Barstow

“ He sat down on the sofa, with his head between his hands and stared at the glittering rows of bottles which caught the sun. Each one of them was a laughing demon. They danced and winked their eyes—yellow, blue, and blood-red. There were a hundred of them keeping step to the bobbing shadows upon the floor. Row upon row of them—purple, brown, and blood-red—all dancing, all laughing.
"You come out wrong every time," Barstow had said. ”

“ He was in the mind hotly to defend Captain Barstow from Mr. Jarvice's insinuations, but he refrained.
"Then Barstow will know that I draw my allowance from you, and not from my grandfather," he stammered. There was the trouble for Walter Hine. If Barstow knew, Garratt Skinner would come to know. There would be an end to the deference and the flatteries. He would no longer be able to pose as the favorite of the great millionaire, Joseph Hine. He would sink in Sylvia's eyes. At the cost of any humiliation that downfall must be avoided. ”

“ A moment ago the dog had been asleep for an hour; now he was asleep for an eternity. That was the only difference.
"Well," reflected Barstow, "Sandy had his week; beefsteak, bread and milk, all he could eat."
"Is n't that better than being still alive,—hungry in the gutters?"
"God knows," answered Barstow solemnly, as he picked up the body and carried it into the next room. "You see what is left."
As Barstow went out, Donaldson crossed to the chemist's desk. He fumbled nervously among the bottles until he found the little vial Barstow had pointed out. ”

“ Barstow was saying, "perhaps you were near enough the brink that time to listen to me. Tell me I may ring up Lindsey—tell me now that you 'll go with him."
"Go—away? Go—out to sea?" cried Donaldson.
"Yes. To-morrow morning."
"Why, Lord, man! Lord, man!" he panted, "I—would n't leave New York—I would n't go out there—for—for a million dollars."
"You damned ass!" growled Barstow.
"I—I would n't—go, if the royal yacht—of the King of England were waiting for me."
"Some one ought to have the authority to put you in a strait-jacket and carry you off. ”

“ Why don't you drop your business here and now. Let things rip."
"Where 's the dog?" demanded Donaldson. The pup was out of sight. He felt strangely frightened. He got up and looked all about the room.
"Where 's he gone?" he demanded again.
Barstow grasped him by the shoulder.
"You must pull yourself together," he said seriously. "You 're heading for a worse place than the hospital."
"But where the devil has he gone? He was here a minute ago, was n't he?"
"Easy, easy," soothed Barstow. "Hold tight!"
"Find him, won't you, Barstow? Won't you find him?" ”

“ There would be dark enough afterwards—possibly an eternity of dark. He would face the sun with his last gaze; he would have the mad riot of men and women at midday ringing last in his ears.
As he drew in deep breaths it was as if he inhaled the whole world. He felt as though, if he but stepped out sturdily enough, he could foot the darkness. His head was light; his brain teemed with wild fancies. Then pressing through this medley he saw for a moment the young woman who had come to Barstow's laboratory. The effect was to steady him. ”

“ So that when he came to face Wentworth—he smiled gently at the approaching possibility—he could hold his head high as he went to meet him.
He had argued to Barstow that he was shirking no responsibilities,—but what of such unseen responsibilities as this? What of the thousand others that he should die too soon to realize? It was possible that countless other such opportunities as this must be wasted because he should not be there to play his part. But there was still time to do something; he need not see, as with the girl and with love, the fine possibilities go utterly to waste. ”

“ Sperry; I really have no right to ask—I had no idea”—
“It's all right, ma'am,—never you mind. We put the case square to Barstow. We allowed that the school was getting too large for you to tackle,—I mean, you know, to superintend single-handed; and that these Pike County boys they're running in on us are a little too big and sassy for a lady like you to lasso and throw down—I mean, to sorter control—don't you see? But, bless you, Sam Barstow saw it all in a minit! He just jumped at it. ”

“ It was just the friendly overture of any dog to any man.
If he could get him to answer to the name! It meant life—a chance for life! It meant, perhaps, that there had been some mistake—that, perhaps, after all, the poison was not so deadly as Barstow had thought it.
He threw himself upon the floor beside the dog. In the body of this black terrier centred everything in life that a man holds most dear. If he could speak—if the dumb tongue could wag an answer to that one question!
The dog turned over and crawled nearer. Donaldson fixed his burning eyes upon the blinking brute. ”

