"He'sgettin'bettereveryday,"Jimsaid。"Dr。Gurneysaysso。There'snothingmuchthematterwithhim,really——it'snine—tenthsimaginary。
　　'Nerves'！Peoplethatarewillingtobebusydon'thavenervousdiseases,becausetheydon'thavetimetoimagine'em。"
　　"Youmeanhistroubleisreallymental？"
　　"Oh,he'snotalunatic,"saidJim。"He'sjustqueer。Sometimeshe'llsaysomethingrightbright,buthalfthetimewhathesaysis'wayoffthesubject,orelsethereisn'tanysensetoitatall。Forinstance,theotherdayIheardhimtalkin'tooneofthedarkiesinthehall。Thedarkyaskedhimwhattimehewantedthecarforhisdrive,andanybodyelseintheworldwouldhavejustsaidwhattimetheyDIDwantit,andthatwouldhavebeenalltherewastoit;buthere'swhatBibbssays,andIheardhimwithmyownears。
　　'WhattimedoIwantthecar？'hesays。'Well,now,thatdepends——thatdepends,'hesays。Hetalksslowlikethat,youknow。'I'lltellyouwhattimeIwantthecar,George,'hesays,'ifyou'lltellMEwhatyouthinkofthisstatue！'That'sexactlyhiswords！AskedthedarkywhathethoughtofthatArabEdithandmotherboughtforthehall！"
　　Marypondereduponthis。"Hemighthavebeeninfun,perhaps,"shesuggested。
　　"Askin'adarkywhathethoughtofapieceofstatuary——ofaworkofart！
　　Whereonearthwouldbethefunofthat？No,you'rejustkind—hearted——andthat'sthewayyouOUGHTtobe,ofcourse——"
　　"Thankyou,Mr。Sheridan！"shelaughed。
　　"Seehere！"hecried。"Isn'tthereanywayforustogetoverthisMisterandMissthing？Amonth'sgotthirty—onedaysinit;I'vemanagedtobewithyouapartofprettynearallthethirty—one,andIthinkyouknowhowIfeelbythistime——"
　　Shelookedpanic—strickenimmediately。"Oh,no,"sheprotested,quickly。"No,Idon't,and——"
　　"Yes,youdo,"hesaid,andhisvoiceshookalittle。"Youcouldn'thelpknowing。"
　　"ButIdo！"shedenied,hurriedly。"Idohelpknowing。Imean——Oh,wait！"
　　"Whatfor？YoudoknowhowIfeel,andyou——well,you'vecertainlyWANTEDmetofeelthatway——orelsepretended——"
　　"Now,now！"shelamented。"You'respoilingsuchacheerfulafternoon！"
　　"'Spoilin'it！'"Hesloweddownthecarandturnedhisfacetohersquarely。
　　"Seehere,MissVertrees,haven'tyou——"
　　"Stop！Stopthecaraminute。"Andwhenhehadcompliedshefacedhimassquarelyasheevidentlydesiredhertofacehim。"Listen。Idon'twantyoutogoon,to—day。"
　　"Whynot？"heasked,sharply。
　　"Idon'tknow。"
　　"Youmeanit'sjustawhim？"
　　"Idon'tknow,"sherepeated。Hervoicewaslowandtroubledandhonest,andshekepthercleareyesuponhis。
　　"Willyoutellmesomething？"
　　"Almostanything。"
　　"Haveyouevertoldanymanyoulovedhim？"
　　Andatthat,thoughshelaughed,shelookedalittlecontemptuous。"No,"shesaid。"AndIdon'tthinkIevershalltellanymanthat——oreverknowwhatitmeans。I'minearnest,Mr。Sheridan。"
　　"Thenyou——you'vejustbeenflirtingwithme！"PoorJimlookedbothfuriousandcrestfallen。
　　"Notonbit！"shecried。"Notoneword！Notonesyllable！I'vemeanteverysinglething！"
　　"Idon't——"
　　"Ofcourseyoudon't！"shesaid。"Now,Mr。Sheridan,Iwantyoutostartthecar。Now！Thankyou。Slowly,tillIfinishwhatIhavetosay。Ihavenotflirtedwithyou。Ihavedeliberatelycourtedyou。Onethingmore,andthenIwantyoutotakemestraighthome,talkingabouttheweatheralltheway。I
　　saidthatIdonotbelieveIshallever'care'foranyman,andthatistrue。
　　Idoubttheexistenceofthekindof'caring'wehearaboutinpoemsandplaysandnovels。IthinkitmustbejustakindofemotionalTALK——mostofit。
