The Mysterious Stranger Manuscripts (Literature) (43 page)

There was a large silence; enough of it to spread a foot deep over
four acres. It spread further and further, and got thicker and
thicker. Finally Moses Haas said, in his mean way-

"Why don't you go?"

They all had to smile at that, for it was a good hit. Doangivadam
managed to work up a smile, too, but you could see it didn't taste
good; then he said-

"I'll be frank about it. I don't go because I am afraid to. Who is
the bravest person here?"

Nearly everybody nominated Ernest Wasserman, and laughed,
and Doangivadam ordered him to go and see, but he spoke out with
disgust and indignation and said-

"See you in hell, first, and then I wouldn't!"

Then old Katrina spoke up proud and high, and said-

"There's my boy, there. I lay he's not afraid. Go 'long and look,
child."

They thought 44 wouldn't, but I thought he would, and I was
right, for he started right along, and Doangivadam patted him on
the head and praised his pluck as he went by. It annoyed Ernest
Wasserman and made him jealous, and he pursed up his lips and
said-

"I wasn't afraid to go, but I'm no slave and I wasn't going to do it
on any random unclassified Tom-Dick-and-Harry's orders."

Not a person laughed or said a word, but every man got out his
composing rule and scraped wood, and the noise of it was like a
concert of jackasses. That is a thing that will take the stiffening out
of the conceitedest donkey you can start, and it squelched Ernest
Wasserman, and he didn't pipe up any more. FortyFour came
back with an astonisher. He said-

"The invisibles have finished the job, and it's perfect. The contract is saved."

"Carry that news to the master!" shouted Doangivadam, and
Marget got right up and started on that mission; and when she
delivered it and her uncle saw he was saved in purse and honor and
everything, it was medicine for him, and he was a well man again
or next to it before he was an hour older.

Well, the men looked that disgusted, you can't think-at least
those that had gotten up the strike. It was a good deal of a pill, and
Katzenyammer said so; and said-

"We've got to take it-but there'll be sugar on it. We've lost the
game, but I'll not call off the strike nor let a man go to work till
we've been paid waiting-wages."

The men applauded.

"What's waiting-wages?" inquired Doangivadam.

"Full wages for the time we've lost during the strike."

"M-y-word! Well, if that isn't cheek! You're to be paid for time
lost in trying to ruin the master! Meantime, where does he come in?
Who pays him his waiting-time?"

The leaders tossed their heads contemptuously, and Binks said
he wasn't interested in irrelevances.

So there we were, you see-at a standstill. There was plenty of
work on hand, and the "takes" were on the hooks in the shop, but
the men stood out; they said they wouldn't go near the place till
their waiting-wages had been paid and the shop spiritually disinfected by the priest. The master was as firm; he said he would never
submit to that extortion.

It seemed to be a sort of drawn battle, after all. The master had
won the biggest end of the game, but the rest of it remained in the men's hands. This was exasperating and humiliating, but it was a
fact just the same, and the men did a proper amount of crowing
over it.

About this time Katzenyammer had a thought which perhaps
had occurred to others, but he was the first to utter it. I said, with
a sneer-

"A lot is being taken for granted-on not even respectable evidence, let alone proof. How do we know the contract has been
completed and saved?"

It certainly was a hit, everybody recognized that; in fact you
could call it a sockdolajer, and not be any out of the way. The
prejudice against 44 was pretty strong, you know. Doangivadam
was jostled-you could see it. He didn't know what to say-you
could see that, too. Everybody had an expression on his face,
now-a very exultant one on the rebel side, a very uncomfortable
one on the other-with two exceptions: Katrina and 44; 44 hadn't
any expression at all-his face was wood; but Katrina's eyes were
snapping. She said-

"I know what you mean, you ornery beer-jug, you Katzenyammer; you mean he's a liar. Well, then, why don't you go and see for
yourself? Answer me that-why don't you?"

"I don't need to, if you want to know. It's nothing to me-I don't
care what becomes of the contract."

