第1章

"Comein，"saidtheeditor。

Thedooroftheeditorialroomofthe"ExcelsiorMagazine"begantocreakpainfullyunderthehesitatingpressureofanuncertainandunfamiliarhand。Thiscontinueduntilwithastartofirritationtheeditorfaceddirectlyabout，throwinghislegoverthearmofhischairwithacertainyouthfuldexterity。Withonehandgrippingitsback，theotherstillgraspingaproof-slip，andhispencilinhismouth，hestaredattheintruder。

Thestranger，despitehishesitatingentrance，didnotseemintheleastdisconcerted。Hewasatallman，lookingeventallerbyreasonofthelongformlessovercoathewore，knownasa"duster，"

andbyalongstraightbeardthatdependedfromhischin，whichhecombedwithtworeflectivefingersashecontemplatedtheeditor。

Thereddustwhichstilllayinthecreasesofhisgarmentandinthecurvesofhissoftfelthat，andleftadustycirclelikeaprecipitatedhaloaroundhisfeet，proclaimedhim，ifnotacountryman，arecentinlandimportationbycoach。"Busy?"hesaid，inagravebutpleasantvoice。"Ikinwait。Don\'tmindME。Goon。"

Theeditorindicatedachairwithhisdisengagedhandandplungedagainintohisproof-slips。Thestrangersurveyedthescantfurnitureandappointmentsoftheofficewithalookofgravecuriosity，andthen，takingachair，fixedanearnest，penetratinggazeontheeditor\'sprofile。Theeditorfeltit，and，withoutlookingup，said——

"Well，goon。"

"Butyou\'rebusy。Ikinwait。"

"Ishallnotbelessbusythismorning。Icanlisten。"

"Iwantyoutogivemethenameofacertainpersonwhowritesinyourmagazine。"

Theeditor\'seyeglancedatthesecondright-handdrawerofhisdesk。Itdidnotcontainthenamesofhiscontributors，butwhatinthetraditionsofhisofficewasacceptedasanequivalent，——arevolver。Hehadneveryetpresentedeithertoaninquirer。Buthelaidasidehisproofs，and，withaslightdarkeningofhisyouthful，discontentedface，said，"Whatdoyouwanttoknowfor?"

Thequestionwassoevidentlyunexpectedthatthestranger\'sfacecoloredslightly，andhehesitated。Theeditormeanwhile，withouttakinghiseyesfromtheman，mentallyranoverthecontentsofthelastmagazine。Theyhadbeenofasingularlypeacefulcharacter。

Thereseemedtobenothingtojustifyhomicideonhispartorthestranger\'s。Yettherewasnoknowing，andhisquestioner\'sbucolicappearancebynomeansprecludedanassault。Indeed，ithadbeenalegendoftheofficethatapredecessorhadsufferedvicariouslyfromageologicalhammercovertlyintroducedintoascientificcontroversybyanirateprofessor。

"Aswemakeourselvesresponsiblefortheconductofthemagazine，"

continuedtheyoungeditor，withmatureseverity，"wedonotgiveupthenamesofourcontributors。Ifyoudonotagreewiththeiropinions"——

"ButIDO，"saidthestranger，withhisformercomposure，"andI

reckonthat\'swhyIwanttoknowwhowrotethoseversescalled\'Underbrush，\'signed\'WhiteViolet，\'inyourlastnumber。They\'repow\'fulpretty。"

Theeditorflushedslightly，andglancedinstinctivelyaroundforanyunexpectedwitnessofhisludicrousmistake。Thefearofridiculewasuppermostinhismind，andhewasmorerelievedathismistakenotbeingoverheardthanatitsgroundlessness。

"TheversesAREpretty，"hesaid，recoveringhimself，withacriticalair，"andIamgladyoulikethem。Buteventhen，youknow，Icouldnotgiveyouthelady\'snamewithoutherpermission。

Iwillwritetoherandaskit，ifyoulike。"

TheactualfactwasthattheverseshadbeensenttohimanonymouslyfromaremotevillageintheCoastRange，——theaddressbeingthepost-officeandthesignatureinitials。

Thestrangerlookeddisturbed。"Thensheain\'tabouthereanywhere?"hesaid，withavaguegesture。"Shedon\'tbelongtotheoffice?"