　　Atallevents,Idon'tfeelit。Now,wecangofaster,please。"
　　"Justwheredoesthatletmeout？"hedemanded。"Howdoesthatexcuseyoufor——"
　　"Itisn'tanexcuse,"shesaid,gently,andgavehimonefinallook,whollydesolate。"Ihaven'tsaidIshouldnevermarry。"
　　"What？"Jimgasped。
　　Sheinclinedherheadinabrokensortofacquiescence,veryhumble,unfathomablysorrowful。
　　"Ipromisenothing,"shesaid,faintly。
　　"Youneedn't！"shoutedJim,radiantandexultant。"Youneedn't！ByGeorge！
　　Iknowyou'resquare;that'senoughforme！Youwaitandpromisewheneveryou'reready！"
　　"Don'tforgetwhatIasked,"shebeggedhim。
　　"Talkabouttheweather？Iwill！Godblesstheoldweather！"criedthehappyJim。
　　ThroughtheopencountryBibbswasborneflyingbetweenbrownfieldsandsun—fleckedgrovesofgraytrees,tobreathetherushing,cleanairbeneathaglorioussky——thatskysodespisedinthecity,andsomaltreatedthere,thatfromearlyOctobertomid—Mayitwasimpossibleformentorememberthatblueistherightfulcoloroverhead。
　　UponeachofBibbs'scheekstherewasahintofsomethingalmostresemblingapinkishness;notactualcolor,butundeniablyitsphantom。Howlargelythisapparitionmayhavebeentheworkofthewinduponhisfaceitisdifficulttocalculate,forbeyondadoubtitwaspartlytheresultofalady'sbowingtohimuponnomoreformalintroductionthanthecircumstanceofhishavingcaughtherlookingintohiswindowamonthbefore。Shehadboweddefinitely;
　　shehadbowedcharmingly。AnditseemedtoBibbsthatshemusthavemeanttoconveyherforgiveness。
　　Therehadbeensomethinginherrecognitionofhimunfamiliartohisexperience,andherodethewarmerforit。Nordidhelacktheimpressionthathewouldlongrememberherashehadjustseenher:herveiltumultuouslyblowingback,herfaceglowinginthewind——andthatlookofgayfriendlinesstossedtohimlikeafreshroseincarnival。
　　Byandby,uponarisingground,thedriverhaltedthecar,thenbackedandtacked,andsentitforwardagainwithitsnosetothesouthandthesmoke。
　　FarbeforehimBibbssawthegreatsmudgeuponthehorizon,thatnestofcloudinwhichthecitystroveandpantedlikeanengineshroudedinitsownsteam。ButtoBibbs,whohadnowtogototheveryheartofit,foracommandedinterviewwithhisfather,thedistantcloudwaslikeanimplacablegeniusissuingthunderouslyinsmokefromhisenchantedbottle,andirresistiblydrawingBibbsnearerandnearer。
　　Theypassedfromthefarmlands,andcame,intheamberlightofNovemberlateafternoon,tothefarthermostoutskirtsofthecity;andheretheskyshimmereduponthevergeofchangefrombluetogray;thesmokedidnotvisiblypermeatetheair,butitwasthere,nevertheless——impalpable,thin,nomorethanthedustofsmoke。Andthen,asthecardroveon,thechimneysandstacksoffactoriescameswimmingupintoviewlikemilesofsteamersadvancingabreast,everyfunnelwithitsvastplume,savageandblack,sweepingtothehorizon,drippingwealthanddirtandsuffocationoverleagueonleaguealreadyrichandvilewithgrime。
　　Theskyhadbecomeonlyadingythickeningofthesoiledair;andaroarandclangorofmetalsbeatdeafeninglyonBibbs'sears。Andnowthecarpassedtwogreatblocksoflongbrickbuildings,hideousinallwayspossibletomakethemhideous;doorwaysshowingdarkonemomentandluridthenextwiththeleapofsomevirulentinteriorflame,revealingblackenedgiants,halfnaked,inpassionateaction,strugglingwithformlessthingsinthehotillumination。Andbigastheseshopswere,theyweregrowingbigger,spreadingoverathirdblock,wheretwonewstructuresweremushroomingtocompletioninsomehastycementprocessofastabilitynotover—reassuring。
