ToLaurel。
　　Thereisamidlandcityintheheartoffair,opencountry,adirtyandwonderfulcitynestingdingilyinthefogofitsownsmoke。Thestrangermustfeelthedirtbeforehefeelsthewonder,forthedirtwillbeuponhiminstantly。Itwillbeuponhimandwithinhim,sincehemustbreatheit,andhemaycarefornofurtherproofthatwealthisherebetterlovedthancleanliness;butwhetherhecaresornot,thenegligentlytendedstreetsincessantlypresshomethepoint,andsodothefleckedandgrimycitizens。Atabreezehemustsmotherinthewhirlpoolsofdust,andifheshoulddeclineatanytimetoinhalethesmokehehasthemeageralternativeofsuicide。
　　Thesmokeislikethebadbreathofagiantpantingformoreandmoreriches。
　　Hegetsthemandpantsthefiercer,smellingandswellingprodigiously。Hehasavoice,ahoarsevoice,hotandrapacioustrainedtoonetune:"Wealth！
　　IwillgetWealthIwillmakeWealth！IwillsellWealthformoreWealth！Myhouseshallbedirty,mygarmentshallbedirty,andIwillfoulmyneighborsothathecannotbeclean——butIwillgetWealth！Thereshallbenocleanthingaboutme:mywifeshallbedirtyandmychildshallbedirty,butI
　　willgetWealth！"Andyetitisnotwealththatheissogreedyfor:whatthegiantreallywantsishastyriches。Togetthesehesquanderswealthuponthefourwinds,forwealthisinthesmoke。
　　Notsolongagoasageneration,therewasnopantinggianthere,noheaving,grimycity;therewasbutapleasantbigtownofneighborlypeoplewhohadunderstandingofoneanother,being,onthewhole,muchofthesametype。Itwasaleisurelyandkindlyplace——"homelike,"itwascalled——andwhenthevisitorhadbeentakenthroughtheStateAsylumfortheInsaneandmadetoappreciatetheviewofthecemeteryfromalittlehill,hishost'sdutyasBaedekerwasdone。ThegoodburghersweregiventojoggingcomfortablyaboutinphaetonsorinsurreysforafamilydriveonSunday。Noonewasveryrich;
　　fewwereverypoor;theairwasclean,andtherewastimetolive。
　　Buttherewasaspiritabroadintheland,anditwasstronghereaselsewhere——aspiritthathadmovedinthedepthsoftheAmericansoilandlaboredthere,sweating,tillitstirredthesurface,rovethemountains,andemerged,tangibleandmonstrous,thegodofallgoodAmericanhearts——
　　Bigness。Andthatgodwroughtthepantinggiant。
　　Inthesoulsoftheburgherstherehadalwaysbeentheprofoundlongingforsize。Yearbyyearthelongingincreaseduntilitbecameanaccumulatedforce:WemustGrow！WemustbeBig！WemustbeBigger！BignessmeansMoney！Andthethingbegantohappen;theirlongingbecameamightyWill。WemustbeBigger！Bigger！Bigger！Getpeoplehere！Coaxthemhere！Bribethem！Swindlethemintocoming,ifyoumust,butgetthem！Shoutthemintocoming！Deafenthemintocoming！Anykindofpeople;allkindsofpeople！
　　WemustbeBigger！Blow！Boost！Brag！Killthefault—finder！ScreamandbellowtotheMostHigh:Bignessispatriotismandhonor！Bignessisloveandlifeandhappiness！BignessisMoney！WewantBigness！