Theyoungeditorbeamedwithtolerantsuperiority:"No，Iamsorrytosay。"

"Ishouldliketohavegottoseeherandkinderaskedherafewquestions，"continuedthestranger，withthesamereflectiveseriousness。"Yousee，itwasn\'tjusttherhymin\'o\'themverses，——

andtheykindersingthemselvestoye，don\'tthey?——itwasn\'tthechyceo\'words，——andIreckontheyallushittheideeinthecentreshoteverytime，——itwasn\'ttheideesandmoralshesorto\'drewouto\'whatshewastellin\'，——butitwasthestraightthingitself，——thetruth!"

"Thetruth?"repeatedtheeditor。

"Yes，sir。I\'vebinthere。I\'veseenallthatshe\'sseeninthebrush——thelittleflicksandcheckerso\'lightandshadderdowninthebrowndustthatyouwonderhowitevergotthroughthedarkofthewoods，andthatallusseemstoslipawaylikeasnakeoralizardifyougrope。I\'veheardallthatshe\'sheardthere——thecreepin\'，thesighin\'，andthewhisperin\'throughthebrackenandtheground-vinesofallthatlivesthere。"

"Youseemtobeapoetyourself，"saidtheeditor，withapatronizingsmile。

"I\'malumberman，upinMendocino，"returnedthestranger，withsublimenaivete。"Gotamillthere。Yousee，sightin\'standin\'

timberandselectin\'fromthegen\'ralshowofthetreesinthegroundandthelayofrootshezsortermademetakenotice。"Hepaused。"Then，"headded，somewhatdespondingly，"youdon\'tknowwhosheis?"

"No，"saidtheeditor，reflectively；"notevenifitisreallyaWOMANwhowrites。"

"Eh?"

"Well，yousee，\'WhiteViolet\'mayaswellbethenomdeplumeofamanasofawoman，especiallyifadoptedforthepurposeofmystification。Thehandwriting，Iremember，WASmoreboyishthanfeminine。"

"No，"returnedthestrangerdoggedly，"itwasn\'tnoMAN。There\'sideasandwordstherethatonlycomefromawoman:baby-talktothebirds，youknow，andakindoffearsomekeerofbugsandcreepin\'

thingsthatdon\'tcometoamanwhowearsbootsandtrousers。

Well，"headded，withareturntohispreviousairofresigneddisappointment，"Isupposeyoudon\'tevenknowwhatshe\'slike?"

"No，"respondedtheeditor，cheerfully。Then，followinganideasuggestedbytheoddminglingofsentimentandshrewdperceptioninthemanbeforehim，headded:"Probablynotatalllikeanythingyouimagine。Shemaybeamotherwiththreeorfourchildren；oranoldmaidwhokeepsaboarding-house；orawrinkledschool-

mistress；orachitofaschool-girl。I\'vehadsomefairversesfromared-hairedgirloffourteenattheSeminary，"heconcludedwithprofessionalcoolness。

Thestrangerregardedhimwiththenaivewonderofaninexperiencedman。Havingpaidthistributetohissuperiorknowledge，heregainedhispreviousairofgraveperception。"Ireckonsheain\'tnoneofthem。ButI\'mkeepin\'youfromyourwork。Good-by。Myname\'sBowers——JimBowers，ofMendocino。Ifyou\'reupmyway，givemeacall。Andifyoudowritetothisyer\'WhiteViolet，\'andshe\'swillin\'，sendmeheraddress。"

Heshooktheeditor\'shandwarmly——eveninitsliteralsignificanceofimpartingagooddealofhisownearnestcalorictotheeditor\'sfingers——andlefttheroom。Hisfootfallechoedalongthepassageanddiedout，andwithit，Ifear，allimpressionofhisvisitfromtheeditor\'smind，asheplungedagainintothesilenttaskbeforehim。

Presentlyhewasconsciousofamelodioushummingandalightleisurelystepattheentranceofthehall。Theycontinuedoninaneasyharmonyandunaffectedasthepassageofabird。Bothwerepleasantandbothfamiliartotheeditor。TheybelongedtoJackHamlin，byvocationagambler，bytasteamusician，onhiswayfromhisapartmentsontheupperfloor，wherehehadjustrisen，todropintohisfriend\'seditorialroomandglanceovertheexchanges，aswashishabitbeforebreakfast。