　　Bibbspulledtherugcloserabouthim,andnoteventhephantomofcolorwasleftuponhischeeksashepassedthisplace,forheknewittoowell。
　　Acrossthefaceofoneofthebuildingstherewasanenormoussign:"SheridanAutomaticPumpCo。,Inc。"
　　Thencetheywentthroughstreetsofwoodenhouses,allgrimed,andaddingtheirowngrimefrommanyasootychimney;flimseywoodenhousesofathousandflimsywhimsiesinthefashioning,builtonnarrowlotsandnudgingoneanothercrossly,shuttingoutthestingysunlightfromoneanother;badneighborswhowoulddestroyoneanotherrootandbranchsomenightwhentherightwindblew。Theywereonlywaitingforthatwindandacigarette,andthentheywouldallbegonetogether——apinchofincenseburneduponthetripodofthegod。
　　Alongthesestreetstherewereskinnyshade—trees,andhereandthereaforestelmorwalnuthadbeenleft;buttheseweredying。Somepeoplesaiditwasthescale;somesaiditwasthesmoke;andsomeweresurethatasphaltand"improving"thestreetsdidit;butBignesswasintooBigahurrytobothermuchabouttrees。Hehadtelegraph—polesandtelephone—polesandelectric—light—polesandtrolley—pollsbythethousandtotaketheirplaces。
　　Soheletthetreesdieandputuphispoles。Theywerehideous,butnobodymindedthat;andsometimesthewiresfellandkilledpeople——butnotoftenenoughtomatteratall。
　　ThenceonwardthecarboreBibbsthroughtheolderpartsofthetownwherethefewsolidoldhousesnotalreadydemolishedwereintransition:some,withtheirfrontstornaway,werebeingmadeintosegmentsofapartment—buildings;othershadgoneuproariouslyintotrade,brazenlyputtingforth"show—windows"ontheirfirstfloors,seemingtomeanitforajoke;oneortwowithunalteredfacadespeepedhumorouslyoverthetopsoftemporaryofficebuildingsofonestoryerectedintheoldfrontyards。
　　Altogether,thetownherewaslikeaboarding—househashtheSundayafterThanksgiving;theoldingredientswerediscernible。
　　ThiswasthefringeofBigness'sownsanctuary,andnowBibbsreachedtheroaringholyofholiesitself。Thecarmuststopateverycrossingwhilethedark—garbedcrowds,envelopedinmaelstromsofdust,hurriedbeforeit。
　　Magnificentnewbuildings,alreadydingy,loomedhundredsoffeetabovehim;
　　newerones,moremagnificent,wererisingbesidethem,risinghigher;oldbuildingswerecomingdown;middle—agedbuildingswerecomingdown;thestreetswerelaidopentotheirentrailsandmenworkedundergroundbetweenpalisades,andoverheadinmetalcobwebslikespidersinthesky。
　　Trolley—carsandlonginterurbancars,builttosplitthewindliketorpedo—boats,clangedandshriekedtheirwayroundswarmingcorners;
　　motor—carsofeverykindandshapeknowntomanbabbledfrightfulwarningsandfranticdemands;hospitalambulancesclamoredwildlyforpassage;
　　steam—whistlessignaledtheswingingoftitanictentacleandclaw;rivetersrattledlikemachine—guns;thegroundshooktothethunderofgigantictrucks;andtheconglomeratesoundofitallwasthesoundofearthquakeplayingaccompanimentsforbattleandsuddendeath。Ononeofthenewsteelbuildingsnoworkwasbeingdonethatafternoon。Thebuildinghadkilledamaninthemorning——andthesteel—workersalwaysstopforthedaywhenthat"happens。"