　　Theygotit。Fromallthestatesthepeoplecame;thinlyatfirst,andslowly,butfasterandfasterinthickerandthickerswarmsasthequickyearswentby。Whitepeoplecame,andblackpeopleandbrownpeopleandyellowpeople;thenegroescamefromtheSouthbythethousandsandthousands,multiplyingbyotherthousandsandthousandsfasterthantheycoulddie。Fromthefourquartersoftheearththepeoplecame,thebrokenandtheunbroken,thetameandthewild——Germans,Irish,Italians,Hungarians,Scotch,Welsh,English,French,Swiss,Swedes,Norwegians,Greeks,Poles,RussianJews,Dalmatians,Armenians,Rumanians,Servians,Persians,Syrians,Japanese,Chinese,Turks,andeveryhybridthatthesecouldpropagate。AndiftherewerenoEskimosnorPatagonians,whatotherhumanstrainthatearthmightfurnishfailedtoswimandbubbleinthiscrucible？
　　WithBignesscamethenewmachineryandtherush;thestreetsbegantoroarandrattle,thehousestotremble;thepavementswerewornunderthetreadofhurryingmultitudes。Theold,leisurely,quizzicallookofthefaceswaslostinsomethingharderandwarier;andacockneytypebegantoemergediscernibly——acynicalyoungmongrel,barbaricoffeature,muscularandcunning;dressedingoodfabricsfashionedapparentlyinimitationofthesketchesdrawnbynewspapercomedians。Thefemaleofhiskindcamewithhim——apalegirl,shoddyandalittlerouged;andtheycommunicatedinanasalargot,mainlyinsolencesandelisions。Nay,thecommonspeechofthepeopleshowedchange:inplaceoftheoldmidlandvernacular,irregularbutclean,andnotunwholesomelydrawling,ajerkydialectofcoinedmetaphorsbegantobeheard,heldtogetherbyGUNNASandGOTTASandmuchfosteredbythepublicjournals。
　　Thecitypileditselfhighinthecenter,towerontowerforanucleus,andspreaditselfoutovertheplain,mileaftermile;andinitsvitals,likebenevolentbacillicontendingwithmalevolentinthebodyofaman,missionsandrefugesofferedwhatresistancetheymighttothesaloonsandallthehellsthatcitieshouseandshelter。Temptationandruinwerereadycommoditiesonthemarketforpurchasebytheventuresome;highwaymenwalkedthestreetsatnightandsometimeskilled;snatchingthieveswerebusyeverywhereinthedusk;whilehouse—breakerswereacommonapprehensionandfrequentreality。LifeitselfwassomewhatsaferfromintentionaldestructionthanitwasinmedievalRomeduringafactionwar——thoughtheRomanmurdererwasmoreliketopayforhisdeed——butdeathormutilationbeneaththewheelslayinambushateverycrossing。
　　Thepoliticiansletthepeoplemakeallthelawstheyliked;itdidnotmattermuch,andthetaxeswentup,whichisgoodforpoliticians。Law—makingwasapastimeofthepeople;nothingpleasedthemmore。Singularfermentationoftheirhumor,theyevenhadlawsforbiddingdangerousspeed。Moremarvelousstill,theyhadalawforbiddingsmoke！Theyforbadechimneystosmokeandtheyforbadecigarettestosmoke。Theymadelawsforallthingsandforgotthemimmediately;thoughsometimestheywouldrememberafterawhile,andhurrytomakenewlawsthattheoldlawsshouldbeenforced——andthenforgetbothnewandold。WhereverenforcementthreatenedMoneyorVotes——orwhereveritwastoomuchtobother——itbecameajoke。Influencewasthelaw。
　　Sotheplacegrew。Anditgrewstrong。Straightwaywhenhecame,eachmanfelltothesameworship:
　　Givemeofthyself,OBigness:
　　Powertogetmorepower！
　　Richestogetmoreriches！
　　GivemeofthysweatthatImaysweatmore！
　　GivemeBignesstogetmoreBignesstomyself,OBigness,forThineisthePowerandtheGlory！