Thedooropenedlightly。Theeditorwasconsciousofafaintodorofscentedsoap，asensationoffreshnessandcleanliness，theimpressionofasofthandlikeawoman\'sonhisshoulderand，likeawoman\'s，momentarilyandplayfullycaressing，thepassageofagracefulshadowacrosshisdesk，andthenextmomentJackHamlinwasostentatiouslydustingachairwithanopennewspaperpreparatorytosittingdown。

"Yououghttoshipthatoffice-boyofyours，ifhecan\'tkeepthingscleaner，"hesaid，suspendinghismelodytoeyegrimlythedustwhichMr。Bowershadshakenfromhisdepartingfeet。

Theeditordidnotlookupuntilhehadfinishedrevisingadifficultparagraph。BythattimeMr。Hamlinhadcomfortablysettledhimselfonacanesofa，and，possiblyoutofdeferencetohissurroundings，hadsubduedhissongtoapeculiarlylow，soft，andheartbreakingwhistleasheunfoldedanewspaper。Cleanandfaultlessinhisappearance，hehadtheraregiftofbeingabletogetupattwointheafternoonwithmuchofthedewyfreshnessandallofthemoralsuperiorityofanearlyriser。

"Yououghttohavebeenherejustnow，Jack，"saidtheeditor。

"Notarow，oldman，eh?"inquiredJack，withafaintaccessionofinterest。

"No，"saidtheeditor，smiling。Thenherelatedtheincidentsofthepreviousinterview，withacertainhumorousexaggerationwhichwaspartofhisnature。ButJackdidnotsmile。

"Yououghttohavebootedhimoutoftheranchonsight，"hesaid。

"Whatrighthadhetocomeherepryingintoalady\'saffairs?——atleastaladyasfarasHEknows。Ofcourseshe\'ssomeoldblowzywithfrumpledhairtryingtoropeinagreenhornwithastringofwordsandphrases，"concludedJack，carelessly，whohadanequallycynicaldistrustofthesexandofliterature。

"That\'saboutwhatItoldhim，"saidtheeditor。

"That\'sjustwhatyouSHOULDN\'Thavetoldhim，"returnedJack。

"Yououghttohavestuckupforthatwomanasifshe\'dbeenyourownmother。Lord!youfellowsdon\'tknowhowtorunamagazine。

YououghttoletMEsitonthatchairandtackleyourcustomers。"

"Whatwouldyouhavedone，Jack?"askedtheeditor，muchamusedtofindthathishithertoinvincibleherowasnotabovetheordinaryhumanweaknessofofferingadviceastoeditorialconduct。

"Done?"reflectedJack。"Well，first，sonny，Ishouldn\'tkeeparevolverinadrawerthatIhadtoOPENtogetat。"

"Butwhatwouldyouhavesaid?"

"IshouldsimplyhaveaskedhimwhatwasthepriceoflumberatMendocino，"saidJack，sweetly，"andwhenhetoldme，Ishouldhavesaidthatthesampleshewasofferingoutofhisownheadwouldn\'tsuit。Yousee，youdon\'twantanytriflinginsuchmatters。Youwritewellenough，myboy，"continuedhe，turningoverhispaper，"butwhatyou\'relackinginiseditorialdignity。Butgoonwithyourwork。Don\'tmindme。"

Thusadmonished，theeditoragainbentoverhisdesk，andhisfriendsoftlytookuphissuspendedsong。TheeditorhadnotproceededfarinhiscorrectionswhenJack\'svoiceagainbrokethesilence。

"Wherearethosed——dverses，anyway?"