　　Andinthehurryingcrowds,swirlingandsiftingthroughthebrobdingnagiancampofironandsteel,onesawthecamp—followersandthepaganwomen——therewouldbeworkto—dayanddancingto—night。ForthePuritan'sdryvoiceisbutthecracklingofaleafunderfootintherushandroarofthecomingofthenewEgypt。
　　Bibbswasontime。Heknewitmustbe"totheminute"orhisfatherwouldconsideritanoutrage;andthebigchronometerinSheridan'sofficemarkedfourpreciselywhenBibbswalkedin。Coincidentallywithhisentrancefivepeoplewhohadbeenatworkintheoffice,underSheridan'sdirection,walkedout。Theydeparteduponnovisibleoraudiblesuggestion,andwithapromptnessthatseemedominoustothenew—comer。Asthemassivedoorclickedsoftlybehindtheelderlystenographer,thelastoftheprocession,Bibbshadafeelingthattheyallunderstoodthathewasafailureasagreatman'sson,adisappointment,the"queerone"ofthefamily,andthathehadbeensummonedtojudgment——awell—foundedimpression,forthatwasexactlywhattheyunderstood。
　　"Sitdown,"saidSheridan。
　　Itisfrequentlyanadvantagefordeans,school—masters,andworriedfatherstoplacedelinquentsinthesitting—posture。Bibbssat。
　　Sheridan,standing,gazedenigmaticallyuponhissonforaperiodofsilence,thenwalkedslowlytoawindowandstoodlookingoutofit,hisbighands,looselyhookedtogetherbythethumbs,behindhisback。Theyweresoiled,aswereallotherhandsdown—town,exceptsuchasmightbestilldampfromabasin。
　　"Well,Bibbs,"hesaidatlast,notalteringhisattitude,"doyouknowwhatI'mgoin'todowithyou？"
　　Bibbs,leaningbackinhischair,fixedhiseyescontemplativelyupontheceiling。"IheardyoutellJim,"hebegan,inhisslowway。"Yousaidyou'dsendhimtothemachine—shopwithmeifhedidn'tproposetoMissVertrees。
　　SoIsupposethatmustbeyourplanforme。But——"
　　"Butwhat？"saidSheridan,irritably,asthesonpaused。
　　"Isn'ttheresomebodyyou'dletMEproposeto？"
　　Thatbroughthisfathersharplyroundtofacehim。"Youbeatthedevil！
　　Bibbs,whatISthematterwithyou？Whycan'tyoubelikeanybodyelse？"
　　"Liver,maybe,"saidBibbs,gently。
　　"Boh！EvenoleDocGurneysaysthere'snothin'wrongwithyouorganically。
　　No。You'readreamer,Bibbs;that'swhat'sthematter,andthat'sALLthematter。Oh,nooneo'theseBIGdreamersthatputthroughthebigdeals。！
　　No,sir！You'rethekindo'dreamerthatjustsetsoutonthebackfenceandthinksabouthowmuchtroubletheremustbeintheworld！Thatain'tthekindthatbuildsthebridges,Bibbs;it'sthekindthatborrowsfifteencentsfromhiswife'suncle'sbrother—in—lawtogettencent'swortho'plugtobaccoandanickel'swortho'quinine！"
　　Heputthefinishingtouchonthisetchingwithasnort,andturnedagaintothewindow。
　　"Lookoutthere！"hebadehisson。"Lookouto'thatwindow！Lookatthelifeandevergydownthere！IshouldthinkANYyoungman'sbloodwouldtingletogetintoitandbepartofit。Lookatthebigthingsyoungmenaredoin'inthistown！"Heswungabout,comingtothemahoganydeskinthemiddleoftheroom。"LookatwhatIwasdoin'atyourage！Lookatwhatyourownbrothersaredoin'！LookatRoscoe！Yes,andlookatJim！ImadeJimpresidento'theSheridanRealtyCompanylastNew—Year's,withchargeofeveryincho'groundandeverybrickandeveryshingleandsticko'woodweown;andit'sanexampletoanyyoungman——oroleman,either——thewayhetookaholdofit。LastJulywefoundoutwewantedtwomorebigwarehousesatthePumpWorks——wanted'emquick。Contractorssaiditcouldn'tbedone;
　　saidnineortenmonthsatthesoonest;couldn'tseeitanyotherway。What'dJimdo？Tookthecontracthimself;foundafellowwithanewcementandconcreteprocess;keptmenonthejobnightandday,andstayedonitnightanddayhimself——and,byGeorge！webegintoUSEthemwarehousesnextweek！
