第5章

Sothebishopread，andLinlistened。Andallthewhilethisgoodclergymanwasperplexedhowtospeak——orifindeedtospeakatthistimeatall——totheheartofthemanbesidehimforwhomtheparablehadgonesosorelywrong。Whenthereadingwasdone，Linhadnottakenhiseyesfromthebishop’sface。

“Howlonghasthattherebeenwrote？“heasked。

Hewastoldabouthowlong。

“Mr。Bishop，“saidLin，“Iain’tgotgoodknowledgeoftheBible，andI

neverfiguredittobeabookmuchontofacts。AndItellyouI’mmoreplumbbeataboutit’shavingthatelderbrother，andhimbeingangry，downinblackandwhitetwothousandyearsago，than——thanifI’dseenamanturnwaterintowine，forI’dhaveknowedthatain’tso。Buttheelderbrotherisfacts——dead-surefacts。Andtheyknowedaboutthat，andputitdownjustthesameaslifetwothousandyearsago!“

“Well，“saidthebishop，wiselyignoringthechallengeastomiracles，“I

amagoodtwentyyearsolderthanyou，andallthattimeI’vebeenfindingmorefactsintheBibleeverydayIhavelived。“

Linmeditated。“Iguessthatcouldbe，“hesaid。“Yes；afterthatyu’vebeena-readin’，andwhatIknowformyselfthatIdidn’tknowtilllately，Iguessthatcouldbe。“

Thenthebishoptalkedwithexceedingcare，nordidheaskuncomfortablethings，ormoralizevisibly。ThushecametohearhowithadfaredwithLinhisfriend，andLinforgotaltogetheraboutitsbeingaparsonhewasdeliveringthefulnessofhisheartto。“Andcometothink，“heconcluded，“itweren’thomeIhadwenttobackEast，layin’roundthembigcities，whereamancan’thelpbutfeelstrangealltheweek。No，sir!Yu’canblowinathousanddollarslikeIdidinNewYork，andit’llnotgiveyu’anymorehomefeelin’thanwhatcattlehasputinastock-yard。Noritwouldn’thaveinBostonneither。Nowthiscountryhere“(hewavedhishandtowardstheendlesssage-brush)，“seein’itoncedmore，Iknowwheremyhomeis，andIwouldn’tlivenowhereselse。

OnlyIain’tgotnofatherwatchingformetocomeupWindRiver。“

Thecow-puncherstatedthismerelyasafact，andwithoutanynoteofself-pity。Butthebishopsfacegrewverytender，andhelookedawayfromLin。Knowinghisman——forhadhenotseenmanyofthiskindinhisdesertdiocese？——heforboretomakeanytextfromthatlastsentencethecow-puncherhadspoken。Lintalkedcheerfullyonaboutwhatheshouldnowdo。Theround-upmustbesomewherenearDuNoirCreek。Hewouldjoinitthisseason，butnextheshouldworkovertothePowderRivercountry。

Morebusinesswasoverthere，andbetterchancesforamantotakeupsomelandandhavearanchofhisown。AstheygotoutatFortWashakie，thebishophandedhimasmallbook，inwhichhehadturnedseveralleavesdown，carefullyavoidinganypagethatrelatedofmiracles。

“Youneednotreaditthrough，youknow，“hesaid，smiling；“justreadwhereIhavemarked，andseeifyoudon’tfindsomemorefacts。Goodbye——

andalwayscomeandseeme。“

ThenextmorninghewatchedLinridingslowlyoutoftheposttowardsWindRiver，leadingasinglepack-horse。By-and-bythelittlemovingdotwentovertheridge。Andasthebishopwalkedbackintotheparade-ground，thinkingoverthepossibilitiesinthatuntrainedmanlysoul，heshookhisheadsorrowfully。

THEWINNINGOFTHEBISCUIT-SHOOTER

ItwasquitecleartomethatMr。McLeancouldnotknowthenews。Meetinghimto-dayhadbeenunforeseen——unforeseenandsopleasantthatthethinghadnevercomeintomyheaduntiljustnow，afterbothofushadtalkedanddinedourfill，andweretorpidwithsatisfaction。

IhadfoundLinhereatRiversideinthemorning。Atmyhorse’sapproachtothecabin，itwasheandnotthepostmasterwhohadcomeprecipitatelyoutofthedoor。

“I’mturrublepleasedtoseeyu’，“hehadsaid，immediately。

“What’shappened？“saidI，insomeconcernathisappearance。

Andhepiteouslyexplained：“Why，I’vebeenhereallalonesinceyesterday!“

Thiswasindeedall；andmyhastyimpressionsofshootingandacorpsegavewaytomirthoverthechildandhisinnocentgrievancethathehadblurtedoutbeforeIcouldgetoffmyhorse。

