第10章

Fulkerson，"saidthegirl。

ThisservedtoremindFulkersonofsomething。Heturnedtoherfather。

"I\'lltellyouwhat，ColonelWoodburn，IwantMr。Marchtoseesomechaptersofthatbookofyours。I\'vebeentalkingtohimaboutit。"

"Idonotthinkitwouldaddtothepopularityofyourperiodical，sir，"

saidtheColonel，withastatelypleasureinbeingasked。"Myviewsofacivilizationbaseduponresponsibleslaverywouldhardlybeacceptabletoyourcommercializedsociety。"

"Well，notasapracticalthing，ofcourse，"Fulkersonadmitted。"Butassomethingretrospective，speculative，Ibelieveitwouldmakeahit。

There\'ssomuchgoingonnowaboutsocialquestions；Iguesspeoplewouldliketoreadit。"

"Idonotknowthatmyworkisintendedtoamusepeople，"saidtheColonel，withsomestate。

"Mahgoodness!AhonlywishitWAS，then，"saidhisdaughter；andsheadded:"Yes，Mr。Fulkerson，theColonelwillbeverygladtosubmitpo\'tionsofhiswoaktoyo\'edito\'。Wewanttohavesomeofthehonaw。

Perhapswecansaywehelpedtostopyo\'magazine，ifwedidn\'thelptostawtit。"

Theyalllaughedatherboldness，andFulkersonsaid:"It\'lltakeagooddealmorethanthattostop\'EveryOtherWeek\'。TheColonel\'swholebookcouldn\'tdoit。"Thenhelookedunhappy，forColonelWoodburndidnotseemtoenjoyhisreassuringwords；butMissWoodburncametohisrescue。

"Youmaghtillustrateitwiththepo\'traitoftheawthorisdaughtaw，ifit\'stoolateforthecovah。"

"Goingtohavethatineverynumber，MissWoodburn!"hecried。

"Oh，mahgoodness!"shesaid，withmockhumility。

Almasatlookingatherpiquanthead，black，unconsciouslyoutlinedagainstthelamp，asshesatworkingbythetable。"Justkeepstillamoment!"

Shegothersketch-blockandpencils，andbegantodraw；Fulkersontiltedhimselfforwardandlookedoverhershoulder；hesmiledoutwardly；

inwardlyhewasdividedbetweenadmirationofMissWoodburn\'sarchbeautyandappreciationoftheskillwhichreproducedit；atthesametimehewastryingtorememberwhetherMarchhadauthorizedhimtogosofarastoaskforasightofColonelWoodburn\'smanuscript。HefeltthathehadtrencheduponMarch\'sprovince，andheframedoneapologytotheeditorforbringinghimthemanuscript，andanothertotheauthorforbringingitback。

"MostAhholdraghtstilllikeitwasaphotograph?"askedMissWoodburn。"CanAhtoak?"

"Talkallyouwant，"saidAlma，squintinghereyes。"Andyouneedn\'tbeeitheradamantine，noryet——wooden。"

"Oh，ho\'verygoodofyou!Well，ifAhcantoak——goon，Mr。Fulkerson!"

"Metalk?Ican\'tbreathetillthisthingisdone!"sighedFulkerson；atthatpointofhismentaldramatheColonelwasbehavingrustilyaboutthereturnofhismanuscript，andhefeltthathewaslookinghislastonMissWoodburn\'sprofile。

"Isshegettingitraght?"askedthegirl。

"Idon\'tknowwhichiswhich，"saidFulkerson。

"Oh，AhhopeAhshall!Ahdon\'twanttogoroundfeelin\'likeasheetofpapahhalfthetime。"

"Youcouldrattleon，justthesame，"suggestedAlma。

"Oh，now!Jostlistentothat，Mr。Fulkerson。Doyoucallthatanywaytotoaktopeople?"

"Youmightknowwhichyouwerebythecolor，"Fulkersonbegan，andthenbebrokeofffromthepersonalconsiderationwithabusinessinspiration，andsmackedhimselfontheknee，"Wecouldprintitincolor!"

Mrs。Leightongathereduphersewingandhelditwithbothhandsinherlap，whileshecameround，andlookedcriticallyatthesketchandthemodeloverherglasses。"It\'sverygood，Alma，"shesaid。

ColonelWoodburnremainedrestivelyonhissideofthetable。"Ofcourse，Mr。Fulkerson，youwerejesting，sir，whenyouspokeofprintingasketchofmydaughter。"

"Why，Idon\'tknow——Ifyouobject——?

"Ido，sir——decidedly，"saidtheColonel。

"Thenthatsettlesit，ofcourse，"said"Ionlymeant——"

"Indeeditdoesn\'t!"criedthegirl。"Who\'stoknowwhoit\'sfrom?