Withoutlookingup，theeditorwavedhispenciltowardsanuncutcopyofthe"ExcelsiorMagazine"lyingonthetable。

"Youdon\'tsupposeI\'mgoingtoREADthem，doyou?"saidJack，aggrievedly。"Whydon\'tyousaywhatthey\'reabout?That\'syourbusinessaseditor。"

Butthatfunctionary，nowwhollylostandwanderinginthenon-

sequiturofaninvolvedpassageintheproofbeforehim，onlywavedanimpatientremonstrancewithhispencilandknithisbrows。

Jack，withasigh，tookupthemagazine。

Alongsilencefollowed，brokenonlybythehurriedrustlingofsheetsofcopyandanoccasionalexasperatedstartfromtheeditor。

Thesunwasalreadybeginningtoslantadustybeamacrosshisdesk；Jack\'swhistlinghadlongsinceceased。Presently，withanexclamationofrelief，theeditorlaidasidethelastproof-sheetandlookedup。

JackHamlinhadclosedthemagazine，butwithonehandthrownoverthebackofthesofahewasstillholdingit，hisslimforefingerbetweenitsleavestokeeptheplace，andhishandsomeprofileanddarklashesliftedtowardsthewindow。Theeditor，smilingatthisunwontedabstraction，saidquietly，——

"Well，whatdoyouthinkofthem?"

Jackrose，laidthemagazinedown，settledhiswhitewaistcoatwithbothhands，andloungedtowardshisfriendwithaudaciousbutslightlyveiledandshiningeyes。"Theysortofsingthemselvestoyou，"hesaid，quietly，leaningbesidetheeditor\'sdesk，andlookingdownuponhim。Afterapausehesaid，"Thenyoudon\'tknowwhatshe\'slike?"

"That\'swhatMr。Bowersaskedme，"remarkedtheeditor。

"D——nBowers!"

"Isupposeyoualsowishmetowriteandaskforpermissiontogiveyouheraddress?"saidtheeditor，withgreatgravity。

"No，"saidJack，coolly。"IproposetogiveittoYOUwithinaweek，andyouwillpaymewithabreakfast。IshouldliketohaveitsaidthatIwasonceapaidcontributortoliterature。IfI

don\'tgiveittoyou，I\'llstandyouadinner，that\'sall。"

"Done!"saidtheeditor。"Andyouknownothingofhernow?"

"No，"saidJack，promptly。"Noryou?"

"NomorethanIhavetoldyou。"

"That\'lldo。Solong!"AndJack，carefullyadjustinghisglossyhatoverhiscurlsatanominouslywickedangle，saunteredlightlyfromtheroom。Theeditor，glancingafterhishandsomefigureandhearinghimtakeuphispretermittedwhistleashepassedout，begantothinkthatthecontingentdinnerwasbynomeansaninevitableprospect。

Howbeit，heplungedoncemoreintohismonotonousduties。ButthefreshnessofthedayseemedtohavedepartedwithJack，andthelaterinterruptionsofforemanandpublisherwereofamorepracticalcharacter。Itwasnotuntilthepostarrivedthatthesuperscriptionononeoftheletterscaughthiseye，andrevivedhisformerinterest。Itwasthesamehandasthatofhisunknowncontributor\'smanuscript——ill-formedandboyish。Heopenedtheenvelope。Itcontainedanotherpoemwiththesamesignature，butalsoanote——muchlongerthanthebrieflinesthataccompaniedthefirstcontribution——wasscrawleduponaseparatepieceofpaper。

Thistheeditoropenedfirst，andreadthefollowing，withanamazementthatforthemomentdominatedallothersense:——

MR。EDITOR，——Iseeyouhavegotmypoetryin。ButIdon\'tseethespondulixthatoughterfollow。Perhapsyoudon\'tknowwheretosendit。ThenI\'lltellyou。SendthemoneytoLockBox47，GreenSpringsP。O。，perWellsFargo\'sExpress，andI\'llgetitthere，onaccountofmyparentsnotknowing。We\'reveryhigh-toned，andtheywouldthinkit\'slowmakingpoetryforpapers。Sendamountusuallypaidforpoetryinyourpapers。OrmaybeyouthinkImakepoetryfornothing?That\'swhereyouslipup!