　　AndthereisnoendbutBigness,everandforever！
　　TheSheridanBuildingwasthebiggestskyscraper;theSheridanTrustCompanywasthebiggestofitskind,andSheridanhimselfhadbeenthebiggestbuilderandbreakerandtrusterandbusterunderthesmoke。Hehadcomefromacountrycross—roads,atthebeginningofthegrowth,andhehadgoneupanddownintheboomsandrelapsesofthatperiod;buteachtimehewentdownhereboundedalittlehigher,untilfinally,afterayearofoverworkandanxiety——thelatternotdecreasedbyachance,remotebutpossible,ofrecuperationfromtheformerinthepenitentiary——hefoundhimselfontop,withsolidsubstanceunderhisfeet;andthereafter"playeditsafe。"Buthishungertogetwasunabated,foritwasintheverybonesofhimandgrewfiercer。
　　Hewasthecityincarnate。Helovedit,callingitGod'scountry,ashecalledthesmokeProsperity,breathingthedingycloudwithrelish。Andwhensootfelluponhiscuffhechuckled;hecouldhavekissedit。"It'sgood！It'sgood！"hesaid,andsmackedhislipsingusto。"Good,cleansoot;it'sourlife—blood,Godblessit！"Thesmokewasoneofhisgreatenthusiasms;helaughedatacommitteeofplaintivehousewiveswhocalledtobeghisaidagainstit。"Smoke'swhatbringsyourhusbands'moneyhomeonSaturdaynight,"hetoldthem,jovially。"Smokemayhurtyourlittleshrubberiesinthefrontyardsome,butit'sthecatarrhalclimateandtheadenoidsthatstartsyourchulderncoughing。Smokemakestheclimatebetter。Smokemeansgoodhealth:
　　itmakesthepeoplewashmore。Theyhavetowashsomuchtheywashoffthemicrobes。Yougohomeandaskyourhusbandswhatsmokeputsintheirpocketsouto'thepay—roll——andyou'llcomearoundnexttimetogetmetoturnoutmoresmokeinsteado'chokin'itoff！"
　　ItwasNarcissisminhimtolovethecitysowell;hesawhisreflectioninit;and,likeit,hewasgrimy,big,careless,rich,strong,andunquenchablyoptimistic。Fromthedeepestofhisinsideallthewayouthebelieveditwasthefinestcityintheworld。"Finest"washisword。Hethoughtofitashiscityashethoughtofhisfamilyashisfamily;andjustasprofoundlybelievedhiscitytobethefinestcityintheworld,sodidhebelievehisfamilytobe——inspiteofhissonBibbs——thefinestfamilyintheworld。Asamatteroffact,heknewnothingworthknowingabouteither。
　　BibbsSheridanwasamusingsortofboy,poorinhealth,andconsideredthefailure——the"oddone"——ofthefamily。Bornduringthatmostdangerousandanxiousoftheearlyyears,whenthemotherfrettedandthefathertookhischance,hewasanill—nourishedbaby,andgrewmeagerly,onlylengthwise,throughafeeblechildhood。Athischristeninghewascommittedforlifeto"Bibbs"mainlythroughlackofimaginationonhismother'spart,forthoughitwashermaidenname,shehadnostrongaffectionforit;butitwas"herturn"
　　tonamethebaby,and,assheexplainedlater,she"couldn'tthinkofanythingelseshelikedATALL！"Sheofferedthisexplanationonedaywhenthesicklyboywasnineandafteralongfitofbroodinghaddemandedsomereasonforhisname'sbeingBibbs。Herequestedthenwithunwontedvehemencetobeallowedtoexchangenameswithhisolderbrother,RoscoeConklingSheridan,orwiththeoldest,JamesSheridan,Junior,anduponbeingrefusedwentdownintothecellarandremainedtheretherestofthatday。