecrowtodemandhissympathy，hefoundsomethingelsequiteasheartrending，andasincomprehensible。

Itwasontheedgeofthewoodsthathecameupontwoboys，eachcarryingarifle，adeadsquirrel，andadeadrabbit。Thethreatenedrainofthedaybeforehadnotmaterialized，andDavidhadhisviolin。Hehadbeenplayingsoftlywhenhecameupontheboyswherethepathenteredthewoods。

"Oh！"AtsightoftheboysandtheirburdenDavidgaveaninvoluntarycry，andstoppedplaying。

Theboys，scarcelylesssurprisedatsightofDavidandhisviolin，pausedandstaredfrankly。

"It’sthetrampkidwithhisfiddle，"whisperedonetotheotherhuskily。

David，hisgrievedeyesonthemotionlesslittlebodiesintheboys’hands，shuddered。

"Arethey——dead，too？"

Thebiggerboynoddedself-importantly。

"Sure。Wejustshot’em——thesquirrels。Benheretrappedtherabbits。"Hepaused，manifestlywaitingfortheproperawedadmirationtocomeintoDavid’sface。

ButinDavid’sstartledeyestherewasnoawedadmiration，therewasonlydisbelievinghorror。

"Youmean，youSENTthemtothefarcountry？"

"We——what？"

"Sentthem。Madethemgoyourselves——tothefarcountry？"

Theyoungerboystillstared。Theolderonegrinneddisagreeably。

"Sure，"heansweredwithlaconicindifference。"Wesent’emtothefarcountry，allright。"

"But——howdidyouknowtheyWANTEDtogo？"

"Wanted——Eh？"explodedthebigboy。Thenhegrinnedagain，stillmoredisagreeably。"Well，yousee，mydear，wedidn’task’em，"

hegibed。

RealdistresscameintoDavid’sface。

"Thenyoudon’tknowatall。AndmaybetheyDIDn’twanttogo。

Andiftheydidn’t，howCOULDtheygosinging，asfathersaid？

Fatherwasn’tsent。HeWENT。Andhewentsinging。Hesaidhedid。Butthese——HowwouldYOUliketohavesomebodycomealongandsendYOUtothefarcountry，withoutevenknowingifyouwantedtogo？"

Therewasnoanswer。Theboys，withagrowingfearintheireyes，asatsightofsomethinginexplicableanduncanny，weresidlingaway；andinamomenttheywerehurryingdownthehill，not，however，withoutabackwardglanceortwo，ofsomethingveryliketerror。

David，leftalone，wentonhiswaywithtroubledeyesandathoughtfulfrown。

Davidoftenwore，duringthosefirstfewdaysattheHollyfarmhouse，athoughtfulfaceandatroubledfrown。Thereweresomany，manythingsthatweredifferentfromhismountainhome。

Overandover，asthosefirstlongdayspassed，hereadhisletteruntilheknewitbyheart——andhehadneedto。Washenotalreadysurroundedbythingsandpeoplethatwerestrangetohim？

Andtheyweresoverystrange——thesepeople！Thereweretheboysandmenwhoroseatdawn——yetneverpausedtowatchthesunfloodtheworldwithlight；whostayedinthefieldsallday——yetneverraisedtheireyestothebigfleecycloudsoverhead；whoknewbirdsonlyasthievesafterfruitandgrain，andsquirrelsandrabbitsonlyascreaturestobetrappedorshot。Thewomen——theywereevenmoreincomprehensible。Theyspentthelonghoursbehindscreeneddoorsandwindows，washingthesamedishesandsweepingthesamefloorsdayafterday。They，too，neverraisedtheireyestotheblueskyoutside，noreventothecrimsonrosesthatpeepedinatthewindow。Theyseemedrathertobelookingalwaysfordirt，yetnotpleasedwhentheyfoundit——especiallyifithadbeentrackedinontheheelofasmallboy’sshoe！

MoreextraordinarythanallthistoDavid，however，wasthefactthatthesepeopleregardedHIM，notthemselves，asbeingstrange。