Yourstruly，WHITEVIOLET。

P。S——Ifyoudon\'tpayforpoetry，sendthisback。It\'sasgoodaswhatyoudidputin，andisjustashardtomake。Youhearme?

that\'sme——allthetime。

WHITEVIOLET。

Theeditorturnedquicklytothenewcontributionforsomecorroborationofwhathefeltmustbeanextraordinaryblunder。

Butno!Thefewlinesthathehurriedlyreadbreathedthesameatmosphereofintellectualrepose，gentleness，andimaginationasthefirstcontribution。Andyettheywereinthesamehandwritingasthesingularmissive，andbothwereidenticalwiththepreviousmanuscript。

Hadhebeenthevictimofahoax，andweretheversesnotoriginal?

No；theyweredistinctlyoriginal，localincolor，andevenlocalintheuseofcertainoldEnglishwordsthatwerecommonintheSouthwest。Hehadbeforenoticedtheapparentincongruityofthehandwritingandthetext，anditwaspossiblethatforthepurposesofdisguisethepoetmighthaveemployedanamanuensis。Buthowcouldhereconciletheincongruityofthemercenaryandslangypurportofthemissiveitselfwiththementalhabitofitsauthor?

Wasitpossiblethattheseinconsistentqualitiesexistedintheoneindividual?HesmiledgrimlyashethoughtofhisvisitorBowersandhisfriendJack。HewasstartledasherememberedthepurelyimaginativepicturehehadhimselfgiventotheseriouslyinterestedBowersofthepossibleincongruouspersonalityofthepoetess。

WashequitefairinkeepingthisfromJack?Wasitreallyhonorable，inviewoftheirwager?ItistobefearedthataveryhumanenjoymentofJack\'spossiblediscomfiturequiteasmuchasanychivalrousfriendshipimpelledtheeditortoringeventuallyfortheoffice-boy。

"SeeifMr。Hamlinisinhisrooms。"

Theeditorthensatdown，andwroterapidlyasfollows:——

DEARMADAM，——Youareasrightasyouaregenerousinsupposingthatonlyignoranceofyouraddresspreventedthemanagerfrompreviouslyremittingthehonorariumforyourbeautifulverses。Henowbegstosendittoyouinthemanneryouhaveindicated。Astheverseshaveattracteddeservedattention，Ihavebeenappliedtoforyouraddress。Shouldyoucaretosubmitittometobeusedatmydiscretion，Ishallfeelhonoredbyyourconfidence。Butthisisamatterleftentirelytoyourownkindnessandbetterjudgment。Meantime，Itakepleasureinaccepting"WhiteViolet\'s"

presentcontribution，andremain，dearmadam，yourobedientservant，THEEDITOR。

Theboyreturnedashewasfoldingtheletter。Mr。HamlinwasnotonlyNOTinhisrooms，but，accordingtohisnegroservantPete，hadlefttownanhouragoforafewdaysinthecountry。

"Didhesaywhere?"askedtheeditor，quickly。

"No，sir:hedidn\'tknow。"

"Verywell。Takethistothemanager。"Headdressedtheletter，and，scrawlingafewhieroglyphicsonamemorandum-tag，toreitoff，andhandeditwiththelettertotheboy。

Anhourlaterhestoodinthemanager\'soffice。"Thenextnumberisprettywellmadeup，"hesaid，carelessly，"andIthinkoftakingadayortwooff。"

"Certainly，"saidthemanager。"Itwilldoyougood。Wheredoyouthinkyou\'llgo?"

"Ihaven\'tquitemadeupmymind。"

CHAPTERII

"Hullo!"saidJackHamlin。

Hehadhaltedhismareattheedgeofanabruptchasm。Itdidnotappeartobefiftyfeetacross，yetitsdepthmusthavebeennearlytwohundredtowherethehiddenmountain-stream，ofwhichitwasthebanks，alternatelyslipped，tumbled，andfellwithmurmuringandmonotonousregularity。Oneortwopine-treesgrowingontheoppositeedge，loosenedattheroots，hadtiltedtheirstraightshaftslikespearsovertheabyss，andthetopofone，restingontheupperbranchesofasycamoreafewyardsfromhim，servedasanaerialbridgeforthepassageofaboyoffourteentowhomMr。

Hamlin\'schallengewasaddressed。

Theboystoppedmidwayinhisperiloustransit，and，lookingdownuponthehorseman，responded，coolly，"Hullo，yourself!"