Andthecook,descendingtowarddusk,reportedthathehadvanished;butasearchrevealedthathewasinthecoal—pile,completelycoveredandstillburrowing。Removedbyforceandcarriedupstairs,hemaintainedacrypticdemeanor,refusingtoutterasyllableofexplanation,evenunderthelash。Thisobviousthingwaswhollyamysterytobothparents;themotherwasnonplussed,failedtotraceandconnect;andthefatherregardedhissonasastubbornandmysteriousfool,animpressionnoteffacedastheyearswentby。
　　Attwenty—two,Bibbswasphysicallynomorethantheouterscaffoldingofaman,waitingforthebuildingtobegininside——along—shanked,long—faced,ricketyyouth,sallowandhollowandhaggard,dark—hairedanddark—eyed,withapeculiarexpressionofcountenance;indeed,atfirstsightofBibbsSheridanastrangermightwellbesolicitous,forheseemeduponthepointoftears。
　　Buttoaslightlylongergaze,notgrief,butmirth,wasrevealedashisemotion;whileamoresearchingscrutinywasproportionatelymorepuzzling——heseemedabouttoburstoutcryingortoburstoutlaughing,oneortheother,inevitably,butitwasimpossibletodecidewhich。AndBibbsnever,onanyoccassionofhislife,eitherlaughedaloudorwept。
　　Hewasa"disappointment"tohisfather。Atleastthatwastheparent'sword——aconfirmedandestablishedwordafterhisfirstattempttomakea"businessman"oftheboy。HesentBibbsto"beginatthebottomandlearnfromthegroundup"inthemachine—shopoftheSheridanAutomaticPumpWorks,andattheendofsixmonthsthefamilyphysiciansentBibbstobeginatthebottomandlearnfromthegroundupinasanitarium。
　　"Youneedn'tworry,mamma,"Sheridantoldhiswife。"There'snothin'thematterwithBibbsexcepthehatesworksomuchitmakeshimsick。Iputhiminthemachine—shop,andIguessIknowwhatI'mdoin'aboutaswellasthenextman。OleDocGurneyalwayswasoneo'themnuttyalarmists。DoeshethinkI'ddoanything'dbebadformyownfleshandblood？Hemakesmetired！"
　　AnythingexceptperfectlydefinitehealthorperfectlydefinitediseasewasincomprehensibletoSheridan。Hehadagenuineconvictionthatlackofphysicalpersistenceinanytaskinvolvingmoneymustbeduetosomesubtleweaknessofcharacteritself,tosomeprofoundshiftlessnessorslyness。Heunderstoodtyphoidfever,pheumonia,andappendicitis——onehadthem,andeitherdiedorgotoverthemandwentbacktowork——butwhentheword"nervous"appearedinadiagnosishebecamehonestlysuspicious:hehadthefeelingthattherewassomethingcontemptibleaboutit,thattherewasaniggerinthewood—pilesomewhere。
　　"Lookatme,"hesaid。"LookatwhatIdidathisage！Why,whenIwastwentyyearsold,wasn'tIupeverymorningatfouro'clockchoppin'wood——
　　yes！andoutinthedarkandthesnow——tobuildafireinacountrygrocerystore？AndhereBibbshastogoandhaveaDOCTORbecausehecan't——Pho！itmakesmetired！Ifhe'dgoneatitlikeamanhewouldn'tbesick。"
　　Hepacedthebedroom——theusualsettingforsuchparentaldiscussions——inhisnightgown,shakinghisbig,grizzledheadandgesticulatingtohisbeddedspouse。"MyLord！"hesaid。"Ifalittle,teenybito'worklikethisistoomuchforhim,why,heain'tfitforanything！It'snine—tenthsimagination,andtherestofit——well,Iwon'tsayit'sdeliberate,butIWOULDliketoknowjusthowmuchofit'sputon！"