Asifitwerenotthemostnaturalthingintheworldtolivewithone’sfatherinone’shomeonthemountain-top，andspendone’sdaystrailingthroughtheforestpaths，orlyingwithabookbesidesomebabblinglittlestream！Asifitwerenotequallynaturaltotakeone’sviolinwithoneattimes，andlearntocatchuponthequiveringstringsthewhisperofthewindsthroughthetrees！Eveninwinter，whenthecloudsthemselvescamedownfromtheskyandcoveredtheearthwiththeirsoftwhiteness，——eventhentheforestwasbeautiful；andthesongofthebrookunderitsicycoatcarriedacharmandmysterythatwerequitewantinginthechatteringfreedomofsummer。Surelytherewasnothingstrangeinallthis，andyetthesepeopleseemedtothinktherewas！

CHAPTERIX

JOE

Daybyday，however，astimepassed，Daviddiligentlytriedtoperformthe"dos"andavoidthe"don’ts"；anddaybydayhecametorealizehowimportantweedsandwoodboxeswere，ifheweretoconformtowhatwasevidentlyFarmerHolly’sideaof"playingin，tune"inthisstrangenewOrchestraofLifeinwhichhefoundhimself。

But，tryashewould，therewasyetanunrealityaboutitall，apersistentfeelingofuselessnessandwaste，thatwouldnotbesetaside。Sothat，afterall，theonlypartofthisstrangenewlifeofhisthatseemedrealtohimwasthetimethatcameafterfouro’clockeachday，whenhewasreleasedfromwork。

Andhowfullhefilledthosehours！Therewassomuchtosee，somuchtodo。Forsunnydaystherewerefieldandstreamandpasturelandandthewholewidetowntoexplore。Forrainydays，ifhedidnotcaretogotowalk，therewashisroomwiththebooksinthechimneycupboard。SomeofthemDavidhadreadbefore，butmanyofthemhehadnot。Oneortwowereoldfriends；

butnotso"DareDevilDick，"and"ThePiratesofPigeonCove"

（whichhefoundhiddeninanobscurecornerbehindalooseboard）。Sidebysidestood"TheLadyoftheLake，""TreasureIsland，"and"DavidCopperfield"；andcoverlessanddogearedlay"RobinsonCrusoe，""TheArabianNights，"and"Grimm’sFairyTales。"Thereweremore，manymore，andDaviddevouredthemallwitheagereyes。Thegoodinthemheabsorbedasheabsorbedthesunshine；theevilhecastasideunconsciously——itrolledoff，indeed，liketheproverbialwaterfromtheduck’sback。

Davidhardlyknewsometimeswhichhelikedthebetter，hisimaginativeadventuresbetweenthecoversofhisbooksorhisrealadventuresinhisdailystrolls。True，itwasnothismountainhome——thisplaceinwhichhefoundhimself；neitherwasthereanywherehisSilverLakewithitsfar，far-reachingskyabove。Moredeplorableyet，nowherewastherethedearfatherhelovedsowell。Butthesunstillsetinroseandgold，andthesky，thoughsmall，stillcarriedthesnowysailsofitscloud-boats；whileastohisfather——hisfatherhadtoldhimnottogrieve，andDavidwastryingveryhardtoobey。

WithhisviolinforcompanyDavidstartedouteachday，unlessheelectedtostayindoorswithhisbooks。Sometimesitwastowardthevillagethatheturnedhissteps；sometimesitwastowardthehillsbackofthetown。Whicheverwayitwas，therewasalwayssuretobesomethingwaitingattheendforhimandhisviolintodiscover，ifitwasnothingmorethanabigwhiteroseinbloom，orasquirrelsittingbytheroadside。

Verysoon，however，Daviddiscoveredthattherewassomethingtobefoundinhiswanderingsbesidessquirrelsandroses；andthatwas——people。Inspiteofthestrangenessofthesepeople，theywerewonderfullyinteresting，Davidthought。Andafterthatheturnedhisstepsmoreandmorefrequentlytowardthevillagewhenfouro’clockreleasedhimfromtheday’swork。

AtfirstDaviddidnottalkmuchtothesepeople。Heshranksensitivelyfromtheirboldstaresandunpleasantlyaudiblecomments。Hewatchedthemwithroundeyesofwonderandinterest，however，——whenhedidnotthinktheywerewatchinghim。Andintimehecametoknownotalittleaboutthemandaboutthestrangewaysinwhichtheypassedtheirtime。

Therewasthegreenhouseman。Itwouldbepleasanttospendone’sdaygrowingplantsandflowers——butnotunderthathot，stiflingglassroof，decidedDavid。Besides，hewouldnotwantalwaystopickandsendawaytheveryprettiestonestothecityeverymorning，asthegreenhousemandid。