Ah\'mjostsetonhavin\'itprinted!Ah\'mgoingtoappearastheheadofSlavery——inoppositiontotheheadofLiberty。"

"There\'llbearevolutioninsideofforty-eighthours，andwe\'llhavetheColonel\'ssystemgoingwhereveracopyof\'EveryOtherWeek\'circulates，"

saidFulkerson。

"Thissketchbelongstome，"Almainterposed。"I\'mnotgoingtoletitbeprinted。"

"Oh，mahgoodness!"saidMissWoodburn，laughinggood-humoredly。

"That\'sbecoseyouwerebroughtuptohateslavery。"

"IshouldlikeMr。Beatontoseeit，"saidMrs。Leighton，inasortofabsenttone。Sheadded，toFulkerson:"Iratherexpectedhemightbeinto-night。"

"Well，ifhecomeswe\'llleaveittoBeaton，"Fulkersonsaid，withreliefinthesolution，andananxiousglanceattheColonel，acrossthetable，toseehowhetookthatformofthejoke。MissWoodburninterceptedhisglanceandlaughed，andFulkersonlaughed，too，butratherforlornly。

Almasetherlipsprimlyandturnedherheadfirstononesideandthenontheothertolookatthesketch。"Idon\'tthinkwe\'llleaveittoMr。

Beaton，evenifhecomes。"

"WelefttheotherdesignforthecovertoBeaton，"Fulkersoninsinuated。

"Iguessyouneedn\'tbeafraidofhim。"

"Isitaquestionofmybeingafraid?"Almaasked；sheseemedcoollyintentonherdrawing。

"MissLeightonthinksheoughttobeafraidofher，"MissWoodburnexplained。

"It\'saquestionofhiscourage，then?"saidAlma。

"Well，Idon\'tthinktherearemanyyoungladiesthatBeaton\'safraidof，"saidFulkerson，givinghimselftherespiteofthispurelyrandomremark，whileheinterrogatedthefacesofMrs。LeightonandColonelWoodburnforsomelightuponthetendencyoftheirdaughters\'words。

HewasnothelpedbyMrs。Leighton\'ssaying，withacertainanxiety，"Idon\'tknowwhatyoumean，Mr。Fulkerson。"

"Well，you\'reasmuchinthedarkasIammyself，then，"saidFulkerson。

"IsupposeImeantthatBeatonisrather——a——favorite，youknow。Thewomenlikehim。"

Mrs。Leightonsighed，andColonelWoodburnroseandlefttheroom。

Inthesilencethatfollowed，Fulkersonlookedfromoneladytotheotherwithdismay。"Iseemtohaveputmyfootinit，somehow，"hesuggested，andMissWoodburngaveacryoflaughter。

"Poo\'Mr。Fulkerson!Poo\'Mr。Fulkerson!Papathoatyouwantedhimtogo。"

"Wantedhimtogo?"repeatedFulkerson。

"WealwaysmentionMr。Beatonwhenwewanttogetridofpapa。"

"Well，itseemstomethatIhavenoticedthathedidn\'ttakemuchinterestinBeaton，asageneraltopic。ButIdon\'tknowthatIeversawitdrivehimoutoftheroombefore!"

"Well，heisn\'talwayssobad，"saidMissWoodburn。"Butitwasacaseofhateatfirstsight，anditseemstobegrowin\'onpapa。"

"Well，Icanunderstandthat，"saidFulkerson。"TheimpulsetodestroyBeatonissomethingthateverybodyhastostruggleagainstatthestart。"

"Imustsay，Mr。Fulkerson，"saidMrs。Leighton，inthetremorthroughwhichshenervedherselftodifferopenlywithanyonesheliked，"Ineverhadtostrugglewithanythingofthekind，inregardtoMr。Beaton。Hehasalwaysbeenmostrespectfuland——and——considerate，withme，whateverhehasbeenwithothers。"

"Well，ofcourse，Mrs。Leighton!"Fulkersoncamebackinasoothingtone。

"Butyouseeyou\'retherulethatprovestheexception。IwasspeakingofthewaymenfeltaboutBeaton。It\'sdifferentwithladies；Ijustsaidso。"

"Isitalwaysdifferent?"Almaasked，liftingherheadandherhandfromherdrawing，andstaringatitabsently。

Fulkersonpushedbothhishandsthroughhiswhiskers。"Lookhere!Lookhere!"hesaid。"Won\'tsomebodystartsomeothersubject?Wehaven\'thadtheweatherupyet，havewe?Ortheopera?Whatisthematterwithafewremarksaboutpolitics?"