　　"Bibbsdidn'twantthedoctor,"saidMrs。Sheridan。"Itwaswhenhewasheretodinnerthatnight,andnoticedhowhecouldn'teatanything。Honey,youbettercometobed。"
　　"Eat！"hesnorted。"Eat！It'sworkthatmakesmeneat！Andit'simaginationthatkeepspeoplefromeatin'。Busymendon'tgettimeforthatkindofimagination;andthere'sanotherthingyou'llnoticeaboutgoodhealth,ifyou'lltakethetroubletolookaroundyou,Mrs。Sheridan:busymenhaven'tgottimetobesickandtheydon'tGETsick。Youjustthinkitoverandyou'llfindthatninety—ninepercent。ofthesickpeopleyouknowareeitherwomenorloafers。Yes,ma'am！"
　　"Honey,"shesaidagain,drowsily,"youbettercometobed。"
　　"Lookattheotherboys,"herhusbandbadeher。"LookatJimandRoscoe。LookathowTHEYwork！Thereisn'tashiftlessboneintheirbodies。WorknevermadeJimorRoscoesick。Jimtakeshalftheloadoffmyshouldersalready。
　　Rightnowthereisn'taharder—workin',brighterbusinessmaninthiscitythanJim。I'vepushedhim,buthegivemesomethingtopushAGAINST。Youcan'tpush'nervousdyspepsia'！AndlookatRoscoe;justLOOKatwhatthatboy'sdoneforhimself,andbarelytwenty—sevenyearsold——married,gotafinewife,andreadytobuildforhimselfwithhisownmoney,whenIputuptheNewHouseforyouandEdie。"
　　"Papa,you'llcatchcoldinyourbarefeet,"shemurmured。"Youbettercometobed。"
　　"AndI'mjustasproudofEdie,foragirl,"hecontinued,emphatically,"asI
　　amofJimandRoscoeforboys。She'llmakesomemanamightygoodwifewhenthetimecomes。She'stheprettiestandtalentedestgirlintheUnitedStates！Lookatthatpoemshewrotewhenshewasinschoolandtooktheprizewith;it'sthebestpoemIeverreadinmylife,andshe'dnevereventriedtowriteonebefore。It'sthefinestthingIeverread,andR。T。Blosssaidso,too;andIguesshe'sagoodenoughliteraryjudgeforme——turnsoutmoreadvertisin'liter'cherthananymaninthecity。Itellyoushe'ssmart！
　　LookatthewaysheworkedmetogetmetopromisetheNewHouse——andIguessyouhadyourfingerinthat,too,mamma！Thisoldshack'sgoodenoughforme,butyouandlittleEdie'llhavetohaveyourway。I'llgetbehindherandpushherthesameasIwillJimandRoscoe。ItellyouI'mmightyproudo'
　　themthreechuldern！ButBibbs——"Hepaused,shakinghishead。"Honest,mamma,whenItalktomenthatgotALLtheirboysdoin'wellandworththeirsalt,why,IhavetokeepmymindonJimandRoscoeandforgetaboutBibbs。"
　　Mrs。Sheridantossedherheadfretfullyuponthepillow。"Youdidthebestyoucould,papa,"shesaid,impatiently,"socometobedandquitreproachin'
　　youselfforit。"
　　Heglaredatherindignantly。"Reproachin'myself！"hesnorted。"Iain'tdoin'anythingofthekind！Whatinthenameo'goodnesswouldIwanttoreproachmyselffor？Anditwasn'tthe'bestIcould,'either。ItwasthebestANYBODYcould！Iwasgivin'himachancetoshowwhatwasinhimandmakeamanofhimself——andherehegoesandgets'nervousdyspepsia'onme！"
　　Hewenttotheold—fashionedgas—fixture,turnedoutthelight,andmutteredhiswaymoroselyintobed。
　　"What？"saidhiswife,crossly,botheredbyasubsequentmumbling。
　　"Morelikehook—worm,Isaid,"heexplained,speakinglouder。"Idon'tknowwhattodowithhim！"