Sincewhen，Iinquiredofhim，hadhisowncompanybecomesuchashocktohim？

“Astothat，“repliedMr。McLean，athoughtruffled，“whenamanexpectslonesomenesshestandsitlikehestandsanythingelse，ofcourse。Butwhenhehasfiguredonfindingcompany——say——“hebrokeoff(andvindictivenesssparkledinhiseye)——“whenyou’reluckyenoughtocatchyourselfalone，why，Isupposeyu’justtakeachairandchattoyourselfforhours——You’venotseenanythingofTommy？“hepursuedwithinterest。

Ihadnot；andforthwithLinpouredouttomethepent-upcomplaintsandsociabilitywithwhichhewasbursting。Theforemanhadsenthimoverherewithasackfuloflettersforthepost，andtobringbacktheweek’smailfortheranch。Adaywasgonenow，andnothingforamantodobutsitandsit。Tommywasoverduefifteenhours。Well，youcouldhaveenduredthat，buttheneighborshadalllockedtheircabinsandgonetoBuffalo。ItwascircusweekinBuffalo。HadIeverconsideredthemoneytheremustbeinthecircusbusiness？Tommyhadtakentheoutgoinglettersearlyyesterday。Nobodyhadkepthimwaiting。Byallrulesheshouldhavebeenbackagainlastnight。MaybethestagewaslatereachingPowderRiver，andTommyhadhadtolayoverforit。Well，thatwouldjustifyhim。Farmorelikelyhehadgonetothecircushimselfandtakenthemailwithhim。Tommywasnotypeofmanforpostmaster。ExceptdrawingtheallowancehismotherintheEastgavehimfirstofeverymonth，hehadnevershownpunctualitythatLincouldremember。Neverhadanysecondthoughts，andawfulfewfirstones。Toldbiggerliesthanasmallmanought，also。

“Hassuccesses，though，“saidI，wickedly。

“Huh!“wentonMr。McLean。“Successes!Oneice-cream-sodasuccess。Andshe“——Lin’sstillwoundedmalepridemadehimplaintive——“why，eventhatgirlquithim，onceshegotthechancetoappreciatehowinsignificanthewasascomparedwiththesizeofhiswords。No，sir。Notoneof’emretainsinterestinTommy。“

Linwasunsaddlingandlookingaftermyhorse，justbecausehewasgladtoseeme。Sinceourfirstacquaintance，thatmemorablesummerofPitchstoneCanyonwhenhehadtakensuchgoodcareofmeandsuchbadcareofhimself，Ihadlearnedprettywellabouthorsesandcampcraftingeneral。Hewasanentireboythen。ButhehadbeenEastsince，Eastbyarouteofhisowndiscovering——andfromhisaccountofthatjourneyithadproved，Ithink，asortofspiritualexperience。Andthentheyearsofourfriendshipwerebeginningtorollup。Manhoodofthebodyhehadalwaysrichlypossessed；andnow，wheneverwemetafteraseason’sabsenceandspokethoseinvariablewordswhichalloldfriendsuponthisearthusetoeachotheratmeeting——“Youhaven’tchanged，youhaven’tchangedatall!“——IwouldwonderifmanhoodhadarrivedinLin’sboysoul。Andsoto-day，whileheattendedtomyhorseandexplainedthenatureofTommy(asubjecthedearlylovedjustnow)，Ilookedathimandtookanintimate，superiorprideinfeelinghowmuchmorematureIwasthanhe，afterall。

There’snothinglikeasenseofmeritformakingonefeelaggrieved，andonourreturntothecabinMr。McLeanpointedwithdisgusttosomefirewood。

“Lookatthosesorrowfultoothpicks，“saidhe：“Tommy’swork。“

SoLin，theexcellenthearted，hadangrilybusiedhimself，andchoppedapileofreallogsthatwouldlastaweek。Hehadalsocleanedthestove，andnailedupthebed，thepillow-endofwhichwasonthefloor。Itappearedthemasterofthehousehadbeensleepinginitthereversewayonaccountoftheslant。ThushadLincookedanddinedalone，suppedalone，andsatoversomeoldnewspapersuntilbed-timealonewithhissenseofvirtue。Andnowhereitwaslongafterbreakfast，andnoTommyyet。

“It’sgoodyu’comethisforenoon，“Linsaidtome。“I’dnothavehadthehearttogetupanotherdinnerjustformyself。Let’seatrich!“

Accordingly，wehadrichlyeaten，LinandI。Hehadgoneoutamongtheshedsandcaughtsomeeggs(thatishowhespokeofit)，wehadopenedanumberofthingsincans，andIhadmademyfamousdishofevaporatedapricots，inwhichImanagedtoflingasuspicionofcaramelthroughoutthestew。

