第9章

"Iguessedyouhad。Whatisit？"SheshiftedThortoherleftknee，wherehewouldbemoreoutoftheway。

"Well，it’saboutThea。Mr。FollansbeecametomystudyatthechurchtheotherdayandsaidtheywouldliketohavetheirtwogirlstakelessonsofThea。ThenIsoundedMissMeyers"（MissMeyerswastheorganistinMr。

Kronborg’schurch）"andshesaidtherewasagooddealoftalkaboutwhetherTheawouldn’ttakeoverWunsch’spupils。ShesaidifTheastoppedschoolshewouldn’twonderifshecouldgetprettymuchallWunsch’sclass。

PeoplethinkTheaknowsaboutallWunschcouldteach。"

Mrs。Kronborglookedthoughtful。"Doyouthinkweoughttotakeheroutofschoolsoyoung？"

"Sheisyoung，butnextyearwouldbeherlastyearany—

way。She’sfaralongforherage。Andshecan’tlearnmuchundertheprincipalwe’vegotnow，canshe？"

"No，I’mafraidshecan’t，"hiswifeadmitted。"Shefretsagooddealandsaysthatmanalwayshastolookinthebackofthebookfortheanswers。Shehatesallthatdiagrammingtheyhavetodo，andIthinkmyselfit’sawasteoftime。"

Mr。Kronborgsettledhimselfbackintotheseatandslowedthemaretoawalk。"Yousee，itoccurstomethatwemightraiseThea’sprices，soitwouldbeworthherwhile。Seventy—fivecentsforhourlessons，fiftycentsforhalf—hourlessons。Ifshegot，saytwothirdsofWunsch’sclass，thatwouldbringherinupwardsoftendollarsaweek。Betterpaythanteachingacountryschool，andtherewouldbemoreworkinvacationthaninwinter。

Steadyworktwelvemonthsintheyear；that’sanadvan—

tage。Andshe’dbelivingathome，withnoexpenses。"

"There’dbetalkifyouraisedherprices，"saidMrs。

Kronborgdubiously。

"Atfirsttherewould。ButTheaissomuchthebestmusicianintownthatthey’dallcomeintolineafterawhile。AgoodmanypeopleinMoonstonehavebeenmakingmoneylately，andhaveboughtnewpianos。ThereweretennewpianosshippedinherefromDenverinthelastyear。Peopleain’tgoingtoletthemstandidle；toomuchmoneyinvested。IbelieveTheacanhaveasmanyscholarsasshecanhandle，ifwesetherupalittle。"

"Howsetherup，doyoumean？"Mrs。Kronborgfeltacertainreluctanceaboutacceptingthisplan，thoughshehadnotyethadtimetothinkoutherreasons。

"Well，I’vebeenthinkingforsometimewecouldmakegooduseofanotherroom。Wecouldn’tgiveuptheparlortoherallthetime。Ifwebuiltanotherroomontheellandputthepianointhere，shecouldgivelessonsalldaylonganditwouldn’tbotherus。Wecouldbuildaclothes—pressinit，andputinabed—loungeandadresserandletAnnahaveitforhersleeping—room。Sheneedsaplaceofherown，nowthatshe’sbeginningtobedressy。"

"SeemslikeTheaoughttohavethechoiceoftheroom，herself，"saidMrs。Kronborg。

"But，mydear，shedon’twantit。Won’thaveit。I

soundedhercominghomefromchurchonSunday；askedherifshewouldliketosleepinanewroom，ifwebuilton。

Shefireduplikealittlewild—catandsaidshe’dmadeherownroomallherself，andshedidn’tthinkanybodyoughttotakeitawayfromher。"

"Shedon’tmeantobeimpertinent，father。She’smadedecidedthatway，likemyfather。"Mrs。Kronborgspokewarmly。"Ineverhaveanytroublewiththechild。I

remembermyfather’swaysandgoathercarefully。Thea’sallright。"

Mr。KronborglaughedindulgentlyandpinchedThor’sfullcheek。"Oh，Ididn’tmeananythingagainstyourgirl，mother！She’sallright，butshe’salittlewild—cat，justthesame。IthinkRayKennedy’splanningtospoilabornoldmaid。"