"Isthattheonlywayacrossthisinfernalhole，ortheoneyoupreferforexercise?"continuedHamlin，gravely。

Theboysatdownonabough，allowinghisbarefeettodangleoverthedizzydepths，andcriticallyexaminedhisquestioner。Jackhadonthisoccasionmodifiedhisusualcorrectconventionalattirebyatastefulcombinationofavaquero\'scostume，and，inloosewhitebullion-fringedtrousers，redsash，jacket，andsombrero，lookedinfinitelymoredashingandpicturesquethanhisoriginal。

Nevertheless，theboydidnotreply。Mr。Hamlin\'sprideinhisusualascendencyoverwomen，children，horses，andallunreasoninganimalswasdeeplynettled。Hesmiled，however，andsaid，quietly，——

"Comehere，GeorgeWashington。Iwanttotalktoyou。"

Withoutrejectingthisaugustyetimpossibletitle，theboypresentlyliftedhisfeet，andcarelesslyresumedhispassageacrossthechasmuntil，reachingthesycamore，hebegantolethimselfdownsquirrel-wise，leapbyleap，withanoccasionaltrapezeswingingfromboughtobough，droppingatlasteasilytotheground。Hereheappearedtoberathergood-looking，albeitthesunandairhadworkedamiracleofbrowntanandfrecklesonhisexposedsurfaces，untilthemottlingofhisovalcheekslookedlikeapolishedbird\'segg。Indeed，itstruckMr。Hamlinthathewasasintenselyapartofthatsylvanseclusionasthehiddenbrookthatmurmured，thebrownvelvetshadowsthatlayliketrappingsonthewhiteflanksofhishorse，thequiveringheat，andthestingingspiceofbay。Mr。Hamlinhadvagueideasofdryadsandfauns，butatthatmomentwouldhavebetsomethingonthechancesoftheirsurvival。

"Ididnothearwhatyousaidjustnow，general，"heremarked，withgreateleganceofmanner，"butIknowfromyourreputationthatitcouldnotbealie。IthereforegatherthatthereISanotherwayacross。"

Theboysmiled；rather，hisveryshortupperlipapparentlyvanishedcompletelyoverhiswhiteteeth，andhisveryblackeyes，whichshowedagreatdealofthewhitearoundthem，dancedintheirorbits。

"ButYOUcouldn\'tfindit，"hesaid，slyly。

"Nomorecouldyoufindthehalf-dollarIdroppedjustnow，unlessIhelpedyou。"

Mr。Hamlin，bywayofillustration，leaneddeeplyoverhisleftstirrup，andpointedtotheground。Atthesamemomentabrighthalf-dollarabsolutelyappearedtoglitterintheherbageatthepointofhisfinger。Itwasatrickthathadalwaysbroughtgreatpleasureandprofittohisyoungfriends，andsomelossanddiscomfitureofwagertohisolderones。

Theboypickedupthecoin:"There\'sadipandalevelcrossingaboutamileoveryer，"——hepointed，——"butit\'sthroughthewoods，andthey\'rethathighwiththickbresh。"

"Withwhat?"

"Bresh，"repeatedtheboy；"THAT，"——pointingtoafewfrondsofbrackengrowingintheshadowofthesycamore。

"Oh!underbrush?"

"Yes；Isaid\'bresh，\'"returnedtheboy，doggedly。"YOUmightgetthrough，efyouwarspry，butnotyourhoss。Wheredoyouwanttogo，anyway?"

"Doyouknow，George，"saidMr。Hamlin，lazilythrowinghisrightlegoverthehornofhissaddleforgreatereaseanddeliberationinreplying，"it\'sveryodd，butthat\'sjustwhatI\'Dliketoknow。

Now，whatwouldYOU，inyourbroadstatesmanlikeviewsofthingsgenerally，advise?"

Quiteconvincedofthestranger\'smentalunsoundness，theboyglancedagainathishalf-dollar，asiftomakesureofitsintegrity，pocketeditdoubtfully，andturnedaway。

"Whereareyougoing?"saidHamlin，resuminghisseatwiththeagilityofacircus-rider，andspurringforward。

"ToGreenSprings，whereIlive，twomilesovertheridgeonthefarslope，"——indicatingthedirection。