Therewasthedoctorwhorodealldaylongbehindthegraymare，makingsickfolkswell。Davidlikedhim，andmentallyvowedthathehimselfwouldbeadoctorsometime。Still，therewasthestage-driver——Davidwasnotsurebuthewouldprefertofollowthisman’sprofessionforalife-work；forinhis，onecouldstillhavethefreedomoflongdaysintheopen，andyetnotbesaddenedbythesightofthesickbeforetheyhadbeenmadewell——whichwaswherethestage-driverhadthebetterofthedoctor，inDavid’sopinion。Thereweretheblacksmithandthestorekeepers，too，buttotheseDavidgavelittlethoughtorattention。

Thoughhemightnotknowwhathedidwanttodo，heknewverywellwhathedidnot。AllofwhichmerelygoestoprovethatDavidwasstillonthelookoutforthatgreatworkwhichhisfatherhadsaidwaswaitingforhimoutintheworld。

MeanwhileDavidplayedhisviolin。Ifhefoundacrimsonramblerinbloominadoor-yard，heputitintoalittlemelodyofpuredelight——thatawomaninthehousebehindtheramblerheardthemusicandwascheeredathertask，Daviddidnotknow。Ifhefoundakittenatplayinthesunshine，heputitintoariotousabandonmentoftumblingturnsandtrills——thatafretfulbabyheardandstoppeditswailing，Davidalsodidnotknow。Andonce，justbecausetheskywasblueandtheairwassweet，anditwassogoodtobealive，Davidliftedhisbowandputitallintoarapturouspaeanofringingexultation——thatasickmaninadarkenedchamberabovethestreetliftedhishead，drewinhisbreath，andtooksuddenlyanewleaseoflife，Davidstillagaindidnotknow。AllofwhichmerelygoestoprovethatDavidhadperhapsfoundhisworkandwasdoingit——althoughyetstillagainDaviddidnotknow。

ItwasinthecemeteryoneafternoonthatDavidcameupontheLadyinBlack。Shewasonherkneesputtingflowersonalittlemoundbeforeher。ShelookedupasDavidapproached。Foramomentshegazedwistfullyathim；thenasifimpelledbyahiddenforce，shespoke。

"Littleboy，whoareyou？"

"I’mDavid。"

"David！Davidwho？Doyoulivehere？I’veseenyouherebefore。"

"Oh，yes，I’vebeenherequitealotoftimes。"Purposelytheboyevadedthequestions。Davidwasgettingtiredofquestions——especiallythesequestions。

"Andhaveyou——lostonedeartoyou，littleboy？"

"Lostsomeone？"

"Imean——isyourfatherormother——here？"

"Here？Oh，no，theyaren’there。Mymotherisanangel-mother，andmyfatherhasgonetothefarcountry。Heiswaitingformethere，youknow。"

"But，that’sthesame——thatis——"Shestoppedhelplessly，bewilderedeyesonDavid’ssereneface。Thensuddenlyagreatlightcametoherown。"Oh，littleboy，IwishIcouldunderstandthat——justthat，"shebreathed。"Itwouldmakeitsomucheasier——ifIcouldjustrememberthattheyaren’there——thatthey’reWAITING——overthere！"

ButDavidapparentlydidnothear。Hehadturnedandwasplayingsoftlyashewalkedaway。SilentlytheLadyinBlackknelt，listening，lookingafterhim。Whensherosesometimelaterandleftthecemetery，thelightonherfacewasstillthere，deeper，moreglorified。

Towardboysandgirls——especiallyboys——ofhisownage，Davidfrequentlyturnedwistfuleyes。Davidwantedafriend，afriendwhowouldknowandunderstand；afriendwhowouldseethingsashesawthem，whowouldunderstandwhathewassayingwhenheplayed。ItseemedtoDavidthatinsomeboyofhisownageheoughttofindsuchafriend。Hehadseenmanyboys——buthehadnotyetfoundthefriend。Davidhadbeguntothink，indeed，thatofallthesestrangebeingsinthisnewlifeofhis，boyswerethestrangest。

Theystaredandnudgedeachotherunpleasantlywhentheycameuponhimplaying。Theyjeeredwhenhetriedtotellthemwhathehadbeenplaying。TheyhadneverheardofthegreatOrchestraofLife，andtheyfellintomostdisconcertingfitsoflaughter，orelsebackedawayasifafraid，whenhetoldthemthattheythemselveswereinstrumentsinit，andthatiftheydidnotkeepthemselvesintune，therewassuretobeadiscordsomewhere。