"Huh！She’llgetsomethingagoodsightbetterthanRayKennedy，yousee！Thea’sanawfulsmartgirl。I’veseenagoodmanygirlstakemusiclessonsinmytime，butIain’tseenonethattooktoitso。Wunschsaidso，too。

She’sgotthemakingofsomethinginher。"

"Idon’tdenythat，andthesoonershegetsatitinabusinesslikeway，thebetter。She’sthekindthattakesresponsibility，andit’llbegoodforher。"

Mrs。Kronborgwasthoughtful。"Insomewaysitwill，maybe。Butthere’sagooddealofstrainaboutteachingyoungsters，andshe’salwaysworkedsohardwiththescholarsshehas。I’veoftenlistenedtoherpoundingitinto’em。Idon’twanttoworkhertoohard。She’ssoseriousthatshe’sneverhadwhatyoumightcallanyrealchildhood。Seemslikesheoughttohavethenextfewyearssortoffreeandeasy。She’llbetieddownwithre—

sponsibilitiessoonenough。"

Mr。Kronborgpattedhiswife’sarm。"Don’tyoubelieve

it，mother。Theaisnotthemarryingkind。I’vewatched’em。Annawillmarrybeforelongandmakeagoodwife，butIdon’tseeTheabringingupafamily。She’sgotagooddealofhermotherinher，butshehasn’tgotall。She’stoopepperyandtoofondofhavingherownway。Thenshe’salwaysgottobeaheadineverything。Thatkindmakegoodchurch—workersandmissionariesandschoolteachers，buttheydon’tmakegoodwives。Theyfretalltheirenergyaway，likecolts，andgetcutonthewire。"

Mrs。Kronborglaughed。"GivemethegrahamcrackersIputinyourpocketforThor。He’shungry。You’reafunnyman，Peter。Abodywouldn’tthink，tohearyou，youwastalkingaboutyourowndaughters。Iguessyouseethrough’em。Still，evenifTheaain’tapttohavechildrenofherown，Idon’tknowasthat’sagoodreasonwhysheshouldwearherselfoutonotherpeople’s。"

"That’sjustthepoint，mother。Agirlwithallthatenergyhasgottodosomething，sameasaboy，tokeepheroutofmischief。Ifyoudon’twanthertomarryRay，letherdosomethingtomakeherselfindependent。"

"Well，I’mnotagainstit。Itmightbethebestthingforher。IwishIfeltsureshewouldn’tworry。Shetakesthingshard。ShenearlycriedherselfsickaboutWunsch’sgoingaway。She’sthesmartestchildof’emall，Peter，byalongways。"

PeterKronborgsmiled。"Thereyougo，Anna。That’syoualloveragain。Now，Ihavenofavorites；theyallhavetheirgoodpoints。Butyou，"withatwinkle，"alwaysdidgoinforbrains。"

Mrs。KronborgchuckledasshewipedthecrackercrumbsfromThor’schinandfists。"Well，you’remightyconceited，Peter！ButIdon’tknowasIeverregrettedit。Ipreferhavingafamilyofmyowntofussingwithotherfolks’

children，that’sthetruth。"

BeforetheKronborgsreachedCopperHole，Thea’sdes—

tinywasprettywellmappedoutforher。Mr。Kronborg

wasalwaysdelightedtohaveanexcuseforenlargingthehouse。

Mrs。KronborgwasquiterightinherconjecturethattherewouldbeunfriendlycommentinMoonstonewhenThearaisedherpricesformusic—lessons。Peoplesaidshewasgettingtooconceitedforanything。Mrs。LiveryJohn—

sonputonanewbonnetandpaidupallherbackcallstohavethepleasureofannouncingineachparlorsheenteredthatherdaughters，atleast，would"neverpayprofessionalpricestoTheaKronborg。"

Thearaisednoobjectiontoquittingschool。Shewasnowinthe"highroom，"asitwascalled，innexttothehighestclass，andwasstudyinggeometryandbeginningCaesar。Shenolongerrecitedherlessonstotheteachersheliked，buttothePrincipal，amanwhobelonged，likeMrs。

