Part 31 (1/2)

When the supreme test came, and we credulous ones all rushed out of the office, and craned our necks, and searched the ancient sky for the miracle, the old Captain stood staunchly by his faith. It couldn't be so, therefore it wasn't--a doctrine which, I am convinced, leads to much satisfaction and comfort in this world. The old Captain was, upon the whole, a happy man.

The _Star_, therefore, remained oblivious to the most interesting event that had taken place in Hempfield for many a day.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

CHAPTER XXVI

THE RETURN OF THE PRODIGAL

Nevertheless, the flying-machine episode played its part in the history of the _Star_. Facts are like that. We refuse quite disdainfully to recognize them, even crying ”Fudge!” and ”Nonsense!” and decline to put them in the _Star_, or the _Sun_, or the _World_, or even in the sober _Journal of the Society for the Enlargement of Human Heads_, but they don't mind. They circle around us, with the suns.h.i.+ne flas.h.i.+ng on their wings, and all the simple and credulous people gaping up at them, and they don't in the least care for our excellent platforms, const.i.tutions, and Bibles.

It was the flying-machine incident which was the immediate cause of the return of Norton Carr. It was foreordained and likewise predestined that he should return, but there had to be some proximate event. And what better than a wandering flying-machine?

It was on a Sunday in May, such a perfect still morning as seems to come only at that moment of the spring, and upon Sunday. I was sitting here at my desk at the open window, busily writing. I could feel the warm, sweet air of spring blowing in, I could hear the pleasant, subdued noises from the barnyard, and by leaning just a little back I could see the hens lazily fluffing their feathers in the sunny doorway of the barn. I love such mornings.

The tender new shoots of the Virginia creeper were uncurling themselves at the window ledge and feeling their way upward toward freedom--and Nort put his head in among them.

”h.e.l.lo, David!”

Though I had just been thinking of him, the sound of his voice startled me. I looked around and saw him smiling very much in his old way.

”Nort, you rascal!” said I.

[Ill.u.s.tration: ”I couldn't stay away another minute. I had to know what the old Captain said and did when the flying-machine came to Hempfield”]

”David,” he said, ”I couldn't stay away another minute. I had to know what the old Captain said and did when the flying-machine came to Hempfield.”

”Is that all you came back for?”

”May I come in?” And with that he climbed in at the window. I took him by both his shoulders and looked him in the eye. I had a curious sense of gladness in having him once more under my hand.

”You look thin, Nort, but I haven't any pity or sympathy for you. What have you been up to now?”

We both forgot all about the flying-machine.

”Well, David,” said he, ”I've been finding out some things I didn't know before--some things I can't do.”

He was in a mood wholly unfamiliar to me, a sort of restrained, sad, philosophical mood.

”You know,” he continued, ”I had a great idea for a novel----”

He paused and looked up at me, smiling rather sheepishly.

”Well, I started it----”

”You have!”

”Yes, I got the first two paragraphs written. And there I stuck. You see I didn't know where to get hold; and then I thought I'd jump right into the middle of the action, where it was hottest and most interesting--but I found that my hero insisted on explaining everything to the heroine, and wouldn't _do_ anything, and then, when I tried to think how I should have it all come out, I found it didn't have any end, either. I leave it to you, David, how any man is going to write a novel which he can neither get into nor get out of?”