“ There's your dog."
Barstow hung down his hand, that the pup might lick the ends of his fingers.
"Peter," he burst out, "you ought to have been with me. If I 'd known about the trip I 'd have taken you. It was just what you needed—a week of lolling around a deck in the hot sun with the sea winds blowing over your face. That's what you want to do—get out under the blue sky and soak it in. If you don't believe it, look at me. Fit as a fiddle; strong as a moose. You said you wanted to sprawl in the sunshine,—why the devil don't you take a week off and do it?" ”

“ But about all that Barstow could make of the matter was that Shelby had been in much such case as his own. He had been hungry for human gratitude, and had not realized that it is won rather by accepting than by bestowing gifts.
Barstow sat and smoked glumly while the committee clattered. He hardly heard what they were at such pains to emphasize. He was musing upon a philosophy of his father's:
"There's an old saying, 'Never look a gift horse in the mouth.' But sayings and doings are far apart. If you can manage to sell a man a horse he'll make the best of the worst bargain ”

“ He was just going to rub it on the cat when George Barstow caught 'old of 'is arm and stopped 'im.
“How do I know it ain't pison?” he ses. “You're a friend o' Joe Clark's, and for all I know he may ha' paid you to pison it.”
“I wouldn't do such a thing,” ses Bill. “You ought to know me better than that.”
“All right,” ses George Barstow; “you eat it then, and I'll give you two shillings in stead o' one. You can easy mix some more.”
“Not me,” ses Bill Chambers, making a face.
“Well, three shillings, then,” ses George Barstow, getting more and more suspicious like ”

“ If Barstow had left his laboratory that night for his trip, the chances were that the bottle was not yet missed. He must be cautious. It would be taking an unfair advantage of Barstow's friendship to allow him to feel that indirectly he had been responsible for the death of a human being. Donaldson glanced at his watch. ”

“ Donaldson turned away.
"Barstow," he replied uneasily, "you 're good,—good clear through, but we move in different worlds. It is n't in me to love as you mean. I 'm too critical, which is to say too selfish."
"I think you are selfish, Peter," Barstow agreed frankly, "but I don't think it's your nature. You 've got into the Slough of Despond, and the only thing that will drag you out of that is love, love of something outside yourself. ”

“ Barstow is one of the best natured women in the world. There never was a more practical lady; sees a thing in a minute; and you may believe in her advice as you would in the fathom marks on a headline. Miss Moggadore, the young lady that sat on my left at table—did you notice her, Mr. Barclay? ”

“ I can't trust you, George Barstow.”
“And I can't trust you,” ses George Barstow.
“Very good,” ses Bob, getting up; “there's no 'arm done. P'r'aps Joe Clark 'll find the cat is dead and p'r'aps you'll find it's alive. It's all one to me.”
George Barstow walked off 'ome, but he was in such a state o' mind 'e didn't know wot to do. Bob Pretty turning up 'is nose at fifteen pounds like that made 'im think that Joe Clark 'ad promised to pay 'im more if the cat was dead ”

“ It's mine—down to every dark alley. I 've got it at my feet, Barstow. It is n't going to kill me, it's going to make me grow. It is n't any longer my master—it's a good-natured, obedient servant. New York?" he laughed excitedly. "What is New York but a little strip of ground underneath the stars?"
"That would sound better if your eyes were clearer and your hand steadier."
"You 'd expect a man to be battered up a little, would n't you, after a hard fight? I 've fought the hardest thing in the world there is to fight—shadows, Barstow, shadows—with the King Shadow itself at their head." ”

“ In arguing with Barstow he had been sincere. He believed as he had said that a man had the right to end the contract so long as he cheated no one by so doing. All his life he had paid his way like a man, done his duty like a good citizen, given a fair return for everything he took. He did not feel himself indebted to his country, his state, his city, nor to any living man or woman. In one form and another, he had paid. Few men could claim this as sincerely as Donaldson. ”