LiveryJohnson，tothecampofThea’snaturalenemies。

Hetaughtschoolbecausehewastoolazytoworkamonggrown—uppeople，andhemadeaneasyjobofit。Hegotoutofrealworkbyinventinguselessactivitiesforhispupils，suchasthe"tree—diagrammingsystem。"Theahadspenthoursmakingtreesoutof"Thanatopsis，"Hamlet’ssoliloquy，Catoon"Immortality。"Sheagonizedunderthiswasteoftime，andwasonlytoogladtoacceptherfather’sofferofliberty。

SoThealeftschoolthefirstofNovember。BythefirstofJanuaryshehadeightone—hourpupilsandtenhalf—hourpupils，andtherewouldbemoreinthesum—

mer。Shespentherearningsgenerously。SheboughtanewBrusselscarpetfortheparlor，andarifleforGunnerandAxel，andanimitationtiger—skincoatandcapforThor。Sheenjoyedbeingabletoaddtothefamilyposses—

sions，andthoughtThorlookedquiteashandsomeinhisspotsastherichchildrenshehadseeninDenver。Thorwasmostcomplacentinhisconspicuousapparel。Hecouldwalkanywherebythistime——thoughhealwayspreferredtosit，ortobepulledinhiscart。Hewasablissfullylazy

child，andhadanumberoflong，dullplays，suchasmak—

ingnestsforhischinaduckandwaitingforhertolayhimanegg。Theathoughthimveryintelligent，andshewasproudthathewassobigandburly。Shefoundhimrestful，lovedtohearhimcallher"sitter，"andreallylikedhiscompanionship，especiallywhenshewastired。OnSat—

urday，forinstance，whenshetaughtfromnineinthemorninguntilfiveintheafternoon，shelikedtogetoffinacornerwithThoraftersupper，awayfromallthebathinganddressingandjokingandtalkingthatwentoninthehouse，andaskhimabouthisduck，orhearhimtelloneofhisramblingstories。

XV

BythetimeThea’sfifteenthbirthdaycameround，shewasestablishedasamusicteacherinMoonstone。

Thenewroomhadbeenaddedtothehouseearlyinthespring，andTheahadbeengivingherlessonstheresincethemiddleofMay。Shelikedthepersonalindependencewhichwasaccordedherasawage—earner。Thefamilyques—

tionedhercomingsandgoingsverylittle。Shecouldgobuggy—ridingwithRayKennedy，forinstance，withouttak—

ingGunnerorAxel。ShecouldgotoSpanishJohnny’sandsingpartsongswiththeMexicans，andnobodyobjected。

Theawasstillunderthefirstexcitementofteaching，andwasterriblyinearnestaboutit。Ifapupildidnotgetonwell，shefumedandfretted。Shecounteduntilshewashoarse。Shelistenedtoscalesinhersleep。Wunschhadtaughtonlyonepupilseriously，butTheataughttwenty。

Thedullertheywere，themorefuriouslyshepokedandproddedthem。Withthelittlegirlsshewasnearlyalwayspatient，butwithpupilsolderthanherself，shesometimeslosthertemper。Oneofhermistakeswastoletherselfinforacalling—downfromMrs。LiveryJohnson。ThatladyappearedattheKronborgs’onemorningandannouncedthatshewouldallownogirltostampherfootatherdaugh—

terGrace。SheaddedthatThea’sbadmannerswiththeoldergirlswerebeingtalkedaboutallovertown，andthatifhertemperdidnotspeedilyimproveshewouldloseallheradvancedpupils。Theawasfrightened。Shefeltshecouldneverbearthedisgrace，ifsuchathinghappened。

Besides，whatwouldherfathersay，afterhehadgonetotheexpenseofbuildinganadditiontothehouse？Mrs。

JohnsondemandedanapologytoGrace。Theasaidshewaswillingtomakeit。Mrs。Johnsonsaidthathereafter，

sinceshehadtakenlessonsofthebestpianoteacherinGrinnell，Iowa，sheherselfwoulddecidewhatpiecesGraceshouldstudy。Theareadilyconsentedtothat，andMrs。JohnsonrustledawaytotellaneighborwomanthatTheaKronborgcouldbemeekenoughwhenyouwentatherright。