　　BeginningatthebeginningandlearningfromthegroundupwasalongcourseforBibbsatthesanitarium,withmilkand"zwieback"asthebasisofinstruction;andthemonthsweremanyandtiresomebeforehewasconsiderednearenoughgraduationtogoforawalkleaningonanurseandacane。Theseandsubsequentmonthssawtheplanning,thebuilding,andthecompletionoftheNewHouse;anditwastothatabodeofBignessthatBibbswasbroughtwhenthecane,withoutthenurse,wasfoundsufficienttohissupport。
　　Edithmethimatthestation。"Well,well,Bibbs！"shesaid,ashecameslowlythroughthegates,thelastofallthetravelersfromthattrain。Shegavehishandabrisklittleshake,avertinghereyesafteraquickglanceathim,andturningatoncetowardthepassagetothestreet。"Doyouthinktheyoughtto'veletyoucome？Youcertainlydon'tlookwell！"
　　"ButIcertainlydolookbetter,"hereturned,inavoiceasslowashisgait;
　　adrawlthatwasanecessity,forwhenBibbstriedtospeakquicklyhestammered。"Uptoaboutamonthagoittooktwopeopletoseeme。Theyhadtogetmeinalinebetween'em！"
　　Edithdidnotturnhereyesdirectlytowardhimagain,afterherfirstquickglance;andherexpression,inspiteofher,showedafaint,troubleddistaste,thelookofahealthypersonpressedbysomeobligationofbusinesstovisita"bad"wardinahospital。Shewasnineteen,fairandslim,withsmall,unequalfeatures,butaprettinessofcolorandabrilliancyofeyesthatcreatedatotalimpressioncloseuponbeauty。Hermovementswereeagerandrestless:therewassomethingabouther,askindoldladiessay,thatwasverysweet;andtherewassomethingthatwashurriedandbreathless。ThiswasnewtoBibbs;itwasaperceptiblechangesincehehadlastseenher,andhebentuponherasteady,whimsicalscrutinyastheystoodatthecurb,waitingforanautomobileacrossthestreettodisengageitselffromthetraffic。
　　"That'sthenewcar,"shesaid。"Everything'snew。We'vegotfournow,besidesJim's。Roscoe'sgottwo。"
　　"Edith,youlook——"hebegan,andpaused。
　　"Oh,WE'reallwell,"shesaid,briskly;andthen,asifsomethinginhistonehadcaughtherassignificant,"Well,HOWdoIlook,Bibbs？"
　　"Youlook——"Hepausedagain,takinginthefulllengthofher——hertrimbrownshoes,herscant,tapering,roughskirt,andhercoatofbrownandgreen,herlonggreentippetandhermadlittleroughhatinthemadmode——
　　allsuitedtotheOctoberday。
　　"HowdoIlook？"sheinsisted。
　　"Youlook,"heanswered,ashisexaminationendeduponanincrustedwatchofplatinumandenamelatherwrist,"youlook——expensive！"Thatwasasubstituteforwhatheintendedtosay,forherconstraintandpreoccupation,manifestedparticularlyinherkeepingherdirectglanceawayfromhim,didnotseemtogranttheprivilegeofimpulsiveintimacies。
　　"IexpectIam！"shelaughed,andsidelongcaughtthedirectionofhisglance。
　　"OfcourseIoughtn'ttowearitinthedaytime——it'saneveningthing,forthetheater——bymydaywrist—watchisoutofgear。BobbyLamhornbrokeityesterday;he'saregularrowdysometimes。DoyouwantClaustohelpyouin？"
　　"Ohno,"saidBibbs。"I'malive。"Andafterafitofpantingsubsequenttohisclimbingintothecarunaided,headded,"Ofcourse,IhavetoTELL
　　people！"
　　"Weonlygotyourtelegramthismorning,"shesaid,astheybegantomoverapidlythroughthe"wholesaledistrict"neighboringthestation。"Mothersaidshe'dhardlyexpectedyouthismonth。"