“ The young man stooped and scratched behind its ears, the dog holding his head sideways and pressing against his ankles. He looked like a dog of the streets, but in his eyes there was the dumb appreciation of human sympathy which neutralizes breeding and blood. As Barstow returned to his work, the pup followed after him in a series of awkward bounds.
"Poor little pup," murmured Donaldson, sympathetically leaning forward with his arms upon his knees. "What's his name?"
"Sandy. But he 's a lucky little pup according to you; within an hour by the clock he ought to be dead." ”

“ Arsdale quailed. He glanced up at Donaldson with a look that made the latter see again Barstow's dog Sandy as he had tottered in his death throes. But the mere fact that the man quivered back from this shameful thing was encouraging. It was upon this alone that Donaldson based his hope, upon this single drop of uncorrupted Arsdale blood which still nourished some tiny spot in the burned out brain.
"You must make such reparation as you can," continued Donaldson. "Your life is n't long enough to do it fully, but you can accomplish something towards it if you start at once." ”

“ Peaseley's hands from Barstow, introducing Mr. Charles Twing as the first assistant teacher in the Pine Clearing Free Academy!
The three men looked hopelessly at each other. An air of fatigued righteousness and a desire to be spiritually at rest from other trials pervaded Mr. Peaseley. Whether or not the young man felt the evident objection he had raised, he assumed a careless position, with his back and elbows against the bar; but even the attitude was clearly not his own.
“Are you personally known to Mr. Barstow?” asked Sperry, with a slight business asperity. ”

“ That 's a good dog of yours, Barstow."
"What's the matter with the pup? Seems to me you 're taking a deuce of a lot of interest in him," he returned suspiciously.
"Dogs seem sort of human when you 're alone with them."
"This one looks more human than you do. See here, Don, Lindsey said that he might start off again to-morrow on a short cruise to Newport. I think I can get you a berth with him. Will you go?"
"It's good of you, Barstow," answered Donaldson uneasily, "but I don't like to promise."
Would Barstow never call the dog by name? He could n't ask him directly ”

“ If you let yourself go this way—it's the end."
"The end?" shouted Donaldson. "Man, it 's the beginning! It's just the beginning! Sandy—Sandy did n't die after all!"
"Oh, that's what's troubling you," returned Barstow with an air of relief. "Why did n't you tell me? You thought the dead had risen, eh? No, the stuff didn't work. The dog only had an attack of acute indigestion from overeating. But Gad, the coincidence was queer, when you stop to think of it. I 'd forgotten you left before he came to."
"Then," cried Donaldson excitedly, "you did n't have any poison after all!" ”

“ He cuddled the dog into his arm and held out his hand.
"Don't worry about me, old man. Just a little rattled that's all. But fit as a fiddle; strong as a moose, even if I don't look it as you do!"
Barstow took his hand, and when Donaldson left, stood at the head of the stairs anxiously watching him make his way to the street, hugging the dog tightly to his side.
CHAPTER XXVII The End of the Beginning
When Donaldson appeared at the door of the Arsdale house he was confronted by Ben whose eyes were afire as though he had been drinking. ”

“ You have only to confront her at once with this man. HER decision will be speedy and final. For even Mr. Barstow will not dare to force so outrageous a character upon a delicate, refined woman, in a familiar and confidential capacity.”
“That's so,” said Sperry eagerly; “she'll settle it. ”

“ You are as stubborn and narrow as an old woman, Barstow," he complained.
"Living is n't a matter of courage, physical or moral. It suits you—it doesn't happen to suit me, but that doesn't mean that you are well and moral while I 'm sick and a coward. My difficulty is simple—clear; I haven't the material means to get out of life what I want. I 'll admit that I might get it by working longer, but I should have to work so many years in my own way that there would n't in the end be enough of me left to enjoy the reward. ”

“ Everybody knows Walker in Barsetshire. I've been down at Barchester since I saw you."
"Have you indeed?" said Johnny.
"And I'll tell you what I've been about. You know Mr. Crawley; don't you?"
"The Hogglestock clergyman that has come to grief? I don't know him personally. He's a sort of cousin by marriage, you know."
"Of course he is," said Mr. Toogood. "His wife is my first-cousin, and your mother's first-cousin. He came here to me the other day;—or rather to the shop. I had never seen the man before in my life, and a very queer fellow he is too. ”