TheawastellingRayaboutthisunpleasantencounterastheyweredrivingouttothesandhillsthenextSunday。

"Shewasstuffingyou，allright，Thee，"Rayreassuredher。"There’snogeneraldissatisfactionamongyourschol—

ars。Shejustwantedtogetinaknock。Italkedtothepianotunerthelasttimehewashere，andhesaidallthepeoplehetunedforexpressedthemselvesveryfavorablyaboutyourteaching。Iwishyoudidn’ttakesomuchpainswiththem，myself。"

"ButIhaveto，Ray。They’reallsodumb。They’vegotnoambition，"Theaexclaimedirritably。"JennySmileyistheonlyonewhoisn’tstupid。Shecanreadprettywell，andshehassuchgoodhands。Butshedon’tcarearapaboutit。Shehasnopride。"

Ray’sfacewasfullofcomplacentsatisfactionasheglancedsidewiseatThea，butshewaslookingoffintentlyintothemirage，atoneofthosemammothcattlethatarenearlyalwaysreflectedthere。"Doyoufinditeasiertoteachinyournewroom？"heasked。

"Yes；I’mnotinterruptedsomuch。Ofcourse，ifIeverhappentowanttopracticeatnight，that’salwaysthenightAnnachoosestogotobedearly。"

"It’sadarnedshame，Thee，youdidn’tcopthatroomforyourself。I’msoreatthePADREaboutthat。Heoughttogiveyouthatroom。Youcouldfixitupsopretty。"

"Ididn’twantit，honestIdidn’t。Fatherwouldhaveletmehaveit。Ilikemyownroombetter。SomehowI

canthinkbetterinalittleroom。Besides，upthereIamawayfromeverybody，andIcanreadaslateasIpleaseandnobodynagsme。"

"Agrowinggirlneedslotsofsleep，"Rayprovidentlyremarked。

Theamovedrestlesslyonthebuggycushions。"Theyneedotherthingsmore，"shemuttered。"Oh，Iforgot。

Ibroughtsomethingtoshowyou。Lookhere，itcameonmybirthday。Wasn’titniceofhimtoremember？"Shetookfromherpocketapostcard，bentinthemiddleandfolded，andhandedittoRay。Onitwasawhitedove，perchedonawreathofveryblueforget—me—nots，and"BirthdayGreetings"ingoldletters。Underthiswaswritten，"FromA。Wunsch。"

Rayturnedthecardover，examinedthepostmark，andthenbegantolaugh。

"Concord，Kansas。Hehasmysympathy！"

"Why，isthatapoortown？"

"It’sthejumping—offplace，notownatall。Somehousesdumpeddowninthemiddleofacornfield。Yougetlostinthecorn。Notevenasaloontokeepthingsgoing；sellwhis—

keywithoutalicenseatthebutchershop，beeronicewiththeliverandbeefsteak。Iwouldn’tstaythereoverSundayforaten—dollarbill。"

"Oh，dear！Whatdoyousupposehe’sdoingthere？

Maybehejuststoppedoffthereafewdaystotunepianos，"

Theasuggestedhopefully。

Raygaveherbackthecard。"He’sheadedinthewrongdirection。Whatdoeshewanttogetbackintoagrasscountryfor？Now，therearelotsofgoodlivetownsdownontheSantaFe，andeverybodydownthereismusical。

Hecouldalwaysgetajobplayinginsaloonsifhewasdead—

broke。I’vefiguredoutthatI’vegotnoyearsofmylifetowasteinaMethodistcountrywheretheyraisepork。"

"WemuststoponourwaybackandshowthiscardtoMrs。Kohler。Shemisseshimso。"

"Bytheway，Thee，IheartheoldwomangoestochurcheverySundaytohearyousing。Fritztellsmehehastowaittilltwoo’clockforhisSundaydinnerthesedays。The

churchpeopleoughttogiveyoucreditforthat，whentheygoforyou。"