Thenthereweretheirgamesandfrolics。Suchaswereplayedwithballs，bats，andbagsofbeans，Davidthoughthewouldlikeverymuch。Buttheboysonlyscoffedwhenheaskedthemtoteachhimhowtoplay。Theylaughedwhenadogchasedacat，andtheythoughtitvery，veryfunnywhenTony，theoldblackman，trippedonthestringtheydrewacrosshispath。Theylikedtothrowstonesandshootguns，andthemorecreeping，crawling，orflyingcreaturesthattheycouldsendtothefarcountry，thehappiertheywere，apparently。Nordidtheylikeitatallwhenheaskedthemiftheyweresureallthesecreeping，crawling，flyingcreatureswantedtoleavethisbeautifulworldandtobemadedead。Theysneeredandcalledhimasissy。Daviddidnotknowwhatasissywas；butfromthewaytheysaidit，hejudgeditmustbeevenworsetobeasissythantobeathief。

AndthenhediscoveredJoe。

Davidhadfoundhimselfinaverystrange，veryunlovelyneighborhoodthatafternoon。Thestreetwasfullofpapersandtincans，thehouseswereunspeakablyforlornwithsaggingblindsandlackofpaint。Untidywomenandblear-eyedmenleanedoverthedilapidatedfences，orlolledonmud-trackeddoorsteps。

David，hisshrinkingeyesturningfromonesidetotheother，passedslowlythroughthestreet，hisviolinunderhisarm。

NowherecouldDavidfindherethetiniestspotofbeautyto"play。"Hehadreachedquitethemostforlornlittleshantyonthestreetwhenthepromiseinhisfather’sletteroccurredtohim。Withasuddenlyilluminedface，heraisedhisviolintopositionandplungedintoaveritablewhirloftrillsandrunsandtrippingmelodies。

"IfIdidn’tjustentirelyforgetthatIdidn’tNEEDtoSEE

anythingbeautifultoplay，"laughedDavidsoftlytohimself。

"Why，it’salreadyrighthereinmyviolin！"

Davidhadpassedthetumble-downshanty，andwashesitatingwheretwostreetscrossed，whenhefeltalighttouchonhisarm。Heturnedtoconfrontasmallgirlinapatchedandfadedcalicodress，obviouslyoutgrown。Hereyeswerewideandfrightened。Inthemiddleofheroutstretcheddirtylittlepalmwasacoppercent。

"Ifyouplease，Joesentthis——toyou，"shefaltered。

"Tome？Whatfor？"Davidstoppedplayingandloweredhisviolin。

Thelittlegirlbackedawayperceptibly，thoughshestillheldoutthecoin。

"Hewantedyoutostayandplaysomemore。Hesaidtotellyouhe’d’a’sentmoremoneyifhecould。Buthedidn’thaveit。Hejusthadthiscent。"

David’seyesflewwideopen。

"YoumeanheWANTSmetoplay？Helikesit？"heaskedjoyfully。

"Yes。Hesaidheknew’twa’n’tmuch——thecent。Buthethoughtmaybeyou’dplayaLITTLEforit。"

"Play？OfcourseI’llplay"criedDavid。"Oh，no，Idon’twantthemoney，"headded，wavingtheagain-profferedcoinaside。"I

don’tneedmoneywhereI’mlivingnow。Whereishe——theonethatwantedmetoplay？"hefinishedeagerly。

"Intherebythewindow。It’sJoe。He’smybrother。"Thelittlegirl，inspiteofherevidentsatisfactionattheaccomplishmentofherpurpose，yetkeptquitealooffromtheboy。Nordidthefactthatherefusedthemoneyappeartobringheranythingbutuneasysurprise。

InthewindowDavidsawaboyapparentlyabouthisownage，aboywithsandyhair，palecheeks，andwide-open，curiouslyintentblueeyes。

"Ishecoming？Didyougethim？Willheplay？"calledtheboyatthewindoweagerly。

"Yes，I’mrighthere。I’mtheone。Can’tyouseetheviolin？

ShallIplayhereorcomein？"answeredDavid，notonewhitlesseagerly。

Thesmallgirlopenedherlipsasiftoexplainsomething；buttheboyinthewindowdidnotwait。

"Oh，comein。WILLyoucomein？"hecriedunbelievingly。"Andwillyoujustletmetouchit——thefiddle？Come！YouWILLcome？

