the red one-第13章

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happened。　　All　I　knew　was　that　I　was　Julian　Jones　and　that　I'd　been

blacklisted　in　the　big　strike；　and　that　I　was　married　to　Sarah

here。　　I　mean　that。　　I　didn't　know　anything　in　between；　and　when

Sarah　tried　to　talk　about　it；　it　gave　me　pains　in　the　head。　　I　mean

my　head　was　queer；　and　I　knew　it　was　queer。



〃And　then；　sitting　on　the　porch　of　her　father's　farmhouse　back　in

Nebraska　one　moonlight　evening；　Sarah　came　out　and　put　that　gold

chip　into　my　hand。　　Seems　she'd　just　found　it　in　the　torn　lining　of

the　trunk　I'd　brought　back　from　Ecuador　…　I　who　for　two　years

didn't　even　know　I'd　been　to　Ecuador；　or　Australia；　or　anything！

Well；　I　just　sat　there　looking　at　the　chip　in　the　moonlight；　and

turning　it　over　and　over　and　figuring　what　it　was　and　where　it'd

come　from；　when　all　of　a　sudden　there　was　a　snap　inside　my　head　as

if　something　had　broken；　and　then　I　could　see　Vahna　spread…eagled

on　that　big　nugget　and　the　old　fellow　with　the　beak　waving　the

stone　knife；　and　。　。　。　and　everything。　　That　is；　everything　that

had　happened　from　the　time　I　first　left　Nebraska　to　when　I　crawled

to　the　daylight　out　of　the　snow　after　they　had　chucked　me　off　the

mountain…top。　　But　everything　that'd　happened　after　that　I'd　clean

forgotten。　　When　Sarah　said　I　was　her　husband；　I　wouldn't　listen　to

her。　　Took　all　her　family　and　the　preacher　that'd　married　us　to

convince　me。



〃Later　on　I　wrote　to　Seth　Manners。　　The　railroad　hadn't　killed　him

yet；　and　he　pieced　out　a　lot　for　me。　　I'll　show　you　his　letters。

I've　got　them　at　the　hotel。　　One　day；　he　said；　making　his　regular

run；　I　crawled　out　on　to　the　track。　　I　didn't　stand　upright；　I　just

crawled。　　He　took　me　for　a　calf；　or　a　big　dog；　at　first。　　I　wasn't

anything　human；　he　said；　and　I　didn't　know　him　or　anything。　　As

near　as　I　can　make　out；　it　was　ten　days　after　the　mountain…top　to

the　time　Seth　picked　me　up。　　What　I　ate　I　don't　know。　　Maybe　I

didn't　eat。　　Then　it　was　doctors　at　Quito；　and　Paloma　nursing　me

（she　must　have　packed　that　gold　chip　in　my　trunk）；　until　they　found

out　I　was　a　man　without　a　mind；　and　the　railroad　sent　me　back　to

Nebraska。　　At　any　rate；　that's　what　Seth　writes　me。　　Of　myself；　I

don't　know。　　But　Sarah　here　knows。　　She　corresponded　with　the

railroad　before　they　shipped　me　and　all　that。〃



Mrs。　Jones　nodded　affirmation　of　his　words；　sighed　and　evidenced

unmistakable　signs　of　eagerness　to　go。



〃I　ain't　been　able　to　work　since；〃　her　husband　continued。　　〃And　I

ain't　been　able　to　figure　out　how　to　get　back　that　big　nugget。

Sarah's　got　money　of　her　own；　and　she　won't　let　go　a　penny　…　〃



〃He　won't　get　down　to　THAT　country　no　more！〃　she　broke　forth。



〃But；　Sarah；　Vahna's　dead　…　you　know　that；〃　Julian　Jones　protested。



〃I　don't　know　anything　about　anything；〃　she　answered　decisively；

〃except　that　THAT　country　is　no　place　for　a　married　man。〃



Her　lips　snapped　together；　and　she　fixed　an　unseeing　stare　across

to　where　the　afternoon　sun　was　beginning　to　glow　into　sunset。　　I

gazed　for　a　moment　at　her　face；　white；　plump；　tiny；　and　implacable；

and　gave　her　up。



〃How　do　you　account　for　such　a　mass　of　gold　being　there？〃　I　queried

of　Julian　Jones。　　〃A　solid…gold　meteor　that　fell　out　of　the　sky？〃



〃Not　for　a　moment。〃　　He　shook　his　head。　　〃　It　was　carried　there　by

the　Indians。〃



〃Up　a　mountain　like　that　…　and　such　enormous　weight　and　size！〃　I

objected。



〃Just　as　easy；〃　he　smiled。　　〃I　used　to　be　stumped　by　that

proposition　myself；　after　I　got　my　memory　back。　　Now　how　in　Sam

Hill　…　'　I　used　to　begin；　and　then　spend　hours　figuring　at　it。　　And

then　when　I　got　the　answer　I　felt　downright　idiotic；　it　was　that

easy。〃　　He　paused；　then　announced：　　〃They　didn't。〃



〃But　you　just　…　said　they　did。〃



〃They　did　and　they　didn't；〃　was　his　enigmatic　reply。　　〃Of　course

they　never　carried　that　monster　nugget　up　there。　　What　they　did　was

to　carry　up　its　contents。〃