　　"Theyseemedtobethroughwithmeupthereinthecountry,"heexplained,gently。"Atleasttheysaidtheywere,andtheywouldn'tkeepmeanylonger,becausesomanyreallysickpeoplewantedtogetin。Theytoldmetogohome——andIdidn'thaveanyplaceelsetogo。It'llbeallright,Edith;I'llsitinthewoodsheduntilafterdarkeveryday。"
　　"Pshaw！"Shelaughednervously。"Ofcoursewe'reallofusgladtohaveyouback。"
　　"Yes？"hesaid。"Father？"
　　"Ofcourse！Didn'thewriteandtellyoutocomehome？"Shedidnotturntohimwiththequestion。Allthewhilesherodewithherfacedirectlyforward。
　　"No,"hesaid;"fatherhasn'twritten。"
　　Sheflushedalittle。"IexpectIoughtto'vewrittensometime,oroneoftheboys——"
　　"Ohno;thatwasallright。"
　　"Youcan'tthinkhowbusywe'veallbeenthisyear,Bibbs。Ioftenplannedtowrite——andthen,justasIwasgoingto,somethingwouldturnup。AndI'msureit'sbeenjustthesamewaywithJimandRoscoe。Ofcourseweknewmammawaswritingoftenand——"
　　"Ofcourse！"hesaid,readily。"There'sachunkofcoalfallenonyourglove,Edith。Betterflickitoffbeforeitsmears。Myword！I'dalmostforgottenhowsootyitishere。"
　　"We'vebeenhavingverybrightweatherthismonth——forus。"Sheblewtheflakeofsootintotheair,seemingrelieved。
　　Helookedupatthedingysky,whereinhungthedisconsolatesunlikeacoldtinpannailedupinasmoke—housebysomelunatic,foradecoration。"Yes,"
　　saidBibbs。"It'sverygay。"Afewmomentslater,astheypassedacorner,"Aren'twegoinghome？"heasked。
　　"Why,yes！"Didyouwanttogosomewhereelsefirst？"
　　"No。Yournewdriver'stakingusoutoftheway,isn'the？"
　　"No。Thisisright。We'regoingstraighthome。"
　　"Butwe'vepassedthecorner。Wealwaysturned——"
　　"Goodgracious！"shecried。"Didn'tyouknowwe'dmoved？Didn'tyouknowwewereintheNewHouse？"
　　"Why,no！"saidBibbs。"Areyou？"
　　"We'vebeenthereamonth！Goodgracious！Didn'tyouknow——"Shebrokeoff,flushingagain,andthenwentonhastily:"Ofcourse,mamma'sneverbeensobusyinherlife;weALLhaven'thadtimetodoanythingbutkeeponthehop。
　　Mammacouldn'tevencometothestationto—day。Papa'sgotsomeofhisbusinessfriendsandpeoplefromaroundtheOLD—houseneighborhoodcomingto—nightforabigdinnerand'house—warming'——dreadfulkindofpeople——butmamma'sgotitallonherhands。She'sneversatdownaMINUTE;andifshedid,papawouldhaveherupagainbefore——"
　　"Ofcourse,"saidBibbs。"Doyoulikethenewplace,Edith？"
　　"Idon'tlikesomeofthethingsfatherWOULDhaveinit,butit'sthefinesthouseintown,andthatoughttobegoodenoughforme！PapaboughtonethingIlike——aviewoftheBayofNaplesinoilthat'sperfectlybeautiful;it'sthefirstthingyouseeasyoucomeinthefronthall,andit'selevenfeetlong。ButhewouldhavethatoldfruitpicturewehadintheMurphyStreethousehungupinthenewdining—room。Yourememberit——atableandawatermelonslicedopen,andalotofrouged—lookingapplesandsomeshinylemons,withtwodeadprairie—chickensonachair？Heboughtitatafurniture—storeyearsandyearsago,andheclaimsit'safinerpicturethananytheysawinthemuseums,thattimehetookmammatoEurope。Butit'shorriblyoutofdatetohavethosethingsindining—rooms,andIcaughtBobbyLamhorngigglingatit;andSibylmadefunofit,too,withBobby,andthentoldpapasheagreedwithhimaboutitsbeingsuchafinething,andsaidhedidjustrighttoinsistonhavingitwherehewantedit。Shemakesmetired！