"Well, then, keep your mouth shut and mind your own business.
You dasn't go, and you know it. Why, you great big mean coward,
to call a poor friendless boy a liar, and then ain't man enough to go
and prove it!"

"Look here, woman, if you-"

"Don't you call me woman, you scum of the earth!" and she
strode to him and stood over him; "say it again and I'll tear you to
rags!"

The bully murmured-

"I take it back," which made many laugh.

Katrina faced about and challenged the house to go and see.
There was a visible shrinkage all around. No answer. Katrina
looked at Doangivadam. He slowly shook his head, and said-

"I'll not deny it-I lack the grit."

Then Katrina stretched herself away up in the air and said-

"I'm under the protection of the Queen of Heaven, and I'll go
myself! Come along, 44."

They were gone a considerable time. When they returned Katrina said-

"He showed me everything and explained it all, and it's just
exactly as he told you." She searched the house, face by face, with
her eyes, then settled them upon Katzenyammer and finished: "Is
there any polecat here that's got the sand to doubt it now?"

Nobody showed up. Several of our side laughed, and Doangivadam he laughed too, and fetched his fist down with a bang on the
table like the Lord Chief Justice delivering an opinion, and said-

"That settles it!"

NEXT DAY was pretty dreary. The men wouldn't go to work,
but loafed around moody and sour and uncomfortable. There was
not much talk; what there was was mumbled, in the main, by pairs.
There was no general conversation. At meals silence was the rule.
At night there was no jollity, and before ten all had disappeared to
their rooms and the castle was a dim and grim solitude.

The day after, the same. Wherever 44 came he got ugly looks,
threatening looks, and I was afraid for him and wanted to show
sympathy but was too timid. I tried to think I avoided him for his
own good, but did not succeed to my satisfaction. As usual, he did
not seem to know he was being so scowled at and hated. He
ccrtainly could be inconceivably stupid at times, for all he was so
capable at others. Marget pitied him and said kind things to him,
and Doangivadam was cordial and handsome to him, and whenever
Doangivadam saw one of those scowls he insulted the man that
exhibited it and invited him to exhibit it again, which he didn't. Of
course Katrina was 44's friend right along. But the friendliness was
confined to those three, at least as far as any open show of it went.

So things drifted along, till the contract-gentlemen came for the
goods. They brought a freight wagon along, and it waited in the
great court. There was an embarrassment, now. Who would box-up
the goods? Our men? Indeed, no. They refused, and said they
wouldn't allow any outsider to do it, either. And Katzenyammer
said to Doangivadam, while he was pleading-

"Save your breath-the contract has failed, after all!"

It made Doangivadam mad, and he said-

"It hasn't failed, either. I'll box the things myself, and Katrina
and I will load them into the wagon. Rather than see you people
win, I'll chance death by ghost and fright. I reckon Katrina's Virgin
can protect the two of us. Perhaps you boys will interfere. I have
my doubts."

The men chuckled, furtively. They knew he had spoken rashly.
They knew he had not taken into account the size and weight of
those boxes.

He hurried away and had a private word with the master, saying-

"It's all arranged, sir. Now if you-"

"Excellent! and most unexpected. Are the men-"

"No, but no matter, it's arranged. If you can feed and wine and
otherwise sumptuously and satisfactorily entertain your guests
three hours, I'll have the goods in the wagon then."

"Oh, many, many thanks-I'll make them stay all night."

Doangivadam came to the kitchen, then, and told Katrina and 44
all this, and I was there just at that time and heard it; and Katrina
said all right, she would protect him to the shop, now, and leave
him in the care of the Virgin while he did the packing, and in two
hours and a half dinner would be down to the wine and nuts and
then she would come and help carry the boxes. Then he left with
her, but I stayed, for no striker would be likely to venture into the
kitchen, therefore I could be in 44's company without danger.
When Katrina got back, she said-

"That Doangivadam's a gem of the ocean-he's a man, that's
what he is, not a waxwork, like that Katzenyammer. I wasn't going
to discourage him, but we can't carry the boxes. There's five, and each of them a barrow-load; and besides, there has to be four
carriers to the barrow. And then-"

FortyFour interrupted:

"There's two of you, and I'll be the other two. You two will carry
one end, and I'll carry the other. I am plenty strong enough."