He　waited　until　he　saw　enlightenment　dawn　in　my　face。



〃And　then　of　course　melted　all　the　gold；　or　welded　it；　or　smelted

it；　all　into　one　piece。　　You　know　the　first　Spaniards　down　there；

under　a　leader　named　Pizarro；　were　a　gang　of　robbers　and　cut…

throats。　　They　went　through　the　country　like　the　hoof…and…mouth

disease；　and　killed　the　Indians　off　like　cattle。　　You　see；　the

Indians　had　lots　of　gold。　　Well；　what　the　Spaniards　didn't　get；　the

surviving　Indians　hid　away　in　that　one　big　chunk　on　top　the

mountain；　and　it's　been　waiting　there　ever　since　for　me　…　and　for

you；　if　you　want　to　go　in　on　it。〃



And　here；　by　the　Lagoon　of　the　Palace　of　Fine　Arts；　ended　my

acquaintance　with　Julian　Jones。　　On　my　agreeing　to　finance　the

adventure；　he　promised　to　call　on　me　at　my　hotel　next　morning　with

the　letters　of　Seth　Manners　and　the　railroad；　and　conclude

arrangements。　　But　he　did　not　call。　　That　evening　I　telephoned　his

hotel　and　was　informed　by　the　clerk　that　Mr。　Julian　Jones　and　wife

had　departed　in　the　early　afternoon；　with　their　baggage。



Can　Mrs。　Jones　have　rushed　him　back　and　hidden　him　away　in

Nebraska？　　I　remember　that　as　we　said　good…bye；　there　was　that　in

her　smile　that　recalled　the　vulpine　complacency　of　Mona　Lisa；　the

Wise。



Kohala；　Hawaii；

MAY　5；　1916。









STORY：　　LIKE　ARGUS　OF　THE　ANCIENT　TIMES









IT　was　the　summer　of　1897；　and　there　was　trouble　in　the　Tarwater

family。　　Grandfather　Tarwater；　after　remaining　properly　subdued　and

crushed　for　a　quiet　decade；　had　broken　out　again。　　This　time　it　was

the　Klondike　fever。　　His　first　and　one　unvarying　symptom　of　such

attacks　was　song。　　One　chant　only　he　raised；　though　he　remembered

no　more　than　the　first　stanza　and　but　three　lines　of　that。　　And　the

family　knew　his　feet　were　itching　and　his　brain　was　tingling　with

the　old　madness；　when　he　lifted　his　hoarse…cracked　voice；　now

falsetto…cracked；　in：





Like　Argus　of　the　ancient　times；

We　leave　this　modern　Greece；

Tum…tum；　tum…tum；　tum；　tum；　tum…tum；

To　shear　the　Golden　Fleece。





Ten　years　earlier　he　had　lifted　the　chant；　sung　to　the　air　of　the

〃Doxology；〃　when　afflicted　with　the　fever　to　go　gold…mining　in

Patagonia。　　The　multitudinous　family　had　sat　upon　him；　but　had　had

a　hard　time　doing　it。　　When　all　else　had　failed　to　shake　his

resolution；　they　had　applied　lawyers　to　him；　with　the　threat　of

getting　out　guardianship　papers　and　of　confining　him　in　the　state

asylum　for　the　insane　…　which　was　reasonable　for　a　man　who　had；　a

quarter　of　a　century　before；　speculated　away　all　but　ten　meagre

acres　of　a　California　principality；　and　who　had　displayed　no　better

business　acumen　ever　since。



The　application　of　lawyers　to　John　Tarwater　was　like　the

application　of　a　mustard　plaster。　　For；　in　his　judgment；　they　were

the　gentry；　more　than　any　other；　who　had　skinned　him　out　of　the

broad　Tarwater　acres。　　So；　at　the　time　of　his　Patagonian　fever；　the

very　thought　of　so　drastic　a　remedy　was　sufficient　to　cure　him。　　He

quickly　demonstrated　he　was　not　crazy　by　shaking　the　fever　from　him

and　agreeing　not　to　go　to　Patagonia。



Next；　he　demonstrated　how　crazy　he　really　was；　by　deeding　over　to

his　family；　unsolicited；　the　ten　acres　on　Tarwater　Flat；　the　house；

barn；　outbuildings；　and　water…rights。　　Also　did　he　turn　over　the

eight　hundred　dollars　in　bank　that　was　the　long…saved　salvage　of

his　wrecked　fortune。　　But　for　this　the　family　found　no　cause　for

committal　to　the　asylum；　since　such　committal　would　necessarily

invalidate　what　he　had　done。



〃Grandfather　is　sure　peeved；〃　said　Mary；　his　oldest　daughter；

herself　a　grandmother；　when　her　father　quit　smoking。



All　he　had　retained　for　himself　was　a　span　of　old　horses；　a

mountain　buckboard；　and　his　one　room　in　the　crowded　house。

Further；　having　affirmed　that　he　would　be　beholden　to　none　of　them；

he　got　the　contract　to　carry　the　United　States　mail；　twice　a　week；

from　Kelterville　up　over　Tarwater　Mountain　to　Old　Almaden　…　which

was　a　sporadically　worked　quick…silver　mine　in