The Blue Wall

, I can tell you, with that long stretch of grass and daisies and the water, and the light, carried through the factory yard up the river, bobbing along as the watchman passed one window after an

sore with staring at

he back door. It was soft and caref

but then I caught the sound of something that I thought was the mewing of a cat. If I had

d so white it seemed to give off a light and I thought it was hanging in

, evil voice. "I've got a joke for him-

are you?"

," said the man, with a heave of

the study. But I can hardly say what happened. I only know that I found myself st

Mr. Roddy-looked up, and I

l the good it will do you. I know you both. Both of you wanted me hung, didn't

udge in a whisper, as if h

ith their butterplate eyes, weren't watching me wherever I

e Judge could not seem to find a word to sa

r want?"

dn't expect the pleasure of seeing you, Roddy, my fine penny-a-line

it?" the

rights. Ho, ho, the joke is on you, Judge. I saw your eyes looking at me for a week. I knew you

ughed a little-

her, after a

id. That's where the joke is on you. I did the trick! Me! And

what you say,"

got tried once, and I'm free forever. There isn't anybody c

reen eyes grow narrow the

asked. "He can't

ad. I can see this min

very clever. The joke is on me, Chalmers, for I'm obliged to say that you are the cleverest, slickest

ed to stiffen every muscle in his body. He pulled the other man toward him with one arm and shot out his other fist. It made a dull sound like a

. Roddy, with hi

mped forward, to

ur clever friend was at Bridgeport. That summer a girl was found in the park there-murdered. I was on the case

ther murder?" asked the Judge, choking out the words. "Y

It's between us and it can be

egan to bite his knuckles as i

white and terrible and stamped with evil and dissipation and fearful dreams. But there was a smile on it as if the blow had

sounded through the lattice, a man was tearing tablecloths from their places, dishes crashed, and then I saw the fellow's smile fly and his face turn sober, and I heard his voice say, "What are you doing here?" as

Roddy say, "are we

a wild thing. "No,

" he asked, g

, like one inspired. "And it's agains

imself, until his face was all drawn, but at las

said he. "The in

oment none of us spoke, and I could hear the drawn cur

"Well, Judge," he said, with his freckled

ster replied quietly. "It's all right.

yway," Mr. Roddy said in his cool, joking w

ut taking his eyes from the man on

fter a minute the toot of the train coming from far away and then the silence of the night. Then out of the silence came the sound o

say something. Anything would do. I pointed to the

seen her

How did she come there

lianna," said

Judge cried. "

olled over onto his elbow and sat up. First he looked at the Judge and then I saw tha

know me?"

ook up into the Judge's face. He tried to meet the eyes of the master. They were fixed on him. He could not seem to meet the gaze. And there were the two men-one a wreck

ter a long time. "I know what you're t

human," whisp

its shell, the Monty Cranch I had treasured in my heart tossed off the murderer, the drunkard, the worthless wretch who had been throttli

. To be human is to be born. To be human is to have the blood and bone and brain that you didn't make or choose. To be human is to be th

whites of his ey

r what I am?" he roa

ked frightene

. I wanted to kill her. Blood is blood. There's mine in that chair-and it is me, and I am my father and he was

nd covered his face with hi

elash. I could not see him breathe. He seemed a metal figure and he frightened me and the ch

what do you mean to do? You're going away.

w, but I saw him shiver just as if the Judge's word

u know that. Put it in an institution and don't let the people know who its father was.

ance," said

itance,"

ttle daughter?" t

eve he was a murderer. Everything seemed like a dream, with Monty

now of you-anything abou

ked Monty

m," said the Judge slowly

aked, and the screen door closed slowly and creaked, and his shoes came down slowly on the walk and creaked, and the iron gate-latch creaked. I went to the window and looked out one side of the flapping curtain, and I saw Mon

t," said the Judge, touching my sh

sir,"

r. What is in that body? What is in that so

ndeed," I

o the world," he said, talking to himself.

et-" I

shell glasses as he lo

"I shall stay down here. Give the chil

for its own sake or its father's, I do not know, but my heart was big

rrow,"

ttle w

h my thoughts not on the child at all. It was the ghost of Monty Cranch that walked this way and that in front of me, sometimes looking into my eyes and saying, "What are you doing

lded in his lap and his eyes looking out from under his heavy eyebrows, as if he had the puzzle of the world in f

f the late hour and my aching body and burning eyes. S

lind and the howl of a wind that had sprung up. Things were rattling everywhere with every gust of it-the curtains, the papers on my bureau, the leaves on the trees outside,

d the flames yelled as if they were a thousand men far away and shouting together. Between the gusts you could hear the gentle snap and crackle and the splitting of sap in wood and a body's own coughing when it tried to breathe in the solid mass of smoke. There were sho

already licking the wall on the front stairs and smoke was rolling in great biscuit-shaped clouds through the leaping pink light. I could not have told where I was, whether in our house or city or another. And I only knew that I could hear the voice of my old mistress saying, "Remember, if we do have trouble, to cover y

t all. But it was all a blank to me. I did not remember that there was a Judge. Fire and its licking tongue was after me and I threw myself off the hot tin roof and landed among the hydrangea bushes below. In a second m

the house!" Everything seemed confused. Other people were coming down the street, running and shouting, sparks burst out somewhere and whirled around and around in a cloud, as if they were going up into the black sky on a spiral staircase. The walls o

rt?" yelled a m

t him. He was the grocer. I had ord

as in the ho

udge,"

e!" he began to roar. "Th

d to make the people run together in little clusters and point and move across the lawn to where the

ward me, and in a minute all those f

med and shouted. "Where's

aby!" I cried and sa

after the freight had gone through. It wasn't twenty minutes ago. But you can't save a thing-n

t toward him with her hair flying behind. I could see his tall figure, with its long legs, come hurdlin

down. "Yes! Where's Ju

ossed the hanging boughs of the trees. The crackle and roar of the fire seemed to be going o

" he

black for me then,

on't go! You'd

go of

o a furnace! So

You'll never

oorway, as black as a tree against a sunset. I saw him duck his head down as if he meant

the baby!" roared the depot

and the clanging of bells. Horses came running up behind me, with heavy thuds of hoofs, and voices in chorus went up with e

p at once, so there was nothing but the snapping and crackle

down the porch! He's go

t master, throwing his hat on th

was only a sort of mumble of little shouts and cries and oaths, and t

argaret,

moke and soot, except where the sweat had run d

hurt, but we must see. We'll go across to the Danfort

sed. A tower of flames shot up out of the roof-a sort of bud of flame that opened into a great flower with petals. It wa

t into the room on the second floor, with a candle burning on the bureau. I noticed how small and ridiculous th

ldn't sleep. I moved the lamp onto the card table. The curtain must

and down there li

ry fast. "She has always been so delicate-had so much sorrow-so much tr

d the tangled hair

is all right-the little rascal is smoky, but all right. Bl

ng dresses and gave one of those gurgles to show it was awake.

r child!"

" he said.

I whispered. "I h

he cried out. "Only one thought! And now Cha

ng-chair and wiped his forehe

t see it anywhere. I didn't look for it. I

ed

T BE J

light of sunrise had come. The s

e Judge said.

nto his arms. He took it to the window and held it up t

be Julianna,

ath at first, and when he did, he gave a low groan that seemed to have no