"Why，Ahthoatyoulahkedtotoakaboutthestaffofyo\'magazine，"saidMissWoodburn。

"Oh，Ido!"saidFulkerson。"Butnotalwaysaboutthesamememberofit。

Hegetsmonotonous，whenhedoesn\'tgetcomplicated。I\'vejustcomeroundfromtheMarches\'，"headded，toMrs。Leighton。

"Isupposethey\'vegotthoroughlysettledintheirapartmentbythistime。"Mrs。LeightonsaidsomethinglikethiswhenevertheMarcheswerementioned。Atthebottomofherheartshehadnotforgiventhemfornottakingherrooms；shehadlikedtheirlookssomuch；andshewasalwayshopingthattheywereuncomfortableordissatisfied；shecouldnothelpwantingthempunishedalittle。

"Well，yes；asmuchastheyeverwillbe，"Fulkersonanswered。

"TheBostonstyleisprettydifferent，youknow；andtheMarchesareold-

fashionedfolks，andIreckontheyneverwentinmuchforbric-a-bracThey\'veputawaynineortenbarrelsofdragoncandlesticks，buttheykeepfindingnewones。"

"Theirlandladyhasjustjoinedourclass，"saidAlma。"Isn\'thernameGreen?Shehappenedtoseemycopyof\'EveryOtherWeek\'，andsaidsheknewtheeditor；andtoldme。"

"Well，it\'salittleworld，"saidFulkerson。"Youseemtobetouchingelbowswitheverybody。Justthinkofyourhavinghadourheadtranslatorforamodel。"

"AhthinkthatyourwholepublicationrevolvesaroandtheLeightonfamily，"saidMissWoodburn。

"That\'sprettymuchso，"Fulkersonadmitted。"Anyhow，thepublisherseemsdisposedtodoso。"

"Areyouthepublisher?IthoughtitwasMr。Dryfoos，"saidAlma。

"Itis。"

"Oh!"

ThetoneandthewordgaveFulkersonadiscomfortwhichhepromptlyconfessed。"Missedagain。"

Thegirlslaughed，andheregainedsomethingofhislostspirits，andsmiledupontheirgayety，whichlastedbeyondanyapparentreasonforit。

MissWoodburnasked，"AndisMr。Dryfoossenio\'anythinglikeouahMr。

Dryfoos?"

"Nottheleast。"

"Buthe\'sjostasexemplary?"

"Yes；inhisway。"

"Well，AhwishAhcouldseeallthosepinksofpuffectiontogethah，once。"

"Why，lookhere!I\'vebeenthinkingI\'dcelebratealittle，whentheoldgentlemangetsback。Havealittlesupper——somethingofthatkind。Howwouldyouliketoletmehaveyourparlorsforit，Mrs。Leighton?Youladiescouldstandonthestairs，andhaveapeepatus，inthebunch。"

"Oh，mah!Whataprivilege!AndwillMissAlmabethere，withtheothahcontributors?Ahshalljostexpahofenvy!"

"Shewon\'tbethereinperson，"saidFulkerson，"butshe\'llberepresentedbytheheadoftheartdepartment。"

"Mahgoodness!Andwho\'lltheheadofthepublishingdepartmentrepresent?"

"Hecanrepresentyou，"saidAlma。

"Well，Ahwanttoberepresented，someho\'。"

"We\'llhavethebanquetthenightbeforeyouappearonthecoverofourfourthnumber，"saidFulkerson。

"Ahthoatthatwasdoublyfo\'bidden，"saidMissWoodburn。"Bythesternparentandtheenviousawtust。"

"We\'llgetBeatontogetroundthem，somehow。Iguesswecantrusthimtomanagethat。"

Mrs。Leightonsighedherresentmentoftheimplication。

"IalwaysfeelthatMr。Beatondoesn\'tdohimselfjustice，"shebegan。

Fulkersoncouldnotforegothechanceofajoke。"Well，maybehewouldrathertemperjusticewithmercyinacaselikehis。"Thismadeboththeyoungerladieslaugh。"Ijudgethisismychancetogetoffwithmylife，"headded，andheroseashespoke。"Mrs。Leighton，Iamabouttheonlymanofmysexwhodoesn\'tthirstforBeaton\'sbloodmostofthetime。ButIknowhimandIdon\'t。He\'smorekindsofagoodfellowthanpeoplegenerallyunderstand。Hedoesn\'twearhisheartuponhissleeve-

nothisulstersleeve，anyway。Youcanalwayscountmeonyoursidewhenit\'saquestionoffindingBeatonnotguiltyifhe\'llleavetheState。"

Almasetherdrawingagainstthewall，inrisingtosaygoodnighttoFulkerson。Hebentoveronhissticktolookatit。"Well，it\'sbeautiful，"hesighed，withunconscioussincerity。

Almamadehimacourtesyofmockmodesty。"ThankstoMissWoodburn!"

"Ohno!Allshehadtodowassimplytostayput。"

"Don\'tyouthinkAhmighthaveimproveditifAhhad，lookedbetter?"

thegirlasked，gravely。

"Oh，youcouldn\'t!"saidFulkerson，andhewentofftriumphantintheirapplauseandtheircriesof"Which?which?"

