adventures and letters-第68章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


a　fuss　it　has　made；　〃I　suppose　all　it　needs　now　is　to　be　made　a　question　in　the　House；〃　when　already　it　has　been　the　text　of　half　a　dozen　speeches　by　Cabinet　Ministers；　and　three　companies　are　playing　it　in　the　provinces。　　What　fun　to　have　a　success　come　in　such　a　way；　not　even　to　know　it　was　being　rehearsed。　　Today　Sargent　is　here　to　see　what　is　wrong　with　Cecil's　picture　of　Janet。　　He　came　early　and　said　he　couldn't　tell　until　he　saw　Janet；　so　now　he　is　back　again；　and　both　Janet　and　Cecil　are　shaking　with　excitement。　　He　is　the　most　simple；　kindly　genius　I　ever　met。　　He　says　the　head　is　very　fine　and　I　guess　Cecil　suspected　that；　before　she　called　him　in。　　He　says　she　must　send　it　to　the　Royal　Academy。　　I　am　now　going　out　to　hear　more　words　fall　from　the　great　man；　and　so　farewell。　　Seymour　and　I　began　work　yesterday　on　the　Dictator。　　It　went　very　smooth。　All　my　love　to　Noll　and　to　you。

DICK。


Read　the　other　letter　first　and　then；　let　me　tell　you　that　when　I　went　out　to　see　Sargent；　I　found　Cecil　complaining　that　she　could　not　understand　just　how　it　was　he　wanted　Janet　to　pose。　　Whereat　she　handed　him　a　piece　of　chalk　and　he　made　a　sketch　of　Janet　as　exquisite　as　the　morning　and　rubbed　his　hands　of　the　charcoal　and　left　it　there！　　It's　only　worth　a　hundred　pounds！　　Can　you　imagine　the　nerve　of　Cecil。　　I　was　so　shocked　I　could　only　gasp。　　But；　he　was　quite　charming　and　begged　her　to　call　him　next　time　she　got　in　a　scrape；　and　gave　her　his　private　telephone　number。

Fancy　having　Sargent　waiting　to　be　called　up　to　make　sketches　for　you。　　I　left　Janet　and　Cecil　giggling　with　happiness。　　Janet　because　she　had　been　sketched　by　him　and　Cecil　because　she　has　the　sketch。　　It's　a　three　fourths　length　three　feet　high；　and　he　did　it　in　ten　minutes。　　I　am　now　going　to　ask　her　to　invite　the　chef　of　the　Ritz　in；　to　give　us　a　sketch　of　cooking　a　dinner。

DICK。



CHAPTER　XVIII　MILITARY　MANOEUVRES

In　August；　1909；　Richard　and　his　wife　left　Mount　Kisco　for　a　visit　to　Mr。　and　Mrs。　Clark　at　Marion。　　While　there　my　brother　attended　and　later　on　wrote　an　article　on　the　war　manoeuvres　held　at　Middleboro；　Massachusetts。


MARION；　MASSACHUSETTS。　August　16th；　1909。　DEAR　MOTHER：

We　had　a　splendid　day　to　day。　　I　arranged　to　have　Cecil　meet　me　at　eleven　at　Headquarters　in　the　woods　below　Middleboro；　and　I　spent　the　morning　locating　different　regiments。　　Then；　after　I　〃met　up〃　with　her；　I　took　her　in　my　car。　　Both　she　and　Hiller　were　awfully　keen　over　it；　so；　we　got　on　splendidly。　　And；　of　course；　Hiller's　knowledge　of　the　country　was　wonderfully　convenient。　　We　had　great　luck　in　seeing　the　only　fight　of　the　day；　the　first　one　of　the　war。　　Indeed；　I　think　we　caused　it。　　There　was　a　troop　of　cavalry　with　a　Captain　who　was　afraid　to　advance。　　I　chided　him　into　doing　something；　the　umpire　having　confided　to　me；　he　would　mark　him；　if　he　did　not。　　But；　he　did　it　wrong。　　Anyway；　he　charged　a　barn　with　36　troopers　and　lost　every　fourth　man。　　In　real　warfare　he　would　have　lost　all　his　men　and　all　his　horses。　　Cecil　and　Hiller　pursued　in　the　car　at　the　very　heels　of　the　cavalry；　and　I　ran　ahead　with　the　bicycle　scouts。　　It　was　most　exciting。　　I　am　going　out　again　to…morrow。　　Lots　of　Love　to　you　all。

