part 1-第29部分

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a　filthy　clown's　suit；　and　his　box　held　half　a　dozen　rattle…



snakes。







　　　　　Saturday　night；　when　Thea　went　to　the　butcher　shop　to



get　the　chickens　for　Sunday；　she　heard　the　whine　of　an



accordion　and　saw　a　crowd　before　one　of　the　saloons。　　There



she　found　the　tramp；　his　bony　body　grotesquely　attired　in



the　clown's　suit；　his　face　shaved　and　painted　white；the



sweat　trickling　through　the　paint　and　washing　it　away；



and　his　eyes　wild　and　feverish。　　Pulling　the　accordion　in















and　out　seemed　to　be　almost　too　great　an　effort　for　him；



and　he　panted　to　the　tune　of　〃Marching　through　Georgia。〃



After　a　considerable　crowd　had　gathered；　the　tramp　ex…



hibited　his　box　of　snakes；　announced　that　he　would　now



pass　the　hat；　and　that　when　the　onlookers　had　contributed



the　sum　of　one　dollar；　he　would　eat　〃one　of　these　living



reptiles。〃　　The　crowd　began　to　cough　and　murmur；　and　the



saloon　keeper　rushed　off　for　the　marshal；　who　arrested　the



wretch　for　giving　a　show　without　a　license　and　hurried



him　away　to　the　calaboose。







　　　　　The　calaboose　stood　in　a　sunflower　patch；an　old　hut



with　a　barred　window　and　a　padlock　on　the　door。　　The



tramp　was　utterly　filthy　and　there　was　no　way　to　give　him



a　bath。　　The　law　made　no　provision　to　grub…stake　vagrants；



so　after　the　constable　had　detained　the　tramp　for　twenty…



four　hours；　he　released　him　and　told　him　to　〃get　out　of



town；　and　get　quick。〃　　The　fellow's　rattlesnakes　had　been



killed　by　the　saloon　keeper。　　He　hid　in　a　box　car　in　the



freight　yard；　probably　hoping　to　get　a　ride　to　the　next



station；　but　he　was　found　and　put　out。　　After　that　he　was



seen　no　more。　　He　had　disappeared　and　left　no　trace　except



an　ugly；　stupid　word；　chalked　on　the　black　paint　of　the



seventy…five…foot　standpipe　which　was　the　reservoir　for　the



Moonstone　water…supply；　the　same　word；　in　another



tongue；　that　the　French　soldier　shouted　at　Waterloo　to



the　English　officer　who　bade　the　Old　Guard　surrender；　a



comment　on　life　which　the　defeated；　along　the　hard　roads



of　the　world；　sometimes　bawl　at　the　victorious。







　　　　　A　week　after　the　tramp　excitement　had　passed　over；



the　city　water　began　to　smell　and　to　taste。　　The　Kron…



borgs　had　a　well　in　their　back　yard　and　did　not　use　city



water；　but　they　heard　the　complaints　of　their　neighbors。



At　first　people　said　that　the　town　well　was　full　of　rot…



ting　cottonwood　roots；　but　the　engineer　at　the　pumping…



station　convinced　the　mayor　that　the　water　left　the　well



untainted。　　Mayors　reason　slowly；　but；　the　well　being















eliminated；　the　official　mind　had　to　travel　toward　the



standpipethere　was　no　other　track　for　it　to　go　in。



The　standpipe　amply　rewarded　investigation。　　The　tramp



had　got　even　with　Moonstone。　　He　had　climbed　the



standpipe　by　the　handholds　and　let　himself　down　into



seventy…five　feet　of　cold　water；　with　his　shoes　and　hat　and



roll　of　ticking。　　The　city　council　had　a　mild　panic　and



passed　a　new　ordinance　about　tramps。　　But　the　fever　had



already　broken　out；　and　several　adults　and　half　a　dozen



children　died　of　it。







　　　　　Thea　had　always　found　everything　that　happened　in



Moonstone　exciting；　disasters　particularly　so。　　It　was　grat…



ifying　to　read　sensational　Moonstone　items　in　the　Denver



paper。　　But　she　wished　she　had　not　chanced　to　see　the



tramp　as　he　came　into　town　that　evening；　sniffing　the



supper…laden　air。　　His　face　remained　unpleasantly　clear　in



her　memory；　and　her　mind　struggled　with　the　problem　of



his　behavior　as　if　it　were　a　hard　page　in　arithmetic。　　Even



when　she　was　practicing；　the　drama　of　the　tramp　kept



going　on　in　the　back　of　her　head；　and　she　was　constantly



trying　to　make　herself　realize　what　pitch　of　hatred　or



despair　could　drive　a　man　to　do　such　a　hideous　thing。　　She



kept　seeing　him　in　his　bedraggled　clown　suit；　the　white



paint　on　his　roughly　shaven　face；　playing　his　accordion



before　the　saloon。　　She　had　noticed　his　lean　body；　his



high；　bald　forehead　that　sloped　back　like　a　curved　metal



lid。　　How　could　people　fall　so　far　out　of　fortune？　　She　tried



to　talk　to　Ray　Kennedy　about　her　perplexity；　but　Ray



would　not　discuss　things　of　that　sort　with　her。　　It　was　in



his　sentimental　conception　of　women　that　they　should　be



deeply　religious；　though　men　were　at　liberty　to　doubt　and



finally　to　deny。　　A　picture　called　〃The　Soul　Awakened；〃



popular　in　Moonstone　parlors；　pretty　well　interpreted



Ray's　idea　of　woman's　spiritual　nature。







　　　　　One　evening　when　she　was　haunted　by　the　figure　of　the



tramp；　Thea　went　up　to　Dr。　Archie's　office。　　She　found　him