Mrs。Leightonsankdeepintoanaccusinggloomwhenatlastshefoundherselfalonewithherdaughter。"Idon\'tknowwhatyouarethinkingabout，AlmaLeighton。Ifyoudon\'tlikeMr。Beaton——"

"Idon\'t。"

"Youdon\'t?Youknowbetterthanthat。Youknowthat，youdidcareforhim。"

"Oh!that\'saverydifferentthing。That\'sathingthatcanbegotover。"

"Gotover!"repeatedMrs。Leighton，aghast。

"Ofcourse，itcan!Don\'tberomantic，mamma。Peoplegetoverdozensofsuchfancies。Theyevenmarryforlovetwoorthreetimes。"

"Never!"criedhermother，doingherbesttofeelshocked；andatlastlookingit。

HerlookingithadnoeffectuponAlma。"Youcaneasilygetovercaringforpeople；butyoucan\'tgetoverlikingthem——ifyoulikethembecausetheyaresweetandgood。That\'swhatlasts。Iwasasimplegoose，andheimposeduponmebecausehewasasophisticatedgoose。Nowthecaseisreversed。"

"Hedoescareforyou，now。Youcanseeit。Whydoyouencouragehimtocomehere?"

"Idon\'t，"saidAlma。"Iwilltellhimtokeepawayifyoulike。Butwhetherhecomesorgoes，itwillbethesame。"

"Nottohim，Alma!Heisinlovewithyou!"

"Hehasneversaidso。"

"Andyouwouldreallylethimsayso，whenyouintendtorefusehim?"

"Ican\'tverywellrefusehimtillhedoessayso。"

Thiswasundeniable。Mrs。Leightoncouldonlydemand，inanawfultone，"MayIaskwhy——ifyoucaredforhim；andIknowyoucareforhimstillyouwillrefusehim?"

Almalaughed。"Because——becauseI\'mweddedtomyArt，andI\'mnotgoingtocommitbigamy，whateverIdo。"

"Alma!"

"Well，then，becauseIdon\'tlikehim——thatis，Idon\'tbelieveinhim，anddon\'ttrusthim。He\'sfascinating，buthe\'sfalseandhe\'sfickle。

Hecan\'thelpit，Idaresay。"

"Andyouareperfectlyhard。IsitpossiblethatyouwereactuallypleasedtohaveMr。FulkersonteaseyouaboutMr。Dryfoos?"

"Oh，good-night，now，mamma!Thisisbecomingpersonal"

EndAHazardofNewFortunesV3

ByWilliamDeanHowellsPARTTHIRD

I。

Theschemeofabanquettocelebratetheinitialsuccessof\'EveryOtherWeek\'expandedinFulkerson\'sfancyintoaseries。Insteadofthepublishingandeditorialforce，withcertainofthemorerepresentativeartistsandauthorssittingdowntoamodestsupperinMrs。Leighton\'sparlors，heconceivedofadinneratDelmonico\'s，withtheprincipalliteraryandartistic，peoplethroughoutthecountryasguests，andaninexhaustiblehospitalitytoreportersandcorrespondents，fromwhomparagraphs，propheticandhistoric，wouldflowweeksbeforeandafterthefirstoftheseries。Hesaidthethingwasanewdepartureinmagazines；

itamountedtosomethinginliteratureasradicalastheAmericanRevolutioninpolitics:itwastheideaofselfgovernmentinthearts；

anditwasthisideathathadneveryetbeenfullydevelopedinregardtoit。Thatwaswhatmustbedoneinthespeechesatthedinner，andthespeechesmustbereported。Thenitwouldgolikewildfire。HeaskedMarchwhetherhethoughtMr。Depewcouldbegottocome；MarkTwain，hewassure，wouldcome；hewasaliteraryman。TheyoughttoinviteMr。

Evarts，andtheCardinalandtheleadingProtestantdivines。Hisambitionstoppedatnothing，nothingbutthequestionofexpense；therehehadtowaitthereturnoftheelderDryfoosfromtheWest，andDryfooswasstilldelayedatMoffitt，andFulkersonopenlyconfessedthathewasafraidhewouldstaytheretillhisownenthusiasmescapedinotheractivities，otherplans。

Fulkersonwasaslittlelikelyaspossibletofallunderasuperstitioussubjectiontoanotherman；butMarchcouldnothelpseeingthatinthispossiblemeasureDryfooswasFulkerson\'sfetish。Hedidnotreverehim，Marchdecided，becauseitwasnotinFulkerson\'snaturetorevereanything；hecouldlikeanddislike，buthecouldnotrespect。

