Peace in Friendship Village

ry of Jeffro, the alien,

ther side to that. Th

dlike faith, sensitiveness to duty, love of freedo

icans are not

s comment should be

ng morning, he said that which surprised me more tha

house for rent—a hou

ces because I never could get enough ahead to mend it[Pg 46] up. In the road in front of it there was a big hole that had never been filled in

n, you don't want t

my kitchen apron and found the key to the little house in my button-box, and had gone down the road with him to look the house over, and let him see what it was like

id Jeffro. "I make little change for g

him standing there, with his hands behind him, looking a

new he might be going to counterfeit money or whisky or something there[Pg 47] on the premises. But anybody'd known better than that just to look at Jeffro's face. A wonderful

ces of furniture there, setting round, loose and unattached. And on

Jeffro, simple. "We

wife and two little ones were waiting till

here," he said, "I could work then more

all that money out of Friendship Village—where

words "United States"; but the picture—that was plain enough. It showed a mill on one side of the street, and a bank on t

g

fro. "I have brought it. But I have no trade—I can

as covered with colored stuff. "Then I go up to the city and sell," said he. "It is only five miles. But I can not live there—not with thes' boy.

"Then where'd you le

s, to be ready," said Jeffro, simple. "Now

kind of seemed to me that in them was a great chorus—a chorus of thousand

t year I think I

him? What's America going to do to him? What are we

g

o's in Friendship Village is for me a kind of w

Mayhew. When I went by Jeffro's I didn't see anything of him, but when I got along b

down to your house with their noise? That's one reason my house

he turned to

s' big yard, thes' children that do no vork, only learn, learn. And see—Joseph is there. Over by the swing—you see him? He lea

nto town for the department, and they went tearing out Red Barns[Pg 50] way soon after Jeffro had the fire put out. He was making toys again when the fire-engine drew up at his gate, and the men came trampling up to his porch, wantin

gine house and asked the men sitting round

at?" sa

ffro says. "That is, for comin

aughing. "Why nothing," they said. "T

"But the big engine and the wagons and the men and the

," they told him. "

rstood. I pay no taxes—I do not help that

to pay for it. His experience[Pg 51] with cities was slight, in any case. He went off, looking all dazed, and left the men

from the engine-house when h

n. I have apply for my first papers, but I am not yet a citizen. Who

a citizen before they put his fire out! Everybody in Friendship Village w

. Postmaster Silas Sykes handed it out to him when Jeffro come in the post-office

h on the

that," says Silas, squinting

on here," said Jeffro. "It is not eno

]representative of the gover'ment he was. "

n he says: "Uncle Sam—is that, th

Timothy Toplady that stood by. "Uncle

Jeffro insisted. "I have a

ose Uncle Sam bothers himself about that? You be

he, "do you know that man went out of the stor

st, I'd took for granted, just like this generation is taking for granted a?roplanes. And all of a sudden now, I see how they were: not gifts to me, but power

er more than I can tell. When Silas Sykes give

g

e Big Land's power of business—and it a

orks at more things than just cemetery—when it had spent five years studying our gover'ment, and then turned arou

the Big Land's power of democracy, and it

tion refused to leave us ladies borrow their copy of the American flag because

of patriotism to the universe, and it ain't grown ye

timate and tender. And it wa

t, folks used to call him "that Jew peddler," and circus day I heard Mis' Sykes saying we better lock up our

"where were your mot

" says she, like

r folks?"

she, like she was goin

continued, smooth. "W

ell," says she, "there was thr

eir folks come from? Were they immigrants to America, too? Or did they just stay fore

l look. "You can ask the most perso

ations with their blood flowing, sociable, in with yours. It's awful hard for any of us," I says, "to find a real rac

g

circus day, just the s

followed up by hoodlums. And I've know

ren that like your heart—they all loved him. They would follow him along the curb, and he'd set down and show them his pack—time and again I've come on him in a shady side-stre

ps the home bakery, she had him make a wooden bridal pair for the top of the wedding-cake she keeps permanent in her show window; Mis' Timothy Toplady had him d

ce I've seen the picture of his wife and[Pg 56] babies

ry for him and the little boy, and I used to take them in a thing or two less than half occasionally. When I stepped up to the door that night I heard him singing—he used t

by. Ven I make the toys I am always thinking how little children vill go to sleep holdin

mention it because Jef

d folks like he'd just been give a piece of new life with every kindness—and I dunno

in front—if I bring sand[Pg 57] from the hill behind, what I can, and f

lage's business to do that. You're in the village l

it is your place. Why shoul

eep the streets good. Most of them do it pretty

ll do. I thought it vould be you I am doing it for, and I vas glad

iment to a lady, but I th

fro," I says, to make sure

n or pay to keep out of—there are no soldiers that are jostling me in the streets—they do not even make me buy and put up any flag. And my little Joseph, all day[Pg 58] long he is learning. And the people—here they call me 'Mr.' All is fre

id? I just stood still and kept still. Because, if I'd known what

vork lets them make some paying back. My toys, they d

d me out o

ca, I hear everybody make von long, strong groaning about their taxes. Those taxes, ven vill th

I said, "but you wo

en!" he cried. "Every c

erty or—or something," says I,[Pg 59] stumbling as delicat

own the little swelling hill to where the village nestled at the foot. School was just out, and the children were flooding down the road, and the whole time was peaceful and

re." Then he looked at me like he was seeing more than his words were saying. "I keep thinki

, his school-books in his arms.

s father said. And it was like one w