The Complete Works of Stephen Crane (100 page)

“Once upon a time there was a beautiful Indian maiden, of course. And she was, of course, beloved by a youth from another tribe who was very handsome and stalwart and a mighty hunter, of course. But the maiden’s father was, of course, a stern old chief, and when the question of his daughter’s marriage came up, he, of course, declared that the maiden should be wedded only to a warrior of her tribe. And, of course, when the young man heard this he said that in such case he would, of course, fling himself headlong from that crag. The old chief was, of course, obdurate, and, of course, the youth did, of course, as he had said. And, of course, the maiden wept.” After Hawker had waited for some time, he said with severity, “You seem to have no great appreciation of folklore.”

The girl suddenly bent her head. “Listen,” she said, “they’re calling. Don’t you hear Hollie’s voice?”

They went to another place, and, looking down over the shimmering tree-tops, they saw Hollanden waving his arms. “It’s luncheon,” said Hawker. “Look how frantic he is!”

The path required that Hawker should assist the girl very often. His eyes shone at her whenever he held forth his hand to help her down a blessed steep place. She seemed rather pensive. The route to luncheon was very long. Suddenly he took a seat on an old tree, and said: “Oh, I don’t know why it is, whenever I’m with you, I — I have no wits, nor good nature, nor anything. It’s the worst luck!”

He had left her standing on a boulder, where she was provisionally helpless. “Hurry!” she said; “they’re waiting for us.”

Stanley, the setter, had been sliding down cautiously behind them. He now stood wagging his tail and waiting for the way to be cleared.

Hawker leaned his head on his hand and pondered dejectedly. “It’s the worst luck!”

“Hurry!” she said; “they’re waiting for us.”

At luncheon the girl was for the most part silent. Hawker was superhumanly amiable. Somehow he gained the impression that they all quite fancied him, and it followed that being clever was very easy. Hollanden listened, and approved him with a benign countenance.

There was a little boat fastened to the willows at the edge of the black pool. After the spread, Hollanden navigated various parties around to where they could hear the great hollow roar of the falls beating against the sheer rocks. Stanley swam after sticks at the request of little Roger.

Once Hollanden succeeded in making the others so engrossed in being amused that Hawker and Miss Fanhall were left alone staring at the white bubbles that floated solemnly on the black water. After Hawker had stared at them a sufficient time, he said, “Well, you are an heiress, you know.”

In return she chose to smile radiantly. Turning toward him, she said, “If you will be good now — always — perhaps I’ll forgive you.”

They drove home in the sombre shadows of the hills, with Stanley padding along under the wagon. The Worcester girls tried to induce Hollanden to sing, and in consequence there was quarrelling until the blinking lights of the inn appeared above them as if a great lantern hung there.

Hollanden conveyed his friend some distance on the way home from the inn to the farm. “Good time at the picnic?” said the writer.

“Yes.”

“Picnics are mainly places where the jam gets on the dead leaves, and from thence to your trousers. But this was a good little picnic.” He glanced at Hawker. “But you don’t look as if you had such a swell time.”

Hawker waved his hand tragically. “Yes — no — I don’t know.”

“What’s wrong with you?” asked Hollanden.

“I tell you what it is, Hollie,” said the painter darkly, “whenever I’m with that girl I’m such a blockhead. I’m not so stupid, Hollie. You know I’m not. But when I’m with her I can’t be clever to save my life.”

Hollanden pulled contentedly at his pipe. “Maybe she don’t notice it.”

“Notice it!” muttered Hawker, scornfully; “of course she notices it. In conversation with her, I tell you, I am as interesting as an iron dog.” His voice changed as he cried, “I don’t know why it is. I don’t know why it is.”

Blowing a huge cloud of smoke into the air, Hollanden studied it thoughtfully. “Hits some fellows that way,” he said. “And, of course, it must be deuced annoying. Strange thing, but now, under those circumstances, I’m very glib. Very glib, I assure you.”

“I don’t care what you are,” answered Hawker. “All those confounded affairs of yours — they were not — —”

“No,” said Hollanden, stolidly puffing, “of course not. I understand that. But, look here, Billie,” he added, with sudden brightness, “maybe you are not a blockhead, after all. You are on the inside, you know, and you can’t see from there. Besides, you can’t tell what a woman will think. You can’t tell what a woman will think.”

“No,” said Hawker, grimly, “and you suppose that is my only chance?”

“Oh, don’t be such a chump!” said Hollanden, in a tone of vast exasperation.

They strode for some time in silence. The mystic pines swaying over the narrow road made talk sibilantly to the wind. Stanley, the setter, took it upon himself to discover some menacing presence in the woods. He walked on his toes and with his eyes glinting sideways. He swore half under his breath.