Apparently，however，Dryfoosdauntedhimsomehow；andbesidesthehomagewhichthosewhohavenotpaytothosewhohave，FulkersonrenderedDryfoosthetributeofafeelingwhichMarchcouldonlydefineasasortofbewilderment。AswellasMarchcouldmakeout，thisfeelingwasevokedbythespectacleofDryfoos\'sunfailingluck，whichFulkersonwasfondofdazzlinghimselfwith。Itperfectlyconsistedwithakeensenseofwhateverwassordidandselfishinamanonwhomhiscareermusthavehaditsinevitableeffect。HelikedtophilosophizethecasewithMarch，torecallDryfoosashewaswhenhefirstmethimstillsomewhatinthesap，atMoffitt，andtostudytheprocessesbywhichheimaginedhimtohavedriedintothehardenedspeculator，withouteventhepretencetoanyadvantagebuthisowninhisventures。Hewasawareofpaintingthecharactertoovividly，andhewarnedMarchnottoacceptitexactlyinthosetints，buttosubduethemandshadeitforhimself。Hesaidthatwherehisadvantagewasnotconcerned，therewaseversomuchgoodinDryfoos，andthatifinsomethingsbehadgrowninflexible，hehadexpandedinotherstothefullmeasureofthevastscaleonwhichhedidbusiness。IthadseemedalittleoddtoMarchthatamanshouldputmoneyintosuchanenterpriseas\'EveryOtherWeek\'andgooffaboutotheraffairs，notonlywithoutanysignofanxiety，butwithoutanysortofinterest。ButFulkersonsaidthatwasthesplendidsideofDryfoos。

Hehadacourage，amagnanimity，thatwasequaltothestrainofanysuchuncertainty。Hehadfacedthemusiconceforall，whenheaskedFulkersonwhatthethingwouldcostinthedifferentdegreesofpotentialfailure；andthenhehadgoneoff，leavingeverythingtoFulkersonandtheyoungerDryfoos，withtheinstructionsimplytogoaheadandnotbotherhimaboutit。Fulkersoncalledthatprettytallforanoldfellowwhousedtobewailthewantofpigsandchickenstooccupyhismind。

HeallegeditasanotherproofoftheversatilityoftheAmericanmind，andofthegrandeurofinstitutionsandopportunitiesthatleteverymangrowtohisfullsize，sothatanymaninAmericacouldruntheconcernifnecessary。HebelievedthatoldDryfooscouldstepintoBismarck\'sshoesandruntheGermanEmpireattendays\'notice，oraboutaslongasitwouldtakehimtogofromNewYorktoBerlin。ButBismarckwouldnotknowanythingaboutDryfoos\'splanstillDryfoosgotreadytoshowhishand。FulkersonhimselfdidnotpretendtosaywhattheoldmanhadbeenuptosincehewentWest。HewasatMoffittfirst，andthenhewasatChicago，andthenhehadgoneouttoDenvertolookaftersomemineshehadoutthere，andarailroadortwo；andnowhewasatMoffittagain。

Hewassupposedtobeclosinguphisaffairsthere，butnobodycouldsay。

FulkersontoldMarchthemorningafterDryfoosreturnedthathehadnotonlynotpulledoutatMoffitt，buthadgoneindeeper，tentimesdeeperthanever。Hewasinaroyalgood-humor，Fulkersonreported，andwasgoingtodropintotheofficeonhiswayupfromtheStreet(MarchunderstoodWallStreet)thatafternoon。Hewastickledtodeathwith\'EveryOtherWeek\'sofarasithadgone，andwasanxioustopayhisrespectstotheeditor。

Marchaccountedforsomerhetoricinthis，butletitflatterhim，andpreparedhimselfforameetingaboutwhichhecouldseethatFulkersonwasonlylessnervousthanhehadshownhimselfaboutthepublicreceptionofthefirstnumber。ItgaveMarchadisagreeablefeelingofbeingownedandofbeingabouttobeinspectedbyhisproprietor；buthefellbackuponsuchindependenceashecouldfindinthethoughtofthosetwothousanddollarsofincomebeyondthecapriceofhisowner，andmaintainedanoutwardserenity。

Hewasalittleashamedafterwardoftheresolutionithadcosthimtodoso。ItwasnotaquestionofDryfoos\'sphysicalpresence:thatwasrathereffectivethanotherwise，andcarriedasuggestionofmoneyedindifferencetoconventioninthegraybusinesssuitofprovincialcut，andthelow，wide-brimmedhatofflexibleblackfelt。Hehadastickwithanold-fashionedtopofbuckhornwornsmoothandbrightbythepalmofhishand，whichhadnotlostitscharacterinfat，andwhichhadahistoryofformerworkinitsenlargedknuckles，thoughitwasnowassoftasMarch\'s，andmustoncehavebeensmallevenforamanofMr。