　　Sibyl！"
　　Edith'sfirstconstraintwithherbrother,amountingalmosttoawkwardness,vanishedwiththistheme,thoughshestillkeptherfullgazealwaystothefront,evenintheextremeardorofherdenunciationofhersister—in—law。
　　"SIBYL！"sherepeated,withsuchheatandvigorthatthenameseemedtostrikefireonherlips。"I'dliketoknowwhyRoscoecouldn'thavemarriedsomebodyfromHEREthatwouldhavedoneussomegood！HecouldhavegotinwithBobbyLamhornyearsagojustaswellasnow,andBobby'dhaveintroducedhimtothenicestgirlsintown,butinsteadofthathehadtogoandpickupthisSibylRink！ImetsomeawfullynicepeoplefromhertownwhenmammaandIwereatAtlanticCity,lastspring,andnotonehadeverheardoftheRinks！NotevenHEARDof'em！"
　　"IthoughtyouweregreatfriendswithSibyl,"Bibbssaid。
　　"UptothetimeIfoundherout！"thesisterreturned,withcontinuingvehemence。"I'vefoundoutsomethingsaboutMrs。RoscoeSheridanlately——"
　　"It'sonlylately？"
　　"Well——"Edithhesitated,herlipssettingprimly。"Ofcourse,IalwaysdidseethatshenevercaredthesnapofherlittlefingeraboutROSCOE！"
　　"Itseems,"saidBibbs,inlaconicprotest,"thatshemarriedhim。"
　　Thesisteremittedashrillcry,tobeinterpretedascontemptuouslaughter,and,inheremotion,spoketooimpulsively:"Why,she'dhavemarriedYOU！"
　　"No,no,"hesaid;"shecouldn'tbethatbad！"
　　"Ididn'tmean——"shebegan,distressed。"Ionlymeant——Ididn'tmean——"
　　"Nevermind,Edith,"heconsoledher。"Yousee,shecouldn'thavemarriedme,becauseIdidn'tknowher;andbesides,ifshe'sasmercenaryasallthatshe'dhavebeentooclever。Theheaddoctorevenhadtolendmethemoneyformytickethome。"
　　"Ididn'tmeananythingunpleasantaboutYOU,"Edithbabbled。"IonlymeantI
　　thoughtshewasthekindofgirlwhowassosimplycrazytomarrysomebodyshe'dhavemarriedanybodythataskedher。"
　　"Yes,yes,"saidBibbs,"it'sallstraight。"And,perceivingthathissister'sexpressionwasthatofapersonwhoseadroitnesshassetmattersprefectlytorights,hechuckledsilently。
　　"Roscoe'sperfectlylovelytoher,"shecontinued,amomentlater。"Toolovely！Ifhe'dwakeupalittleandlaydownthelaw,someday,likeaMAN,Iguessshe'drespecthimmoreandlearntobehaveherself！"
　　"'Behave'？"
　　"Oh,well,Imeanshe'ssoinsincere,"saidEdith,characteristicallyevasivewhenitcametostatingtheverypointtowhichshehadled,andinthisnotuniqueofhersex。
　　Bibbscontentedhimselfwithanon—committalgesture。"Businessiscrawlinguptheoldstreets,"hesaid,hislong,tremuloushandindicatingavastystructureincourseoferection。"Theboarding—housescomefirstandthenthe——"
　　"Thatisn'tforshops,"sheinformedhim。"That'sanewinvestmentofpapa's——the'SheridanApartments。'"
　　"Well,well,"hemurmured。"Isupposed'Sheridan'wasalmostwellenoughknownherealready。"
　　"Oh,we'rewellenoughknownABOUT！"shesaid,impatiently。"Iguessthereisn'taman,woman,child,orniggerbabyintownthatdoesn'tknowwhoweare。Butwearen'tinwiththerightpeople。"