See，thereisn’tanybodyhome，onlyjustBettyandme。"

"OfcourseIwill！"Davidfairlystumbledupthebrokenstepsinhisimpatiencetoreachthewide-opendoor。"Didyoulikeit——whatIplayed？AnddidyouknowwhatIwasplaying？Didyouunderstand？Couldyouseethecloud-boatsupinthesky，andmySilverLakedowninthevalley？Andcouldyouhearthebirds，andthewindsinthetrees，andthelittlebrooks？Couldyou？Oh，didyouunderstand？I’vesowantedtofindsomeonethatcould！ButI

wouldn’tthinkthatYOU——HERE——"Withagesture，andanexpressiononhisfacethatwereunmistakable，Davidcametoahelplesspause。

"There，Joe，what’dItellyou，"criedthelittlegirl，inahuskywhisper，dartingtoherbrother’sside。"Oh，whydidyoumakemegethimhere？Everybodysayshe’scrazyasaloon，and——"

Buttheboyreachedoutaquicklysilencinghand。Hisfacewascuriouslyalight，asiffromaninwardglow。Hiseyes，stillwidelyintent，werestaringstraightahead。

"Stop，Betty，wait，"hehushedher。"Maybe——IthinkIDO

understand。Boy，youmean——INSIDEofyou，youseethosethings，andthenyoutrytomakeyourfiddletellwhatyouareseeing。Isthatit？"

"Yes，yes，"criedDavid。"Oh，youDOunderstand。AndIneverthoughtyoucould。Ineverthoughtthatanybodycouldthatdidn’thaveanythingtolookatbuthim——butthesethings。"

"’Anythingbutthesetolookat’！"echoedtheboy，withasuddenanguishinhisvoice。"Anythingbutthese！IguessifIcouldseeANYTHING，Iwouldn’tmindWHATIsee！An’youwouldn’t，neither，ifyouwas——blind，likeme。"

"Blind！"Davidfellback。Faceandvoicewerefullofhorror。

"Youmeanyoucan’tsee——anything，withyoureyes？"

"Nothin’。"

"Oh！Ineversawanyoneblindbefore。Therewasoneinabook——butfathertookitaway。Sincethen，inbooksdownhere，I’vefoundothers——but——"

"Yes，yes。Well，nevermindthat，"cutintheblindboy，growingrestiveunderthepityintheother’svoice。"Play。Won’tyou？"

"ButhowareyouEVERgoingtoknowwhatabeautifulworlditis？"shudderedDavid。"Howcanyouknow？Andhowcanyoueverplayintune？You’reoneoftheinstruments。Fathersaideverybodywas。AndhesaideverybodywasplayingSOMETHINGallthetime；andifyoudidn’tplayintune——"

"Joe，Joe，please，"beggedthelittlegirl"Won’tyoulethimgo？

I’mafraid。Itoldyou——"

"Shucks，Betty！Hewon’thurtye，"laughedJoe，alittleirritably。ThentoDavidheturnedagainwithsomesharpness。

"Play，won’tye？YouSAIDyou’dplay！"

"Yes，oh，yes，I’llplay，"falteredDavid，bringinghisviolinhastilytoposition，andtestingthestringswithfingersthatshookalittle。

"There！"breathedJoe，settlingbackinhischairwithacontentedsigh。"Now，playitagain——whatyoudidbefore。"

ButDaviddidnotplaywhathedidbefore——atfirst。Therewerenoairycloud-boats，nofar-reachingsky，nobirds，ormurmuringforestbrooksinhismusicthistime。Therewereonlythepoverty-strickenroom，thedirtystreet，theboyaloneatthewindow，withhissightlesseyes——theboywhonever，neverwouldknowwhatabeautifulworldhelivedin。

ThensuddenlytoDavidcameanewthought。Thisboy，Joe，hadsaidbeforethatheunderstood。Hehadseemedtoknowthathewasbeingtoldofthesunnyskiesandtheforestwinds，thesingingbirdsandthebabblingbrooks。Perhapsagainnowhewouldunderstand。