　　Fourmonthsandahalf,andeveryinchfireproof！ItellyouJim'soneo'
　　thesefellersthatmakemiracleshappen！Now,Idon'tsayeveryyoungmancanbelikeJim,becausethere'smightyfewgothisability,buteveryyoungmancangoinanddohisshare。ThistownisGod'sowncountry,andthere'sopportunityforanybodywithapoundofenergyandanounceo'gumption。I
　　tellyoutheseyoungbusinessmenIwatchjustdomyheartgood！THEYdon'tsetaroundonthebackfence——no,sir！Theytakeenoughexercisetokeeptheirhealth;andtheygotoabaseballgameonceortwiceaweekinsummmer,maybe,andthey'reraisin'nicefamilies,withsonstotaketheirplacessometimeandcarryonthework——becausethework'sgottogoON！They'reputtin'theirlife—bloodintoit,Itellyou,andthat'swhywe'regettin'
　　biggereveryminute,andwhyTHEY'REgettin'bigger,andwhyit'sallgoin'
　　tokeepONgettin'bigger！"
　　Heslappedthedeskresoundinglywithhisopenpalm,andthen,observingthatBibbsremainedinthesameimpassiveattitude,withhiseyesstillfixedupontheceilinginacontemplationsomewhatplaintive,Sheridanwasimpelledtogroan。"Oh,Lord！"hesaid。"Thisisthewayyoualwayswere。Idon'tbelieveyouunderstoodadarnwordIbeensayin'！Youdon'tLOOKasifyoudid。ByGeorge！it'sdiscouraging！"
　　"Idon'tunderstandaboutgetting——aboutgettingbigger,"saidBibbs,bringinghisgazedowntolookathisfatherplacatively。"Idon'tseejustwhy——"
　　"WHAT？"Sheridanleanedforward,restinghishandsuponthedeskandstaringacrossitincredulouslyathisson。
　　"Idon'tunderstand——exactly——whatyouwantitallbiggerfor？"
　　"GreatGod！"shoutedSheridan,andstruckthedeskablowwithhisclenchedfist。"Asonofmineasksmethat！Yougooutandaskthepoorestday—laboreryoucanfind！Askhimthatquestion——"
　　"Ididonce,"Bibbsinterrupted;"whenIwasinthemachine—shop。I——"
　　"Wha'dhesay？"
　　"Hesaid,'Oh,hell！'"answeredBibbs,mildly。
　　"Yes,Ireckonhewould！"Sheridanswungawayfromthedesk。"Ireckonhecertainlywould！AndIgotplentysympathywithhimrightnow,myself！"
　　"It'sthesameanswer,then？"Bibbs'svoicewasserious,almosttremulous。
　　"Damnation！"Sheridanroared。"DidyoueverhearthewordProsperity,youninny？DidyoueverhearthewordAmbition？DidyoueverhearthewordPROGRESS？"
　　Heflunghimselfintoachairaftertheoutburst,hisbigchestsurging,histhroattumultuouswithgutteralincoherences。"Nowthen,"hesaid,huskily,whentheanguishhadsomewhatabated,"whatdoyouwanttodo？"
　　"Sir？"
　　"WhatdoyouWANTtodo,Isaid。"
　　Takenbysurprise,Bibbsstammered。"What——whatdo——I——what——"
　　"IfI'dletyoudoexactlywhatyouhadthewhimfor,whatwouldyoudo？"
　　Bibbslookedstartled;thentimidityoverwhelmedhim——aprofoundshyness。Hebenthisheadandfixedhisloweredeyesuponthetoeofhisshoe,whichhemovedtoandfroupontherug,likeaculpritcalledtothedeskinschool。
　　"Whatwouldyoudo？Loaf？"
　　"No,sir。"Bibbs'svoicewasalmostinaudible,andwhatlittlesounditmadewasunquestionablyaguiltysound。"IsupposeI'd——I'd——"
　　"Well？"
　　"IsupposeI'dtryto——towrite。"
　　"Writewhat？"
　　"Nothingimportant——justpoemsandessays,perhaps。"
　　"Thatall？"
　　"Yes,sir。"
　　"Isee,"saidhisfather,breathingquicklywiththerestrainthewasputtinguponhimself。"Thatis,youwanttowrite,butyoudon'twanttowriteanythingofanyaccount。"
　　"Youthink——"