Theashookherheadandspokeinatoneofresignation。

"They’llalwaysgoforme，justastheydidforWunsch。

Itwasn’tbecausehedranktheywentforhim；notreally。

Itwassomethingelse。"

"Youwanttosaltyourmoneydown，Thee，andgotoChicagoandtakesomelessons。Thenyoucomeback，andwearalongfeatherandhighheelsandputonafewairs，andthat’llfix’em。That’swhattheylike。"

"I’llneverhavemoneyenoughtogotoChicago。Mothermeanttolendmesome，Ithink，butnowthey’vegothardtimesbackinNebraska，andherfarmdon’tbringherinanything。Takesallthetenantcanraisetopaythetaxes。

Don’tlet’stalkaboutthat。YoupromisedtotellmeabouttheplayyouwenttoseeinDenver。"

AnyonewouldhavelikedtohearRay’ssimpleandclearaccountoftheperformancehehadseenattheTaborGrandOperaHouse——MaggieMitchellinLITTLEBAREFOOT——andanyonewouldhavelikedtowatchhiskindface。Raylookedhisbestoutofdoors，whenhisthickredhandswerecoveredbygloves，andthedullredofhissunburnedfacesomehowseemedrightinthelightandwind。Helookedbetter，too，withhishaton；hishairwasthinanddry，withnoparticularcolororcharacter，"regularWilly—boyhair，"

ashehimselfdescribedit。Hiseyeswerepalebesidethereddishbronzeofhisskin。Theyhadthefadedlookoftenseenintheeyesofmenwhohavelivedmuchinthesunandwindandwhohavebeenaccustomedtotraintheirvisionupondistantobjects。

RayrealizedthatThea’slifewasdullandexacting，andthatshemissedWunsch。Heknewsheworkedhard，thatsheputupwithagreatmanylittleannoyances，andthatherdutiesasateacherseparatedhermorethaneverfromtheboysandgirlsofherownage。Hedideverythinghecouldtoproviderecreationforher。Hebroughthercandy

andmagazinesandpineapples——ofwhichshewasveryfond——fromDenver，andkepthiseyesandearsopenforany—

thingthatmightinteresther。Hewas，ofcourse，livingforThea。Hehadthoughtitalloutcarefullyandhadmadeuphismindjustwhenhewouldspeaktoher。Whenshewasseventeen，thenhewouldtellherhisplanandaskhertomarryhim。Hewouldbewillingtowaittwo，oreventhreeyears，untilshewastwenty，ifshethoughtbest。Bythattimehewouldsurelyhavegotinonsomething：cop—

per，oil，gold，silver，sheep，——something。

Meanwhile，itwaspleasureenoughtofeelthatshede—

pendedonhimmoreandmore，thatsheleaneduponhissteadykindness。Heneverbrokefaithwithhimselfabouther；heneverhintedtoherofhishopesforthefuture，neversuggestedthatshemightbemoreintimatelycon—

fidentialwithhim，ortalkedtoherofthethinghethoughtaboutsoconstantly。Hehadthechivalrywhichisper—

hapstheproudestpossessionofhisrace。Hehadneverembarrassedherbysomuchasaglance。Sometimes，whentheydroveouttothesandhills，helethisleftarmliealongthebackofthebuggyseat，butitnevercameanynearertoTheathanthat，nevertouchedher。Heoftenturnedtoherafacefullofpride，andfrankadmiration，buthisglancewasneversointimateorsopenetratingasDr。Archie’s。Hisblueeyeswereclearandshallow，friendly，uninquiring。HerestedTheabecausehewassodifferent；because，thoughheoftentoldherinterestingthings，heneversetlivelyfanciesgoinginherhead；becausehenevermisunderstoodher，andbecausehenever，byanychance，forasingleinstant，understoodher！Yes，withRayshewassafe；byhimshewouldneverbediscovered！