sewing　up　two　bad　gashes　in　the　face　of　a　little　boy　who



had　been　kicked　by　a　mule。　　After　the　boy　had　been　ban…



daged　and　sent　away　with　his　father；　Thea　helped　the　doc…



tor　wash　and　put　away　the　surgical　instruments。　　Then



she　dropped　into　her　accustomed　seat　beside　his　desk



and　began　to　talk　about　the　tramp。　　Her　eyes　were　hard



and　green　with　excitement；　the　doctor　noticed。







　　　　　〃It　seems　to　me；　Dr。　Archie；　that　the　whole　town's　to



blame。　　I'm　to　blame；　myself。　　I　know　he　saw　me　hold　my



nose　when　he　went　by。　　Father's　to　blame。　　If　he　believes



the　Bible；　he　ought　to　have　gone　to　the　calaboose　and



cleaned　that　man　up　and　taken　care　of　him。　　That's　what



I　can't　understand；　do　people　believe　the　Bible；　or　don't



they？　　If　the　next　life　is　all　that　matters；　and　we're　put



here　to　get　ready　for　it；　then　why　do　we　try　to　make　money；



or　learn　things；　or　have　a　good　time？　　There's　not　one



person　in　Moonstone　that　really　lives　the　way　the　New



Testament　says。　　Does　it　matter；　or　don't　it？〃







　　　　　Dr。　Archie　swung　round　in　his　chair　and　looked　at　her；



honestly　and　leniently。　　〃Well；　Thea；　it　seems　to　me　like



this。　　Every　people　has　had　its　religion。　　All　religions　are



good；　and　all　are　pretty　much　alike。　　But　I　don't　see　how　we



could　live　up　to　them　in　the　sense　you　mean。　　I've　thought



about　it　a　good　deal；　and　I　can't　help　feeling　that　while　we



are　in　this　world　we　have　to　live　for　the　best　things　of　this



world；　and　those　things　are　material　and　positive。　　Now；



most　religions　are　passive；　and　they　tell　us　chiefly　what　we



should　not　do。〃　　The　doctor　moved　restlessly；　and　his　eyes



hunted　for　something　along　the　opposite　wall：　〃See　here；



my　girl；　take　out　the　years　of　early　childhood　and　the　time



we　spend　in　sleep　and　dull　old　age；　and　we　only　have　about



twenty　able；　waking　years。　　That's　not　long　enough　to　get



acquainted　with　half　the　fine　things　that　have　been　done



in　the　world；　much　less　to　do　anything　ourselves。　　I　think



we　ought　to　keep　the　Commandments　and　help　other



people　all　we　can；　but　the　main　thing　is　to　live　those















twenty　splendid　years；　to　do　all　we　can　and　enjoy　all　we



can。〃







　　　　　Dr。　Archie　met　his　little　friend's　searching　gaze；　the　look



of　acute　inquiry　which　always　touched　him。







　　　　　〃But　poor　fellows　like　that　tramp〃　she　hesitated　and



wrinkled　her　forehead。







　　　　　The　doctor　leaned　forward　and　put　his　hand　protect…



ingly　over　hers；　which　lay　clenched　on　the　green　felt　desk…



top。　　〃Ugly　accidents　happen；　Thea；　always　have　and



always　will。　　But　the　failures　are　swept　back　into　the　pile



and　forgotten。　　They　don't　leave　any　lasting　scar　in　the



world；　and　they　don't　affect　the　future。　　The　things　that



last　are　the　good　things。　　The　people　who　forge　ahead　and



do　something；　they　really　count。〃　　He　saw　tears　on　her



cheeks；　and　he　remembered　that　he　had　never　seen　her　cry



before；　not　even　when　she　crushed　her　finger　when　she　was



little。　　He　rose　and　walked　to　the　window；　came　back　and



sat　down　on　the　edge　of　his　chair。







　　　　　〃Forget　the　tramp；　Thea。　　This　is　a　great　big　world；　and



I　want　you　to　get　about　and　see　it　all。　　You're　going　to



Chicago　some　day；　and　do　something　with　that　fine　voice



of　yours。　　You're　going　to　be　a　number　one　musician　and



make　us　proud　of　you。　　Take　Mary　Anderson；　now；　even　the



tramps　are　proud　of　her。　　There　isn't　a　tramp　along　the　‘Q'



system　who　hasn't　heard　of　her。　　We　all　like　people　who



do　things；　even　if　we　only　see　their　faces　on　a　cigar…box　lid。〃







　　　　　They　had　a　long　talk。　　Thea　felt　that　Dr。　Archie　had



never　let　himself　out　to　her　so　much　before。　　It　was　the



most　grown…up　conversation　she　had　ever　had　with　him。



She　left　his　office　happy；　flattered　and　stimulated。　　She　ran



for　a　long　while　about　the　white；　moonlit　streets；　looking



up　at　the　stars　and　the　bluish　night；　at　the　quiet　houses



sunk　in　black　shade；　the　glittering　sand　hills。　　She　loved



the　familiar　trees；　and　the　people　in　those　little　houses；　and



she　loved　the　unknown　world　beyond　Denver。　　She　felt　as



if　she　were　being　pulled　in　two；　between　the　desire　to　go















away　forever　and　the　desire　to　stay　forever。　　She　had　only



twenty　yearsno　time　to　lose。







　　　　　Many　a　night　that　summer　she　left　Dr。　Archie's　office



with　a　desire　to　run　and　run　about　those　quiet　streets　until



she　wore　out　her　shoes；　or　wore　out　the　streets　themselves；



when　her　chest　ached　and　it　seemed　as　if　her　heart　were



spreading　all　over　the　desert。　　When　she　went　home；　it　was



not　to　go　to　sleep。　　She　used　to　drag　her　mattress　beside



her　low　window　and　lie　awake　for　a　long　while；　vibra