“Tommy’llbehotaboutthese，“saidLin，joyfully，asweatetheeggs。

“Hedon’tmindwhatyu’useofhiscannedgoods——pickledsalmonandtruck。Heishospitableallrightenoughtillitcomestoanegg。Thenhe’lltellanylie。Butshucks!Yu’canreadTommyrightthroughhisclothing。’Makeyourselfathome，Lin，’sayshe，yesterday。Andheshowedmehisfreshmilkandhisstuff。’Here’sanewham，’sayshe；’toobadmydamnedhensain’tbeenlayin’。Thesons-o’gunshavequitonmeeversinceChristmas。’AndawayhegoestoPowderRiverforthemail。’Yousworetooheavyaboutthemhens，’thinksI。Well，IexpecthemayhavetravelledhalfamilebythetimeI’dfoundfournests。“

Iamfondofeggs，andeatthemconstantly——andinWyomingtheywerealwaysaluxury。ButIneverforgetthosethatday，andhowLinandI

enjoyedthemthinkingofTommy。Perhapsmanhoodwasnotquiteestablishedinmyownsoulatthattime——andperhapsthatisthereasonwhyitistheonlytimeIhaveeverknownwhichIwouldliveoveragain，thoseyearswhenpeoplesaid，“Youareoldenoughtoknowbetter“——andonedidn’tcare!

Salmon，apricots，eggs，wedealtwiththemallproperly，andIhadsomecigars。Itwasnowthatthenewscamebackintomyhead。

“Whatdoyouthinkof——“Ibegan，andstopped。

Ispokeoutofalongsilence，theslack，luxurioussilenceofdigestion。

Igotnoanswer，naturally，fromthetorpidLin，andthenitoccurredtomethathewouldhaveaskedmewhatIthought，longbeforethis，hadheknown。So，observinghowcomfortablehewas，Ibegandifferently。

“Whatisthemostimportanteventthatcanhappeninthiscountry？“saidI。

Mr。McLeanheardmewherehelayalongthefloorofthecabinonhisback，dozingbythefire；buthiseyesremainedclosed。Hewaggledonelimp，openhandslightlyatme，andtorporresumedherdominionoverhim。

“Iwanttoknowwhatyouconsiderthemostimportanteventthatcanhappeninthiscountry，“saidI，again，enunciatingeachwordwithslowclearness。

ThethroatandlipsofMr。McLeanmoved，andasulkysoundcameforththatIrecognizedtobemeantfortheword“War。“Thenherolledoversothathisfacewasawayfromme，andputanarmoverhiseyes。

“Idon’tmeancountryinthesenseofUnitedStates，“saidI。“Imeanthiscountryhere，andBearCreek，and——well，theranchessouthwardforfiftymiles，say。Importanttothissection。“

“Mosquitoes’llbedueinaboutthreeweeks，“saidLin。“Yu’mightleaveamanresttillthen。“

“Iwantyouropinion，“saidI。

“Oh，misery!Well，araiseinthepriceofsteers。“

“No。“

“Yu’saidyu’wantedmyopinion，“saidLin。“Seemslikeyu’merelyfigureongivin’meyours。“

“Verywell，“saidI。“Verywell，then。“

ItookupacopyoftheCheyenneSun。Itwasfiveweeksold，andIsoonperceivedthatIhadreaditthreeweeksago；butIreaditagainforsomeminutesnow。

“Iexpectarailroadwouldbemoreimportant，“saidMr。McLean，persuasively，fromthefloor。

“Thanariseinsteers？“saidI，occupiedwiththeCheyenneSun。“Ohyes。

Yes，arailroadcertainlywould。“

“It’sgottobemoney，anyhow，“statedLin，thoroughlywakened。“Moneyinsomeshape。“

“Howlittleyouunderstandtherealwantsofthecountry!“saidI，comingtothepoint。“It’sagirl。“

Mr。McLeanlayquitestillonthefloor。

“Agirl，“Irepeated。“Anewgirlcomingtothisstarvedcountry。“

Thecow-punchertookalong，gradualstretchandbegantosmile。“Well，“

saidhe，“yu’caughtme——ifthat’smuchtodowhenamanishalf-wittedwithdinnerandsleep。“Heclosedhiseyesagainandlaywithaspeciousexpressionofindifference。Butthatsortofthingisasolitaryentertainment，andpalls。“Starved，“hepresentlymuttered。“Wearekindo’starvedthatwayI’lladmit。Moredollarsthangirlstothesquaremile。Andtothinkofallofusnice，healthy，young——betyu’Iknowwhosheis!“hetriumphantlycried。Hehadsatupandlevelledafingeratmewiththethrow-downjerkofamarksman。“Sidney，Nebraska。“

Inodded。Thiswasnotthelady’sname——hecouldnotrecallhername——buthisgeographyofherwasaccurate。

OnedayinFebruarymyfriend，Mrs。TayloroveronBearCreek，hadreceivedaletter——nocommoneventforher。Therefore，duringseveraldaysshehadallcallersreaditjustasnaturallyasshehadthemallseethenewbaby，andbabyandletterhadbothbeenbroughtoutforme。

Theletterwassigned，“Everyourafectionitefrend。