DICK。


MARION；　MASSACHUSETTS。　August　19th；　1909。　DEAR　MOTHER：

I　got　in　last　night　too　late　to　write　and　I　am　sorry。　　To…day；　the　war　came　to　an　end　with　our　army；　the　Red　one；　with　the　road　to　Boston　open　before　it。　　Indeed；　when　the　end　came；　they　were　fighting　with　their　backs　to　that　City；　and　could　have　entered　it　to…night。　　I　begged　both　Bliss　and　Wood　to　send　in　the　cavalry　just　for　the　moral　effect；　but　they　were　afraid　of　the　feeling；　that　was　quite　strong。　　I　had　much　fun；　never　more；　and　saw　all　that　was　worth　seeing。　　I　was　glad　to　see　I　am　in　such　good　shape　physically；　but　with　the　tramping　I　do　over　the　farm；　it　is　no　wonder。　　I　could　take　all　the　stone　walls　at　a　jump；　while　the　others　were　tearing　them　down。　　I　also　met　hundreds　of　men　I　knew　and　every　one　was　most　friendly；　especially　the　correspondents。　　Just　as　I　liked　to　be　on　a　story　with　a　〃star〃　man　when　I　was　a　reporter；　they　liked　having　a　real　〃war〃　correspondent；　take　it　seriously。　　They　were　always　wanting　to　know　if　it　were　like　the　Real　Thing；　and　as　I　assured　them　it　was；　they　were　satisfied。　　Some　incidents　were　very　funny。　　I　met　a　troop　of　cavalry　this　morning；　riding　away　from　the　battle；　down　a　crossroad；　and　thinking　it　was　a　flanking　manoeuvre；　started　to　follow　them　with　the　car。　　〃Where　are　you　going？〃　I　asked　the　Captain。　　〃Nowhere；〃　he　said；　〃We　are　dead。〃　　An　Umpire　was　charging　in　advance　of　two　troops　of　the　10th　down　a　state　road；　when　one　trooper　of　the　enemy　who　were　flying；　turned　back　and　alone　charged　the　two　troops。　　〃You　idiot〃！　yelled　the　Umpire；　〃don't　you　know　you　and　your　horse　are　shot　to　pieces？〃　　〃Sure；　I　know　it；〃　yelled　the　trooper　〃but；　this　　horse　don't　know　it。〃

RICHARD。


Early　in　the　fall　of　1909　Richard　returned　from　Marion　to　New　York　and　went　to　Crossroads；　where　for　the　next　three　years　he　remained　a　greater　part　of　the　time。　　They　were　years　of　great　and　serious　changes　for　him。　　An　estrangement　of　long　standing　between　him　and　his　wife　had　ended　in　their　separation　early　in　1910；　to　be　followed　later　by　their　divorce。　　In　September　of　that　year　my　mother　died　while　on　a　visit　to　Crossroads。

After　my　father's　death　life　to　her　became　only　a　period　of　waiting　until　the　moment　came　when　she　would　rejoin　himbecause　her　faith　was　implicit　and　infinite。　　She　could　not　well　set　about　preparing　herself　because　all　of　her　life　she　had　done　that　and；　so；　smiling　and　with　a　splendid　bravery　and　patience　she　lived　on；　finding　her　happiness　in　bringing　cheer　and　hope　and　happiness　to　all　who　came　into　the　presence　of　her　wonderful　personality。　　The　old　home　in　Philadelphia　was　just　the　same　as　it　had　been　through　her　long　married　lifethat　is　with　one　great　difference；　but　on　account　of　this　difference　I　knew　that　she　was　glad　to　spend　her　last　days　with　Richard　at　Crossroads。　　And　surely　nothing　that　could　be　done　for　a　mother　by　a　son　had　been　left　undone　by　him。　　Through　these　last　long　summer　days　she　sat　on　the　terrace　surrounded　by　the　flowers　and　the　sunshine　that　she　so　loved。　　Little　children　came　to　play　at　her　knee；　and　old　friends　travelled　from　afar　to　pay　her　court。

In　the　winter　of　1910…11　my　brother　visited　Aiken；　where　he　spent　several　months。　　The　following　June　he　went　to　London　at　the　time　of　King　George's　coronation；　but　did　not　write　about　it。　　Again；　in　November；　1911；　he　visited　my　sister　in　London；　but　returned　to　New　York　in　January；　1912；　and　spent　a　part　of　the　winter　in　Aiken　and　Cuba。　　At　Aiken　he　found　at　least　peace　and　the　devotion　of　loving　friends　that　he　so　craved；　but　in　London　and　Cuba；　which　once　had　meant　so　much　to　him；　he　seemed　to　have　lost　interest　entirely。　　But　not　once　during　these　years　did　he　cease　working；　and　working　hard。　　On　almost　every　page　of　his　diary　at　this　period　I　find　such　expressions　as　〃wrote　500　words　for　discipline。〃　　And　again　〃Satisfaction　in　work　of　last　years　when　writing　for　existence；　has　been　up　to　any　I　ever　wrote。〃

And　in　spite　of　all　of　the　trouble　of　these　days；　he　not　only　wrote　incessantly　but　did　some　of　his　very　finest　work。　　Personally　I　have　never　seen　a　man　make　a　more　courageous　fight。　　To　quote　again　from　his　diary　of　this　time：　　〃Early　going　to　my　room　saw　red　sunrise　and　gold　moon。　　I　seemed　to　stop　worrying　about　money。　　With　such　free　pleasures　I　found　I　could　not　worry。　　Every　day　God　gives　me　greater　delight　in　good　things；　in　beauty；　and　in　every　simple　exercise　and　amusement。〃

Twice　during　these　difficult　days　he　went　to　visit　Gouverneur　Morris　and　his　wife　at　Aiken；　and　after　Richard's　death　his　old　friend　wrote　of　the　first　of　these　visits：

〃It　was　in　our　little　house　at　Aiken；　in　South　Carolina；　that　he　was　with　us　most　and　we　learned　to　know　him　best；　and　that　he　and　I　became　dependent　upon　each　other　in　many　ways。　〃Events；　into　which　I　shall　not　go；　had　made　his　life　very　difficult　and　complicated。　　And　he　who　had　given　so　much　friendship　to　so　many　people　needed　a　little　friendship　in　return；　and　perhaps；　too；　he　n