Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1916-10-12

as Of no Importance. since all was
well-reverting Immediately to BUSH
ness.
Bibbs began to think intentiy of his
father. He perceived, as he had never
perceived before, the shadowtng Of
something enormous and indomitabl
and lawless; not TO be daunted by
the will Of natures very self; laughing
at the lightning and at wounds and
mutilation; conquering, irresistible
and blindly noble. For the first time
in 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 meanly 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 be had
gone to her to offer il, asking her to
marry him-With his head on his
breast in shameful fear that she would
accept himi 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 dreamily celebrat-
ed the superiority Of friendship The
sleep-walker 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 1t was indeed no more than
"dust in his mouth" If there had been
anything ito work for
He went to the window, raised It,
and let in the uproar of the streets be-
low. He looked down at the blurred,
hurrytng sWarms - and he 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 dimly against it, chat
tering with steel on steel, and screech-
ing in steam, while tiny figures Of men
".
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 disigured! 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
rificing in turn-fOr what?
TIE harsh roar of the city came in
through the open window, 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 a titanic voice,
discordant, hoarse rustily metallic
With absolute disregard Of his own
life, he hurled himself at Bibbs like
football player shunting off an oppO-
nent, and to Mary it seemed that they
both went down together. But that
was all she could See-autOmobiles,
trucks and wagons closed in between.
She made out that the trolley car
stopped jerkily, and she saw a police
the voice of the god, Bigness. And the
voice summoned Bibbs as it summoned
all its servants
Come and workw 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 Me yet
little, with what strength you have.
By your love of home I summon you!
By your love of woman 1 summon you!
By your hope of children I summon
you!
"YOu shall be blind slaves of Mine,
blind to everything but Me, your Mas
ter and Driver! 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 ugliness! You shall perish still
worshiping Me, and your children shall
perish moving no other godw
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
a vast impulse not his own. Sheridan
served blfndly-but was the impulse
blind? Bibbs asked himself II it was
not he who had been in the greater