Dryfoos\'sstature；hewasbelowtheaveragesize。ButwhatstruckMarchwasthefactthatDryfoosseemedfurtivelyconsciousofbeingacountryperson，andofbeingawarethatintheirmeetinghewastobetriedbyotherteststhanthosewhichwouldhaveavailedhimasashrewdspeculator。HeevidentlyhadsomecuriosityaboutMarch，asthefirstofhiskindwhomhebadencountered；somesuchcuriosityasthecountryschooltrusteefeelsandtriestohideinthepresenceofthenewschoolmaster。Butthewholeaffairwas，ofcourse，onahigherplane；ononesideDryfooswasmuchmoreamanoftheworldthanMarchwas，andheprobablydivinedthisatonce，andrestedhimselfuponthefactinameasure。Itseemedtobehispreferencethathissonshouldintroducethem，forhecameupstairswithConrad，andtheyhadfairlymadeacquaintancebeforeFulkersonjoinedthem。

Conradofferedtoleavethematonce，buthisfathermadehimstay。

"IreckonMr。MarchandIhaven\'tgotanythingsoprivatetotalkaboutthatwewanttokeepitfromtheotherpartners。Well，Mr。March，areyougettingusedtoNewYorkyet?Ittakesalittletime。"

"Ohyes。Butnotsomuchtimeasmostplaces。EverybodybelongsmoreorlessinNewYork；nobodyhastobelongherealtogether。"

"Yes，thatisso。Youcantryit，andgoawayifyoudon\'tlikeitagooddealeasierthanyoucouldfromasmallerplace。Wouldn\'tmakesomuchtalk，wouldit?"HeglancedatMarchwithajocoselightinhisshrewdeyes。"ThatisthewayIfeelaboutitallthetime:justvisiting。Now，itwouldn\'tbethatwayinBoston，Ireckon?"

"Youcouldn\'tkeeponvisitingthereyourwholelife，"saidMarch。

Dryfooslaughed，showinghislowerteethinawaythatwasatoncesimpleandfierce。"Mr。Fulkersondidn\'thardlyknowashecouldgetyoutoleave。Isupposeyougotusedtoitthere。Ineverbeeninyourcity。"

"Ihadgotusedtoit；butitwashardlymycity，exceptbymarriage。Mywife\'saBostonian。"

"She\'sbeenalittlehomesickhere，then，"saidDryfoos，withasmileofthesamequalityashislaugh。

"LessthanIexpected，"saidMarch。"Ofcourse，shewasverymuchattachedtoouroldhome。"

"Iguessmywifewon\'tevergetusedtoNewYork，"saidDryfoos，andhedrewinhislowerlipwithasharpsigh。"Butmygirlslikeit；they\'reyoung。Youneverbeenoutourwayyet，Mr。March?OutWest?"

"Well，onlyforthepurposeofbeingborn，andbroughtup。IusedtoliveinCrawfordsville，andthenIndianapolis。"

"Indianapolisisboundtobeagreatplace，"saidDryfoos。"Iremembernow，Mr。FulkersontoldmeyouwasfromourState。"HewentontobragoftheWest，asifMarchwereanEasternerandhadtobeconvinced。

"Yououghttoseeallthatcountry。It\'sagreatcountry。"

"Ohyes，"saidMarch，"Iunderstandthat。"HeexpectedthepraiseofthegreatWesttoleaduptosomecommenton\'EveryOtherWeek\'；andtherewasabundantsuggestionofthattopicinthemanuscripts，proofsofletter-pressandillustrations，withadvancecopiesofthelatestnumberstrewnoverhistable。

ButDryfoosapparentlykepthimselffromlookingatthesethings。

Herolledhisheadaboutonhisshoulderstotakeinthecharacteroftheroom，andsaidtohisson，"Youdidn\'tchangethewoodwork，afterall。"

"No；thearchitectthoughtwehadbetterletitbe，unlesswemeanttochangethewholeplace。Helikeditsbeingold-fashioned。"

"Ihopeyoufeelcomfortablehere，Mr。March，"theoldmansaid，bringinghiseyestobearuponhimagainaftertheirtourofinspection。

"Toocomfortableforaworking-man，"saidMarch，andhethoughtthatthisremarkmustbringthemtosometalkabouthiswork，buttheproprietoronlysmiledagain。

"IguessIsha\'n\'tlosemuchonthishouse，"hereturned，asifmusingaloud。"Thisdown-townpropertyiscomingup。Businessisgettinginonallthesesidestreets。IthoughtIpaidaprettygoodpriceforit，too。"Hewentontotalkofrealestate，andMarchbegantofeelacertainresentmentathiscontinuedavoidanceoftheonlytopicinwhichtheycouldreallyhaveacommoninterest。"Youlivedownthiswaysomewhere，don\'tyou?"theoldmanconcluded。

"Yes。Iwishedtobenearmywork。"Marchwasvexedwithhimselfforhavingrecurredtoit；butafterwardhewasnotsurebutDryfoossharedhisowndiffidenceinthematter，andwaswaitingforhimtobringitopenlyintothetalk。Attimesheseemedwaryandmasterful，andthenMarchfeltthathewasbeingexaminedandtested；atotherssosimplethatMarchmightwellhavefanciedthatheneededencouragement，anddesiredit。HetalkedofhiswifeanddaughtersinawaythatinvitedMarchtosayfriendlythingsofhisfamily，whichappearedtogivetheoldmanfirstanunduepleasureandthenafinaldistrust。Atmomentsheturned，withaneffectoffindingreliefinit，tohissonandspoketohimacrossMarchofmatterswhichhewasunacquaintedwith；hedidnotseemawarethatthiswasrude，buttheyoungmanmusthavefeltitso；healwaysbroughttheconversationback，andonceatsomecosttohimselfwhenhisfathermadeitpersonal。

"IwanttomakearegularNewYorkbusinessmanoutofthatfellow，"hesaidtoMarch，pointingatConradwithhisstick。"Yous\'poseI\'mevergoingtodoit?"