"Child, you'll just stay out of sight, that's what you'll do. Do you
want to provoke the men every way you can think of, you foolish
little numskull? Ain't they down on you a plenty, just the way it
is?"

"But you see, you two can't carry the boxes, and if you'll only let
me help-"

"You'll not budge a step-do you hear me?" She stood stern and
resolute, with her knuckles in her hips. The boy looked disappointed and grieved, and that touched her. She dropped on her
knees where he sat, and took his face between her hands, and said,
"Kiss your old mother, and forgive"-which he did, and the tears
came into her eyes, which a moment before were so stormy. "Ain't
you all I've got in the world? and don't I love the ground you walk
on, and can I bear to see you getting into more and more danger all
the time, and no need of it? Here, bless your heart," and she
jumped up and brought a pie, "You and August sample that, and
be good. It ain't the kind you get outside of this kitchen, that you
can't tell from plate-mail when you bite it in the dark."

We began on the pie with relish, and of course conversation
failed for a time. By and by 44 said, softly-

"Mother, he gave his word, you know."

Katrina was hit. She had to suspend work and think that over.
She seated herself against the kitchen table, with her legs aslant
and braced, and her arms folded and her chin down, and muttered
several times, "Yes, that's so, he did." Finally she unlimbered and
reached for the butcher-knife, which she fell to sharpening with
energy on a brick. Then she lightly tested its edge with the ball of
her thumb, and said-

"I know it-we've got to have two more. Doangivadam will force
one, and I bet I'll persuade the other."

"Now I'm content," said 44, fervently, which made Katrina beam
with pleasure.

We stayed there in the comfortable kitchen and chatted and
played checkers, intending to be asked by Katrina to take our
dinner with her, for she was the friendliest and best table-company
we had. As time drew on, it became jolly in the master's private
dining-room where it was his custom to feed guests of honor and
distinction, and whenever a waiter came in or went out we could
hear the distant bursts of merriment, and by and by bursts of song,
also, showing that the heavy part of the feeding had been accomplished. Then we had our dinner with Katrina, and about the time
we had finished, Doangivadam arrived hungry and pretty well
tired out and said he had packed every box; but he wouldn't take a
bite, he said, until his job was finished up and the wagon loaded. So
Katrina told him her plan for securing extra help by compulsion
and persuasion, and he liked it and they started. Doangivadam said
he hadn't seen any of the men in sight, therefore he judged they
must be lying in wait somewhere about the great court so as to
interrupt any scheme of bribing the two porters of the freight
wagon to help carry the boxes; so it was his idea to go there and see.

Katrina ordered us to stay behind, which we didn't do, after they
were out of sight. We went down by secret passages and reached
the court ahead of them, and hid. We were near the wagon. The
driver and porters had been given their supper, and had been to the
stalls to feed and water the horses, and now they were walking up
and down chatting and waiting to receive the freight. Our two
friends arrived now, and in low voices began to ask these men if
they had seen any men of the castle around about there, but before
they could answer, something happened: we saw some dim big
bulks emerge from our side of the court about fifty yards away and
come in procession in our direction. Swiftly they grew more and
more distinct under the stars and by the dim lamps, and they
turned out to be men, and each of them was drooping under one of
our big freight boxes. The idea-carrying it all alone! And another
surprising thing was, that when the first man passed us it turned out to be Katzenyammer! Doangivadam was delighted out of his
senses, almost, and said some splendid words of praise about his
change of heart, but Katzenyammer could only grunt and growl, he
was strained so by his burden.

And the next man was Binks! and there was more praise and
more grunts. And next came Moses Haas-think of it! And then
Gustav Fischer! And after him, the end of the procession-Ernest
Wasserman! Why, Doangivadam could hardly believe it, and said
he didn't believe it, and couldn't; and said "Is it you, Ernest?" and
Ernest told him to go to hell, and then Doangivadam was satisfied
and said "that settles it."