“And work, too,” burst out Hawker, at last. “I came up here this season to work, and I haven’t done a thing that ought not be shot at.”

“Don’t you find that your love sets fire to your genius?” asked Hollanden gravely.

“No, I’m hanged if I do.”

Hollanden sighed then with an air of relief. “I was afraid that a popular impression was true,” he said, “but it’s all right. You would rather sit still and moon, wouldn’t you?”

“Moon — blast you! I couldn’t moon to save my life.”

“Oh, well, I didn’t mean moon exactly.”

The blue night of the lake was embroidered with black tree forms. Silver drops sprinkled from the lifted oars. Somewhere in the gloom of the shore there was a dog, who from time to time raised his sad voice to the stars.

“But still, the life of the studios — —” began the girl.

Hawker scoffed. “There were six of us. Mainly we smoked. Sometimes we played hearts and at other times poker — on credit, you know — credit. And when we had the materials and got something to do, we worked. Did you ever see these beautiful red and green designs that surround the common tomato can?”

“Yes.”

“Well,” he said proudly, “I have made them. Whenever you come upon tomatoes, remember that they might once have been encompassed in my design. When first I came back from Paris I began to paint, but nobody wanted me to paint. Later, I got into green corn and asparagus — —”

“Truly?”

“Yes, indeed. It is true.”

“But still, the life of the studios — —”

“There were six of us. Fate ordained that only one in the crowd could have money at one time. The other five lived off him and despised themselves. We despised ourselves five times as long as we had admiration.”

“And was this just because you had no money?”

“It was because we had no money in New York,” said Hawker.

“Well, after a while something happened — —”

“Oh, no, it didn’t. Something impended always, but it never happened.”

“In a case like that one’s own people must be such a blessing. The sympathy — —”

“One’s own people!” said Hawker.

“Yes,” she said, “one’s own people and more intimate friends. The appreciation — —”

“‘The appreciation!’” said Hawker. “Yes, indeed!”

He seemed so ill-tempered that she became silent. The boat floated through the shadows of the trees and out to where the water was like a blue crystal. The dog on the shore thrashed about in the reeds and waded in the shallows, mourning his unhappy state in an occasional cry. Hawker stood up and sternly shouted. Thereafter silence was among the reeds. The moon slipped sharply through the little clouds.

The girl said, “I liked that last picture of yours.”

“What?”

“At the last exhibition, you know, you had that one with the cows — and things — in the snow — and — and a haystack.”

“Yes,” he said, “of course. Did you like it, really? I thought it about my best. And you really remembered it? Oh,” he cried, “Hollanden perhaps recalled it to you.”

“Why, no,” she said. “I remembered it, of course.”

“Well, what made you remember it?” he demanded, as if he had cause to be indignant.

“Why — I just remembered it because — I liked it, and because — well, the people with me said — said it was about the best thing in the exhibit, and they talked about it a good deal. And then I remember that Hollie had spoken of you, and then I — I — —”

“Never mind,” he said. After a moment, he added, “The confounded picture was no good, anyhow!”

The girl started. “What makes you speak so of it? It was good. Of course, I don’t know — I can’t talk about pictures, but,” she said in distress, “everybody said it was fine.”

“It wasn’t any good,” he persisted, with dogged shakes of the head.

From off in the darkness they heard the sound of Hollanden’s oars splashing in the water. Sometimes there was squealing by the Worcester girls, and at other times loud arguments on points of navigation.

“Oh,” said the girl suddenly, “Mr. Oglethorpe is coming to-morrow!”

“Mr. Oglethorpe?” said Hawker. “Is he?”

“Yes.” She gazed off at the water.

“He’s an old friend of ours. He is always so good, and Roger and little Helen simply adore him. He was my brother’s chum in college, and they were quite inseparable until Herbert’s death. He always brings me violets. But I know you will like him.”

“I shall expect to,” said Hawker.

“I’m so glad he is coming. What time does that morning stage get here?”

“About eleven,” said Hawker.

“He wrote that he would come then. I hope he won’t disappoint us.”

“Undoubtedly he will be here,” said Hawker.

The wind swept from the ridge top, where some great bare pines stood in the moonlight. A loon called in its strange, unearthly note from the lakeshore. As Hawker turned the boat toward the dock, the flashing rays from the boat fell upon the head of the girl in the rear seat, and he rowed very slowly.

The girl was looking away somewhere with a mystic, shining glance. She leaned her chin in her hand. Hawker, facing her, merely paddled subconsciously. He seemed greatly impressed and expectant.

At last she spoke very slowly. “I wish I knew Mr. Oglethorpe was not going to disappoint us.”

Hawker said, “Why, no, I imagine not.”

“Well, he is a trifle uncertain in matters of time. The children — and all of us — shall be anxious. I know you will like him.”