The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1916-09-16

N his life Bibbs began to understand
the meaning OF being truly this mans
son.
He would be the more truly his son
henceforth. though, as Sheridan said.
Bibbs had not come downtown with
him meanIy or half-heartedly. He had
given his word because he had wanted
the money. simply, for Mary Vertrees
in her need. And he shivered with
horror of. himself, thinking how he had
gone to her to offer it, asking her to
marry him-with his head on his
breast in shameful fear that she would
accept him! He had not known her;
the knowing had lost her to him. and
this had been his real awakening; for
he knew now how deep had been that
slumber wherein he dreamiIy celebrat-
ed the superiority Of friendship The
sleep-waIker had Weakened to bitter
knowledge of love and life. finding
himself a failure IN both. He had
made a burnt Offering Of his dreams.
and the sacrifice had been an unforgiv-
able hurt to Mary. All that was left
for him was the work he had chosen.
but at least he would not fail in that,
though it was indeed no more than
dust in his mouth" If there had been
anything ito work for"
He went to the window. raised If
and let in the uproar OF the streets be
low. He looked down at the blurred
hurrying swarms and be looked
across. over the roofs with their pant
ing jets of vapor. into the vast. foggy
heart of the smoke. Dizzy traceries of
steel were rising dimIy against If, chat
tering with steel on steel. and screech-
ing in steam, while tiny figures of men
walked on threads in the dull sky.
Buildings would overtop the Sheridan
Bigness was being served.
But what for? The old question
came to Bibbs with a new despair
Here, where his eye fell, had once been
green fields and running brooks. and
how had the kind earth been despoiled
and disfguredI The pioneers had be
gun the work, but in their old age their
orators had said for them that they
had toiled and risked and sacrificed
that their posterity might live in peace
and wisdom, enjoying the fruits Of the
earth. Well. their posterity was here
and there was only turmoil. Where
was the promised land? 1t had been
promised by the soldiers Of all the
wars: it had been promised to this gen
Grafton by the pioneers; but here was
the very posterity to whom it had been
promised. toiling and risking and sac
rifcing in turn-for what?
The harsh roar of the city came in
through the open wisdom, continuously
beating upon Bibbs' ear until he began
to distinguish a pulsation in it-a bro
ken and irregular cadence. 1t seemed
TO him that it was like titanic voice.
discordant. hoarse. rustily metallic
the voice of the god, Bigness- And the
voice summoned Bibbs as it summoned
all its servants.
Come and work. it seemed to call
"Come and work for Me. all men, By
your youth and your hope l summon
you. By your age and your despair
summon you to work for Ne yet
little, with what strength you have.
By your love of home 1 summon youi
By your love of woman l summon you
By your hope of children 1 summon
you'll
You shall be blind slaves of Mine.
blind to everything but Ne. your Mas
ter and DriverI For your reward you
shall gaze only upon my ugliness- You
shall give your toll and your lives. you
shall go mad for love and worship Of
my uglinessi You shall perish still
worshiping Me, and your children shall
perish knowing no other godP'
And then. as Bibbs closed the win
dow down tight, he heard his fathers
voice booming in the next room; he
could not distinguish the words, but
the tone was exultant-and there came
the thump! thump! of the MANNED
hand. Bibbs guessed that Sheridan
was Dragging of the city and of the
Bigness to some visitor from out of
town.
And he thought how truly Sheridan
was the high priest of Bigness. But
with the old, old thought again. What
for?" Bibbs caught a glimmer Of far.
faint light. He saw that Sheridan had
all his life struggled and conquered.
and must all his life go on struggling
and inevitably conquering, as part OF
vast impulse not his own. Sheridan
served blindly-but was the impulse
blind? Bibbs asked himself if it was
not he who had been in the greater
hurry. after all. The kiln must be
fired before the vase is glazed. and the
Acropolis was not crowned with
marble in a day.
Then the voice came to him again.
but there was a strain in it as of some
huge music struggling to be born of
the turmoil. ugly I am" it seemed
/ to say to him. but never forget that
/ | am a godp' And the voice grew in
sonOrousness and in dignity. The
| highest should serve. but so long as
you worship me for my own sake ]
viii not serve you. 1t is man who
makes me ugly. by his worship Of me.
If man would let me serve him, |
should be beautiful"
Looking once more from the win
dow, Bibbs scuIptured for himself
| in vague contortions Of the smoke and
fog above the roOfs-a gigantic figure
1 rodoSka1od T1no7 tho