"Well，Idon\'tknow，"saidMarch，tryingtofallinwiththejoke。

"Doyoumeannothingbutabusinessman?"

Theoldmanlaughedatwhateverlatentmeaninghefanciedinthis，andsaid:"Youthinkhewouldbealittletoomuchformethere?Well，I\'veseenenoughof\'emtoknowitdon\'talwaystakealargepatternofamantodoalargebusiness。ButIwanthimtogetthebusinesstraining，andthenifhewantstogointosomethingelseheknowswhattheworldis，anyway。Heigh?"

"Ohyes!"Marchassented，withsomecompassionfortheyoungmanreddeningpatientlyunderhisfather\'scomment。

Dryfooswentonasifhissonwerenotinhearing。"Nowthatboywantedtobeapreacher。Whatdoesapreacherknowabouttheworldhepreachesagainstwhenhe\'sbeenbroughtupapreacher?Hedon\'tknowsomuchasabadlittleboyinhisSunday-school；heknowsaboutasmuchasagirl。

Ialwaystoldhim，Youbeamanfirst，andthenyoubeapreacher，ifyouwantto。Heigh?"

"Precisely。"Marchbegantofeelsomecompassionforhimselfinbeingwitnessoftheyoungfellow\'sdiscomfortunderhisfather\'shomily。

"WhenwefirstcometoNewYork，Itoldhim，Nowhere\'syourchancetoseetheworldonabigscale。Youknowalreadywhatworkandsavingandsteadyhabitsandsensewillbringaman，to；youdon\'twanttogoroundamongtherich；youwanttogoamongthepoor，andseewhatlazinessanddrinkanddishonestyandfoolishnesswillbringmento。AndIguessheknows，aboutaswellasanybody；andifheevergoestopreachinghe\'llknowwhathe\'spreachingabout。"Theoldmansmiledhisfierce，simplesmile，andinhissharpeyesMarchfanciedcontemptoftheambitionhehadbalkedinhisson。Thepresentscenemusthavebeenoneofmanybetweenthem，endinginmeeksubmissiononthepartoftheyoungman，whomhisfather，perhapswithoutrealizinghiscruelty，treatedasachild。Marchtookithardthatheshouldbemadetosufferinthepresenceofaco-ordinatepowerlikehimself，andbegantodisliketheoldmanoutofproportiontohisoffence，whichmighthavebeenmerewantoftaste，oraneffectofmereembarrassmentbeforehim。Butevidently，whateverrebellionhisdaughtershadcarriedthroughagainsthim，hehadkepthisdominionoverthisgentlespiritunbroken。Marchdidnotchoosetomakeanyresponse，buttolethimcontinue，ifhewould，entirelyuponhisownimpulse。

II。

Asilencefollowed，ofratherpainfullength。ItwasbrokenbythecheeryvoiceofFulkerson，sentbeforehimtoheraldFulkerson\'scheeryperson。"Well，Isupposeyou\'vegottheglorioussuccessof\'EveryOtherWeek\'downprettycoldinyourtalkbythistime。Ishouldhavebeenupsoonertojoinyou，butIwasnippingamanforthelastpageofthecover。Iguesswe\'llhavetolettheMusehavethatforanadvertisementinsteadofapoemthenexttime，March。Well，theoldgentlemangivenyouboysyourscolding?"ThepersonofFulkersonhadgotintotheroomlongbeforehereachedthisquestion，andhadplanteditselfastrideachair。Fulkersonlookedoverthechairback，nowatMarch，andnowattheelderDryfoosashespoke。

Marchansweredhim。"Iguesswemusthavebeenwaitingforyou，Fulkerson。Atanyrate，wehadn\'tgottothescoldingyet。"

"Why，Ididn\'tsupposeMr。Dryfooscould\'a\'heldinsolong。I

understoodhewasawfulmadatthewaythethingstartedoff，andwantedtogiveyouapieceofhismind，whenhegotatyou。Iinferredasmuchfromaremarkthathemade。"MarchandDryfooslookedfoolish，asmendowhenmadethesubjectofthissortofmerrymisrepresentation。

"Ireckonmyscoldingwillkeepawhileyet，"saidtheoldman，dryly。

"Well，then，Iguessit\'sagoodchancetogiveMr。Dryfoosanideaofwhatwe\'vereallydone——justwhilewe\'reresting，asArtemusWardsays。

Heigh，March?"