Whatif，forthosesightlesseyes，onecouldcreateaworld？

PossiblyneverbeforehadDavidplayedasheplayedthen。Itwasasifuponthosefourquiveringstrings，hewaslayingthepurpleandgoldofathousandsunsets，theroseandamberofathousandsunrises，thegreenofaboundlessearth，theblueofaskythatreachedtoheavenitself——tomakeJoeunderstand。

"Gee！"breathedJoe，whenthemusiccametoanendwithacrashingchord。"Say，wa’n’tthatjustgreat？Won’tyouletme，please，justtouchthatfiddle？"AndDavid，lookingintotheblindboy’sexaltedface，knewthatJoehadindeed——understood。

CHAPTERX

THELADYOFTHEROSES

Itwasanewworld，indeed，thatDavidcreatedforJoeafterthat——aworldthathadtodowithentrancingmusicwhereoncewassilence；delightfulcompanionshipwhereoncewasloneliness；andtoothsomecookiesanddoughnutswhereoncewashunger。

TheWidowGlaspell，Joe’smother，workedoutbytheday，scrubbingandwashing；andJoe，perforce，waslefttothesomewhaterraticanddecidedlyunskillfulministrationsofBetty。

Bettywasnoworse，andnobetter，thananyotheruntaught，irresponsibletwelve-year-oldgirl，anditwasnottobeexpected，perhaps，thatshewouldcaretospendallthebrightsunnyhoursshutupwithhersorelyafflictedandsomewhatfretfulbrother。True，atnoonsheneverfailedtoappearandpreparesomethingthatpassedforadinnerforherselfandJoe。

ButtheGlaspelllarderwasfrequentlyalmostasemptyaswerethehungrystomachsthatlookedtoitforrefreshment；anditwouldhavetakenafarmoreskillfulcookthanwasthefly-awayBettytoevolveanythingfromitthatwaseitherpalatableorsatisfying。

WiththecomingofDavidintoJoe’slifeallthiswaschanged。

First，therewerethemusicandthecompanionship。Joe’sfatherhad"playedintheband"inhisyouth，and（accordingtotheWidowGlaspell）hadbeena"powerfulhandformusic。"Itwasfromhim，presumably，thatJoehadinheritedhispassionformelodyandharmony；anditwasnowonderthatDavidrecognizedsosoonintheblindboythespiritthatmadethemkin。AtthefirststrokeofDavid’sbow，indeed，thedingywallsaboutthemwouldcrumbleintonothingness，andtogetherthetwoboyswereoffinafairyworldoflovelinessandjoy。

NorwaslisteningalwaysJoe’spart。From"justtouching"theviolin——hisfirstlongingplea——hecametodrawingatimidbowacrossthestrings。Inanincrediblyshorttime，then，hewaspickingoutbitsofmelody；andbytheendofafortnightDavidhadbroughthisfather’sviolinforJoetopracticeon。

"Ican’tGIVEittoyou——notforkeeps，"Davidhadexplained，abittremulously，"becauseitwasdaddy’s，youknow；andwhenI

seeit，itseemsalmostasifIwasseeinghim。Butyoumaytakeit。Thenyoucanhaveitheretoplayonwheneveryoulike。"

Afterthat，inJoe’sownhandslaythepowertotransporthimselfintoanotherworld，forwiththeviolinforcompanyheknewnoloneliness。

NorwastheviolinallthatDavidbroughttothehouse。Therewerethedoughnutsandthecookies。VeryearlyinhisvisitsDavidhaddiscovered，muchtohissurprise，thatJoeandBettywereoftenhungry。

"Butwhydon’tyougodowntothestoreandbuysomething？"hehadqueriedatonce。

Uponbeingtoldthattherewasnomoneytobuywith，David’sfirstimpulsehadbeentobringseveralofthegold-piecesthenexttimehecame；butuponsecondthoughtsDaviddecidedthathedidnotdare。Hewasnotwishingtobecalledathiefasecondtime。Itwouldbebetter，heconcluded，tobringsomefoodfromthehouseinstead。

Inhismountainhomeeverythingthehouseaffordedinthewayoffoodhadalwaysbeenfreelygiventothefewstrangersthatfoundtheirwaytothecabindoor。SonowDavidhadnohesitationingoingtoMrs。Holly’spantryforsupplies，upontheoccasionofhisnextvisittoJoeGlaspell’s。

Mrs。Holly，comingintothekitchen，foundhimmergingfromthepantrywithbothhandsfullofcookiesanddoughnuts。