　　Sheridangotupagain。"Itakemyhatofftothemanthatcanwriteagoodad,"hesaid,emphatically。"Thebestwritin'talentinthiscountryisrightspangintheadbusinessto—day。Youbuyamagazineforgoodwritin'——lookonthebackofit！LetmetellyouIpaymoneyforthatkindo'writin'。Maybeyouthinkit'seasy。Justtryit！I'vetriedit,andI
　　can'tdoit。Itellyouanad'sgottobewrittensoitmakespeopledothehardestthinginthisworldtoGET'emtodo:it'sgottomake'emgiveuptheirMONEY！Youtalkabout'poemsandessays。'Itellyouwhenitcomestotheactualskillo'puttin'wordstogethersoastomakethingsHAPPEN,R。T。
　　Bloss,righthereinthiscity,knowsmoreinaminutethanGeorgeWaldoEmersoneverknewinhiswholelife！"
　　"You——youmaybe——"Bibbssaid,indistinctly,thelastwordsmotheredinacough。
　　"OfCOURSEI'mright！Andifitain'tjustlikeyoutowanttotakeupwiththemostout—o'—datekindo'writin'thereis！'Poemsandessays'！MyLord,Bibbs,that'sWOMEN'Swork！Youcan'tpickupanewspaperwithouthavin'toseewhereMrs。Rumskididlereadapaperon'JaneEyre,'or'EastLynne,'attheGod—Knows—WhatClub。And'poetry'！Why,lookatEdith！Iexpectthatpoemo'herswouldsetaprettyhigh—watermarkforyou,youngman,andit'stheonlyoneshe'severmanagedtowriteinherwholeLIFE！WhenIwantedhertogoonandwritesomemoreshesaidittooktoomuchtime。Saidittookmonthsandmonths。AndEdith'sasmartgirl;she'sgotmoreenergyinherlittlefingerthanyouevergivemeachancetoseeinyourwholebody,Bibbs。Nowlookatthefacts:sayshecouldturnoutfourorfivepoemsayearandyoucouldturnoutmaybetwo。Thatmedalshegotwasworthaboutfifteendollars,sothere'syourincome——thirtydollarsayear！That'safinesuccesstomakeofyourlife！I'mnotsayin'awordagainstpoetry。I
　　wouldn'ttaketenthousanddollarsrightnowforthatpoemofEdith's;andpoetry'sallrightenoughinitsplace——butyouleaveittothegirls。A
　　man'sgottodoaman'sworkinthisworld！"
　　Heseatedhimselfinachairathisson'ssideand,leaningover,tappedBibbsconfidentiallyontheknee。"Thiscity'sgotthegreatestfutureinAmerica,andifmysonsbehaverightbymeandbythemselvesthey'regoin'tohaveamightyfairshareofit——amightyfairshare。Ilovethistown。It'sGod'sownfootstool,andit'smademoneyformeeverydayrightalong,I
　　don'tknowhowmanyyears。IloveitlikeIdomyownbusiness,andI'dfightforitasquickasI'dfightformyownfamily。It'sabeautifultown。
　　Lookatourwholesaledistrict;lookatanydistrictyouwantto;lookattheparksystemwe'reputtin'through,andtheboulevardsandthepublicstatuary。Andshegrows。God！howshegrows！"Hehadbecomeintenselygrave;hespokewithsolemnity。"Now,Bibbs,Ican'ttakeanyofit——noranygoldorsilvernorbuildingsnorbonds——awaywithmeinmyshroudwhenI
　　havetogo。ButIwanttoleavemyshareinittomyboys。I'veworkedforit;I'vebeenabuilderandamaker;andtwobladesofgrasshavegrownwhereonegrewbefore,wheneverIlaidmyhandonthegroundandwilled'emtogrow。I'vebuiltbig,andIwantthebuildin'togoon。AndwhenmylasthourcomesIwanttoknowthatmyboysarereadytotakecharge;thatthey'refittotakechargeandgoONwithit。Bibbs,whenthathourcomesIwanttoknowthatmyboysarebigmen,readyandfittoholdofbigthings。Bibbs,whenI'mupaboveIwanttoknowthatthebigshareI'vemademine,herebelow,isgrowin'biggerandbiggerinthechargeofmyboys。"
　　Heleanedback,deeplymoved。"There！"hesaid,huskily。"I'veneverspokenmorewhatwasinmyheartinmylife。IdoitbecauseIwantyoutounderstand——andnotthinkmeameanfather。IneverhadtotalkthatwaytoJimandRoscoe。Theyunderstoodwithoutanytalk,Bibbs。"