XVI

ThepleasantestexperienceTheahadthatsummerwasatripthatsheandhermothermadetoDenverinRayKennedy’scaboose。Mrs。Kronborghadbeenlook—

ingforwardtothisexcursionforalongwhile，butasRayneverknewatwhathourhisfreightwouldleaveMoon—

stone，itwasdifficulttoarrange。Thecall—boywasaslikelytosummonhimtostartonhisrunattwelveo’clockmid—

nightasattwelveo’clocknoon。ThefirstweekinJunestartedoutwithallthescheduledtrainsrunningontime，andalightfreightbusiness。TuesdayeveningRay，afterconsultingwiththedispatcher，stoppedattheKronborgs’

frontgatetotellMrs。Kronborg——whowashelpingTilliewatertheflowers——thatifsheandTheacouldbeatthedepotateighto’clockthenextmorning，hethoughthecouldpromisethemapleasantrideandgetthemintoDenverbeforenineo’clockintheevening。Mrs。Kronborgtoldhimcheerfully，acrossthefence，thatshewould"takehimuponit，"andRayhurriedbacktotheyardstoscrubouthiscar。

TheonecomplaintRay’sbrakemenhadtomakeofhimwasthathewastoofussyabouthiscaboose。Hisformerbrakemanhadaskedtobetransferredbecause，hesaid，"Kennedywasasfussyabouthiscarasanoldmaidaboutherbird—cage。"JoeGiddy，whowasbrakingwithRaynow，calledhim"thebride，"becausehekeptthecabooseandbunkssoclean。

Itwasproperlythebrakeman’sbusinesstokeepthecarclean，butwhenRaygotbacktothedepot，Giddywasnowheretobefound。Mutteringthatallhisbrakemenseemedtoconsiderhim"easy，"Raywentdowntohiscaralone。Hebuiltafireinthestoveandputwaterontoheat

whilehegotintohisoverallsandjumper。Thenhesettoworkwithascrubbing—brushandplentyofsoapand"cleaner。"Hescrubbedthefloorandseats，blackedthestove，putcleansheetsonthebunks，andthenbegantodemolishGiddy’spicturegallery。Rayfoundthathisbrakemenwerelikelytohavewhathetermed"atasteforthenudeinart，"andGiddywasnoexception。Raytookdownhalfadozengirlsintightsandballetskirts，——pre—

miumsforcigarettecoupons，——andsomeracycalendarsadvertisingsaloonsandsportingclubs，whichhadcostGiddybothtimeandtrouble；heevenremovedGiddy’sparticularpet，anakedgirllyingonacouchwithherkneecarelesslypoisedintheair。Underneaththepicturewasprintedthetitle，"TheOdalisque。"Giddywasunderthehappydelusionthatthistitlemeantsomethingwicked，——

therewasawickedlookabouttheconsonants，——butRay，ofcourse，hadlookeditup，andGiddywasindebtedtothedictionaryfortheprivilegeofkeepinghislady。If"oda—

lisque"hadbeenwhatRaycalledanobjectionableword，hewouldhavethrownthepictureoutinthefirstplace。

RayeventookdownapictureofMrs。Langtryineveningdress，becauseitwasentitledthe"JerseyLily，"andbe—

causetherewasasmallheadofEdwardVII，thenPrinceofWales，inonecorner。AlbertEdward’sconductwasapopularsubjectofdiscussionamongrailroadmeninthosedays，andasRaypulledthetacksoutofthislithographhefeltmoreindignantwiththeEnglishthanever。Hede—

positedallthesepicturesunderthemattressofGiddy’sbunk，andstoodadmiringhiscleancarinthelamplight；

thewallsnowexhibitedonlyawheatfield，advertisingagri—

culturalimplements，amapofColorado，andsomepicturesofrace—horsesandhunting—dogs。AtthismomentGiddy，freshlyshavedandshampooed，hisshirtshiningwiththehighestpolishknowntoChineselaundrymen，hisstrawhattippedoverhisrighteye，thrusthisheadinatthedoor。

"Whatinhell——"hebroughtoutfuriously。Hisgood—

humored，sunburnedfaceseemedfairlytoswellwithamazementandanger。

"That’sallright，Giddy，"Raycalledinaconciliatorytone。"Nothinginjured。I’llput’emallupagainasI