"Why，David，whatintheworlddoesthismean？"shedemanded。

"They’reforJoeandBetty，"smiledDavidhappily。

"ForJoeand——Butthosedoughnutsandcookiesdon’tbelongtoyou。They’remine！"

"Yes，Iknowtheyare。Itoldthemyouhadplenty，"noddedDavid。

"Plenty！WhatifIhave？"remonstratedMrs。Holly，ingrowingindignation。"Thatdoesn’tmeanthatyoucantake——"SomethinginDavid’sfacestoppedthewordshalf-spoken。

"Youdon’tmeanthatICAN’TtakethemtoJoeandBetty，doyou？

Why，Mrs。Holly，they’rehungry！JoeandBettyare。Theydon’thavehalfenoughtoeat。Bettysaidso。Andwe’vegotmorethanwewant。There’sfoodleftonthetableeveryday。Why，ifYOU

werehungry，wouldn’tyouwantsomebodytobring——"

ButMrs。Hollystoppedhimwithadespairinggesture。

"There，there，nevermind。Runalong。Ofcourseyoucantakethem。I’m——I’mGLADtohaveyou，"shefinished，inadesperateattempttodrivefromDavid’sfacethatlookofshockedincredulitywithwhichhewasstillregardingher。

NeveragaindidMrs。HollyattempttothwartDavid’sgenerositytotheGlaspells；butshedidtrytoregulateit。Shesawtoitthatthereafter，uponhisvisitstothehouse，hetookonlycertainthingsandacertainamount，andinvariablythingsofherownchoosing。

ButnotalwaystowardtheGlaspellshantydidDavidturnhissteps。Veryfrequentlyitwasinquiteanotherdirection。HehadbeenattheHollyfarmhousethreeweekswhenhefoundhisLadyoftheRoses。

Hehadpassedquitethroughthevillagethatday，andhadcometoaroadthatwasnewtohim。Itwasabeautifulroad，smooth，white，andfirm。Twohugegranitepoststoppedwithflamingnasturtiumsmarkedthepointwhereitturnedofffromthemainhighway。Beyondthese，asDavidsoonfound，itranbetweenwide-spreadinglawnsandfloweringshrubs，leadingupthegentleslopeofahill。Whereitledto，Daviddidnotknow，butheproceededunhesitatinglytotrytofindout。Forsometimeheclimbedtheslopeinsilence，hisviolin，mute，underhisarm；

butthewhiteroadstilllayintantalizingmysterybeforehimwhenaby-pathofferedthegreatertemptation，andluredhimtoexploreitscoolshadowydepthsinstead。

HadDavidbutknownit，hewasatSunny-crest，Hinsdale’sone"showplace，"thecountryhomeofitsonereallyrichresident，MissBarbaraHolbrook。Hadhealsobutknownit，MissHolbrookwasnotcelebratedforhergraciousnesstoanyvisitors，certainlynottothosewhoventuredtoapproachherotherwisethanbyaconventionalringatherfrontdoorbell。ButDaviddidnotknowallthis；andhethereforeveryhappilyfollowedtheshadypathuntilhecametotheWonderattheendofit。

TheWonder，inHinsdaleparlance，wasonlyMissHolbrook’sgarden，butinDavid’seyesitwasfairylandcometrue。Foronewholeminutehecouldonlystandlikeaveryordinarylittleboyandstare。Attheendoftheminutehebecamehimselfoncemore；

andbeinghimself，heexpressedhisdelightatonceintheonlywayheknewhowtodo——byraisinghisviolinandbeginningtoplay。

Hehadmeanttotellofthelimpidpoolandofthearchofthebridgeitreflected；oftheterracedlawnsandmarblesteps，andofthegleamingwhiteofthesculpturednymphsandfauns；ofthesplashesofgloriouscrimson，yellow，blush-pink，andsnowywhiteagainstthegreen，wheretherosesriotedinluxuriousbloom。Hehadmeant，also，totelloftheQueenRoseofthemall——thebeauteousladywithhairlikethegoldofsunrise，andagownliketheshimmerofthemoononwater——ofallthishehadmeanttotell；buthehadscarcelybeguntotellitatallwhentheBeauteousLadyoftheRosessprangtoherfeetandbecamesoverymuchlikeanangryyoungwomanwhoisseriouslydispleasedthatDavidcouldonlylowerhisviolinindismay。

"Why，boy，whatdoesthismean？"shedemanded。