　　"Isee,"saidBibbs。"AtleastIthinkIdo。But——"
　　"Waitaminute！"Sheridanraisedhishand。"Ifyouseetheleastbitintheworld,thenyouunderstandhowitfeelstometohavemysonsethereandtalkabout'poemsandessays'andsuch—likefooleries。Andyoumustunderstand,too,whatitmeanttostartoneo'myboysandhavehimcomebackonmethewayyoudid,andhavetobesenttoasanitariumbecausehecouldn'tstandwork。Now,let'sgetrightdowntoit,Bibbs。I'vehadawholeloto'talkwitholeDocGurneyaboutyou,onetimeanother,andI
　　reckonIunderstandyourcasejustaboutaswellashedoes,anyway！Nowhere,I'llbefrankwithyou。IstartedyouinharderthanwhatIdidtheotherboys,andthatwasforyourowngood,becauseIsawyouneededtobeshookupmore'ntheydid。Youwerealwayskindofmoodyandmopish——andyouneededworkthat'dkeepyouonthejump。Now,whydiditmakeyousickinsteadofbraceyouupandmakeamanofyouthewayitoughtofdone？I
　　pinnedoleGurneydowntoit。Isays,'Lookhere,ain'titreallybecausehejustplainhatedit？''Yes,'hesays,'that'sit。Ifhe'denjoyedit,itwouldn't'a'hurthim。Heloathesit,andthataffectshisnervoussystemThemorehetriesit,themorehehatesit;andthemorehehatesit,themoreinjuryitdoeshim。'Thatain'tquitehiswords,butit'swhathemeant。Andthat'saboutthewayitis。"
　　"Yes,"saidBibbs,"that'saboutthewayitis。"
　　"Well,then,Ireckonit'suptomenotonlytomakeyoudoit,buttomakeyoulikeit！"
　　Bibbsshivered。Andheturneduponhisfatheralookthatwasalmostghostly。"Ican't,"hesaid,inalowvoice。"Ican't。"
　　"Can'tgobacktotheshop？"
　　"No。Can'tlikeit。Ican't。"
　　Sheridanjumpedup,hispatiencegone。Tohisownview,hehadreasonedexhaustively,hadexplainedfullyandhadpleadedmorethanafathershould,onlytobemetintheendwiththeunreasoningandmysteriousstubbornnesswhichhadbeenBibbs'sbafflingcharacteristicfromchildhood。"ByGeorge,youwill！"hecried。"You'llgobackthereandyou'lllikeit！Gurneysaysitwon'thurtyouifyoulikeit,andhesaysit'llkillyouifyougobackandhateit;soitlooksasifitwasaboutuptoyounottohateit。Well,Gurney'safool！Hatin'workdoesn'tkillanybody;andthisisn'tgoin'tokillyou,whetheryouhateitornot。I'venevermadeamistakeinaseriousmatterinmylife,anditwasn'tamistakemysendin'youthereinthefirstplace。AndI'mgoin'toproveit——I'mgoin'tosendyoubackthereandvindicatemyjudgment。Gurneysaysit'sall'mentalattitude。'Well,you'regoin'tolearntherightone！Hesaysinacouplemoremonthsthisfoolthingthat'sbeenthematterwithyou'llbedisappearedcompletelyandyou'llbebackinasgoodorbetterconditionthanyouwerebeforeyoueverwentintotheshop。Andrighttheniswhenyoubeginover——rightinthatsameshop！Nobodycancallmeahardmanorameanfather。IdothebestI
　　canformychuldern,andItakefullresponsibilityforbringin'mysonsuptobemen。Now,sofar,I'vefailedwithyou。ButI'mnotgoin'tokeepON
　　failin'。InevertackledajobYETIdidn'tputthrough,andI'mnotgoin'
　　tobeginwithmyownson。I'mgoin'tomakeaMANofyou。ByGod！Iam！"
　　Bibbsroseandwentslowlytothedoor,whereheturned。"Yousayyougivemeacoupleofmonths？"hesaid。
　　Sheridanpushedabell—buttononhisdesk。"Gurneysaidtwomonthsmorewouldputyoubackwhereyouwere。Yougohomeandbegintogetyourselfintheright'mentalattitude'beforethosetwomonthsareup！Good—by！"
　　"Good—by,sir,"saidBibbs,meekly。