"Iwillletyoublowthetrumpet，Fulkerson。Ithinkitbelongsstrictlytotheadvertisingdepartment，"saidMarch。Henowdistinctlyresentedtheoldman\'sfailuretosayanythingtohimofthemagazine；hemadehisinferencethatitwasfromasuspicionofhisreadinesstopresumeuponarecognitionofhisshareinthesuccess，andhewasdeterminedtosecondnosortofappealforit。

"Theadvertisingdepartmentistheheartandsoulofeverybusiness，"

saidFulkerson，hardily，"andIliketokeepmyhandinwithalittlepractiseonthetrumpetinprivate。Idon\'tbelieveMr。Dryfooshasgotanyideaoftheextentofthisthing。He\'sbeenoutamongthoseRackensackens，wherewewereallborn，andhe\'sreadthenoticesintheirsevenbyninedailies，andhe\'sseenthethingsellingonthecars，andhethinksheappreciateswhat\'sbeendone。ButIshouldjustliketotakehimroundinthislittleoldmetropolisawhile，andshowhim\'EveryOtherWeek\'onthecentretablesofthemillionaires——theVanderbiltsandtheAstors——andinthehomesofcultureandrefinementeverywhere，andlethimjudgeforhimself。It\'sthetalkoftheclubsandthedinner-

tables；childrencryforit；it\'stheCastoriaofliteratureandthePearlineofart，the\'Won\'t-be-happy-till-he-gets-itofeveryenlightenedman，woman，andchildinthisvastcity。Iknewwecouldcapturethecountry；but，mygoodness!Ididn\'texpecttohaveNewYorkfallintoourhandsatablow。Butthat\'sjustexactlywhatNewYorkhasdone。EveryOtherWeeksuppliesthelong-feltwantthat\'sbeengrindingroundinNewYorkandkeepingitawakenightseversincethewar。It\'stheculminationofallthehighandennoblingidealsofthepast。"

"Howmuch，"askedDryfoos，"doyouexpecttogetoutofitthefirstyear，ifitkeepsthestartit\'sgot?"

"Comesrightdowntobusiness，everytime!"saidFulkerson，referringthecharacteristictoMarchwithadelightedglance。"Well，sir，ifeverythingworksright，andwegetrainenoughtofillupthesprings，anditisn\'tagrasshopperyear，Iexpecttoclearaboveallexpensessomethingintheneighborhoodoftwenty-fivethousanddollars。"

"Humph!Andyouareallgoingtoworkayear——editor，manager，publisher，artists，writers，printers，andtherestof\'em——tocleartwenty-fivethousanddollars?——ImadethatmuchinhalfadayinMoffittonce。IseeitmadeinhalfaminuteinWallStreet，sometimes。"Theoldmanpresentedthisaspectofthecasewithagood-naturedcontempt，whichincludedFulkersonandhisenthusiasminanobviousliking。

Hissonsuggested，"Butwhenwemakethatmoneyhere，noonelosesit。"

"Canyouprovethat?"Hisfatherturnedsharplyuponhim。"Whateveriswonislost。It\'sallagame；itdon\'tmakeanydifferencewhatyoubeton。Businessisbusiness，andabusinessmantakeshisriskswithhiseyesopen。"

"Ah，buttheglory!"Fulkersoninsinuatedwithimpudentpersiflage。

"Ihadn\'tgottothegloryyet，becauseit\'shardtoestimateit；butputthegloryatthelowestfigure，Mr。Dryfoos，andaddittothetwenty-

fivethousand，andyou\'vegotanannualincomefrom\'EveryOtherWeek\'ofdollarsenoughtoconstructasilverrailroad，double-track，fromthisofficetothemoon。Idon\'tmentionanyofthesisterplanetsbecauseI

liketokeepwithinbounds。"

DryfoosshowedhislowerteethforpleasureinFulkerson\'sfooling，andsaid，"That\'swhatIlikeaboutyou，Mr。Fulkerson——youalwayskeepwithinbounds。"

"Well，Iain\'tashrinkingBostonviolet，likeMarch，here。Moresunflowerinmystyleofdiffidence；butIammodest，Idon\'tdenyit，"

saidFulkerson。"AndIdohatetohaveathingoverstated。"

"Andtheglory——youdoreallythinkthere\'ssomethingintheglorythatpays?"

"Notadoubtofit!Ishouldn\'tcareforthepaltryreturninmoney，"

saidFulkerson，withaburlesqueofgenerousdisdain，"ifitwasn\'tforthegloryalongwithit。"

"Andhowshouldyoufeelabouttheglory，iftherewasnomoneyalongwithit?"

"Well，sir，I\'mhappytosaywehaven\'tcometothatyet。"