ponkapog papers-第15章
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an air of possibility； at least a shadowy vraisemblance。 The atmosphere and local color； having an au… thenticity of their own； are not to be challenged。 You cannot charge the writer with ignorance of the period in which his narrative is laid； since the period is as vague as the geography。 He walks on safe ground； eluding many of the perils that beset the story…teller who ventures to stray beyond the bounds of the make…believe。 One peril he cannot escapethat of misrepresenting human nature。 The anachronisms of the average historical novel； pretending to reflect history； are among its minor defects。 It is a thing altogether won… derfully and fearfully madethe imbecile in… trigue； the cast…iron characters； the plumed and armored dialogue with its lance of gory rheto… ric forever at charge。 The stage at its worst moments is not so unreal。 Here art has broken into smithereens the mirror which she is sup… posed to hold up to nature。 In this romance…world somebody is always somebody's unsuspected father； mother； or child； deceiving every one excepting the reader。 Usu… ally the anonymous person is the hero； to whom it is mere recreation to hold twenty swordsmen at bay on a staircase； killing ten or twelve of them before he escapes through a door that ever providentially opens directly behind him。 How tired one gets of that door！ The 〃caitiff〃 in these chronicles of when knighthood was in flower is invariably hanged from 〃the highest battlement〃the second highest would not do at all； or else he is thrown into 〃the deepest dungeon of the castle〃the second deepest dungeon was never known to be used on these occasions。 The hero habitually 〃cleaves〃 his foeman 〃to the midriff；〃 the 〃midriff〃 being what the properly brought up hero always has in view。 A certain fictional historian of my acquaintance makes his swashbuckler exclaim： 〃My sword will ＇shall＇ kiss his midriff；〃 but that is an exceptionally lofty flight of diction。 My friend's heroine dresses as a page； and in the course of long interviews with her lover re… mains unrecognizeda diaphanous literary in… vention that must have been old when the Pyra… mids were young。 The heroine's small brother； with playful archaicism called 〃a springald；〃 puts on her skirts and things and passes him… self off for his sister or anybody else he pleases。 In brief； there is no puerility that is not at home in this sphere of misbegotten effort。 Listen a priest； a princess； and a young man in woman's clothes are on the scene：
The princess rose to her feet and approached the priest。 〃Father；〃 she said swiftly； 〃this is not the Lady Joan； my brother's wife； but a youth marvelously like her； who hath offered himself in her place that she might escape。 。 。 。 He is the Count von Loen； a lord of Kernsburg。 And I love him。 We want you to marry us now； dear Fathernow； without a moment's delay； for if you do not they will kill him； and I shall have to marry Prince Wasp！〃
This is from 〃Joan of the Sword Hand；〃 and if ever I read a more silly performance I have forgotten it。
POOR YORICK
THERE is extant in the city of New York an odd piece of bric…a…brac which I am sometimes tempted to wish was in my own possession。 On a bracket in Edwin Booth's bedroom at The Playersthe apartment re… mains as he left it that solemn June day ten years agostands a sadly dilapidated skull which the elder Booth； and afterward his son Edwin； used to soliloquize over in the grave… yard at Elsinore in the fifth act of 〃Hamlet。〃 A skull is an object that always invokes interest more or less poignant； it always has its pathetic story； whether told or untold； but this skull is especially a skull 〃with a past。〃 In the early forties； while playing an engage… ment somewhere in the wild West； Junius Brutus Booth did a series of kindnesses to a particularly undeserving fellow； the name of him unknown to us。 The man； as it seemed； was a combination of gambler； horse…stealer； and highwaymanin brief； a miscellaneous desperado； and precisely the melodramatic sort of person likely to touch the sympathies of the half…mad player。 In the course of nature or the law； presumably the law； the adventurer bodily disappeared one day； and soon ceased to exist even as a reminiscence in the florid mind of his sometime benefactor。 As the elder Booth was seated at breakfast one morning in a hotel in Louisville； Kentucky； a negro boy entered the room bearing a small osier basket neatly covered with a snowy nap… kin。 It had the general appearance of a basket of fruit or flowers sent by some admirer； and as such it figured for a moment in Mr。 Booth's conjecture。 On lifting the cloth the actor started from the chair with a genuine expression on his features of that terror which he was used so marvelously to simulate as Richard III。 in the midnight tent…scene or as Macbeth when the ghost of Banquo usurped his seat at table。 In the pretty willow…woven basket lay the head of Booth's old pensioner； which head the old pensioner had bequeathed in due legal form to the tragedian； begging him henceforth to adopt it as one of the necessary stage properties in the fifth act of Mr。 Shakespeare's tragedy of 〃Hamlet。'' 〃Take it away； you black imp！〃 thundered the actor to the equally aghast negro boy； whose curiosity had happily not prompted him to investigate the dark nature of his burden。 Shortly afterward； however； the horse…stealer's residuary legatee； recovering from the first shock of his surprise； fell into the grim humor of the situation； and proceeded to carry out to the letter the testator's whimsical request。 Thus it was that the skull came to secure an engage… ment to play the role of poor Yorick in J。 B。 Booth's company of strolling players； and to continue a while longer to glimmer behind the footlights in the hands of his famous son。 Observing that the grave…digger in his too eager realism was damaging the thingthe marks of his pick and spade are visible on the craniumEdwin Booth presently replaced it with a papier…mache counterfeit manufactured in the property…room of the theatre。 During his subsequent wanderings in Australia and California； he carefully preserved the relic； which finally found repose on the bracket in question。 How often have I sat； of an afternoon； in that front room on the fourth floor of the club… house in Gramercy Park； watching the winter or summer twilight gradually softening and blurring the sharp outline of the skull until it vanished uncannily into the gloom！ Edwin Booth had forgotten； if ever he knew； the name of the man； but I had no need of it in order to establish acquaintance with poor Yorick。 In this association I was conscious of a deep tinge of sentiment on my own part； a circumstance not without its queerness； considering how very distant the acquaintance really was。 Possibly he was a fellow of infinite jest in his day； he was sober enough now； and in no way disposed to indulge in those flashes of merri… ment 〃that were wont to set the table on a roar。〃 But I did not regret his evaporated hilarity； I liked his more befitting genial si… lence； and had learned to look upon his rather open countenance with the same friendliness as that with which I regarded the faces of less phantasmal members of the club。 He had be… come to me a dramatic personality as distinct as that of any of the Thespians I met in the grill… room or the library。 Yorick's feeling in regard to me was a sub… ject upon which I frequently speculated。 There was at intervals an alert gleam of intelligence in those cavernous eye…sockets； as if the sudden remembrance of some old experience had illu… mined them。 He had been a great traveler； and had known strange vicissitudes in life； his stage career had brought him into contact with a varied assortment of men and women； and ex… tended his horizon。 His more peaceful profes… sion of holding up mail…coaches on lonely roads had surely not been without incident。 It was inconceivable that all this had left no impres… sions。 He must have had at least a faint recol… lection of the tempestuous Junius Brutus Booth。 That Yorick had formed his estimate of me； a
