IN A STATE OF SIN[3]
BY OWEN WISTER
Judge and Mrs. Henry, Molly Wood, and two strangers, a lady and agentleman, were the party which had been driving in the largethree-seated wagon. They had seemed a merry party. But as I came withinhearing of their talk, it was a fragment of the minister's sonoritywhich reached me first:
"... more opportunity for them to have the benefit of hearing frequentsermons," was the sentence I heard him bring to completion.
"Yes, to be sure, sir." Judge Henry gave me (it almost seemed)additional warmth of welcome for arriving to break up the presentdiscourse. "Let me introduce you to the Rev. Dr. Alexander MacBride.Doctor, another guest we have been hoping for about this time," was myhost's cordial explanation to him of me. There remained the gentlemanwith his wife from New York, and to these I made my final bows. But Ihad not broken up the discourse.
"We may be said to have met already." Dr. MacBride had fixed upon me hisfull, mastering eye; and it occurred to me that if they had policemen inheaven, he would be at least a centurion in the force. But he did notmean to be unpleasant; it was only that in a mind full of matters lessworldly, pleasure was left out. "I observed your friend was a skilfulhorseman," he continued. "I was saying to Judge Henry that I could wishsuch skilful horsemen might ride to a church upon the Sabbath. Achurch, that is, of right doctrine, where they would have opportunity tohear frequent sermons."
"Yes," said Judge Henry, "yes. It would be a good thing."
Mrs. Henry, with some murmur about the kitchen, here went into thehouse.
"I was informed," Dr. MacBride held the rest of us, "before undertakingmy journey that I should find a desolate and mainly godless country. Butnobody gave me to understand that from Medicine Bow I was to drive threehundred miles and pass no church of any faith."
The Judge explained that there had been a few a long way to the rightand left of him. "Still," he conceded, "you are quite right. But don'tforget that this is the newest part of a new world."
"Judge," said his wife, coming to the door, "how can you keep themstanding in the dust with your talking?"
This most efficiently did break up the discourse. As our little party,with the smiles and the polite holdings back of new acquaintanceship,moved into the house, the Judge detained me behind all of them longenough to whisper dolorously, "He's going to stay a whole week."
I had hopes that he would not stay a whole week when I presently learnedof the crowded arrangements which our hosts, with many hospitableapologies, disclosed to us. They were delighted to have us, but theyhadn't foreseen that we should all be simultaneous. The foreman's househad been prepared for two of us, and did we mind? The two of us were Dr.MacBride and myself; and I expected him to mind. But I wronged himgrossly. It would be much better, he assured Mrs. Henry, than straw in astable, which he had tried several times, and was quite ready for. So Isaw that though he kept his vigorous body clean when he could, he carednothing for it in the face of his mission. How the foreman and his wiferelished being turned out during a week for a missionary and myself wasnot my concern, although while he and I made ready for supper overthere, it struck me as hard on them. The room with its two cots andfurniture was as nice as possible; and we closed the door upon theadjoining room, which, however, seemed also untenanted.
Mrs. Henry gave us a meal so good that I have remembered it, and herhusband, the Judge, strove his best that we should eat it in merriment.He poured out his anecdotes like wine, and we should have quickly warmedto them; but Dr. MacBride sat among us, giving occasional heavy ha-ha's,which produced, as Miss Molly Wood whispered to me, a "dreadfullycavernous effect." Was it his sermon, we wondered, that he was thinkingover? I told her of the copious sheaf of them I had seen him pull fromhis wallet over at the foreman's. "Goodness!" said she. "Then are we tohear one every evening?" This I doubted; he had probably been pickingone out suitable for the occasion. "Putting his best foot foremost," washer comment; "I suppose they have best feet, like the rest of us." Thenshe grew delightfully sharp. "Do you know, when I first heard him Ithought his voice was hearty. But if you listen, you'll find it's merelymilitant. He never really meets you with it. He's off on his hillwatching the battle-field the whole time."
"He will find a hardened pagan here."
"Judge Henry?"
"Oh, no! The wild man you're taming. He's brought you _Kenilworth_ safeback."
She was smooth. "Oh, as for taming him! But don't you find himintelligent?"
Suddenly I somehow knew that she didn't want to tame him. But what didshe want to do? The thought of her had made him blush this afternoon. Nothought of him made her blush this evening.
A great laugh from the rest of the company made me aware that the Judgehad consummated his tale of the "Sole Survivor."
"And so," he finished, "they all went off as mad as hops because ithadn't been a massacre." Mr. and Mrs. Ogden--they were the NewYorkers--gave this story much applause, and Dr. MacBride half a minutelater laid his "ha-ha," like a heavy stone, upon the gaiety.
"I'll never be able to stand seven sermons," said Miss Wood to me.
* * * * *
"Do you often have these visitations?" Ogden inquired of Judge Henry.Our host was giving us whisky in his office, and Dr. MacBride, while wesmoked apart from the ladies, had repaired to his quarters in theforeman's house previous to the service which he was shortly to hold.
The Judge laughed. "They come now and then through the year. I like thebishop to come. And the men always like it. But I fear our friend willscarcely please them so well."
"You don't mean they'll--"
"Oh, no. They'll keep quiet. The fact is, they have a good deal bettermanners than he has, if he only knew it. They'll be able to bear him.But as for any good he'll do--"
"I doubt if he knows a word of science," said I, musing about theDoctor.
"Science! He doesn't know what Christianity is yet. I've entertainedmany guests, but none--The whole secret," broke off Judge Henry, "liesin the way you treat people. As soon as you treat men as your brothers,they are ready to acknowledge you--if you deserve it--as their superior.That's the whole bottom of Christianity, and that's what our missionarywill never know."
* * * * *
Thunder sat imminent upon the missionary's brow. Many were to be at hismercy soon. But for us he had sunshine still. "I am truly sorry to beturning you upside down," he said importantly. "But it seems the bestplace for my service." He spoke of the table pushed back and the chairsgathered in the hall, where the storm would presently break upon thecongregation. "Eight-thirty?" he inquired.
This was the hour appointed, and it was only twenty minutes off. Wethrew the unsmoked fractions of our cigars away, and returned to offerour services to the ladies. This amused the ladies. They had donewithout us. All was ready in the hall.
"We got the cook to help us," Mrs. Ogden told me, "so as not to disturbyour cigars. In spite of the cow-boys, I still recognize my owncountry."
"In the cook?" I rather densely asked.
"Oh, no! I don't have a Chinaman. It's in the length of after-dinnercigars."
"Had you been smoking," I returned, "you would have found them shortthis evening."
"You make it worse," said the lady; "we have had nothing but Dr.MacBride."
"We'll share him with you now," I exclaimed.
"Has he announced his text? I've got one for him," said Molly Wood,joining us. She stood on tiptoe and spoke it comically in our ears. "'Isaid in my haste, All men are liars.'" This made us merry as we stoodamong the chairs in the congested hall.
I left the ladies, and sought the bunk house. I had heard the cheers,but I was curious also to see the men, and how they were taking it.There was but little for the eye. There was much noise in the room. Theywere getting ready to come to church,--brushing their hair, shaving, andmaking themselves clean, amid talk occasionally profane and continuouslydiverting.
"Well, I'm a Christian,
anyway," one declared.
"I'm a Mormon, I guess," said another.
"I belong to the Knights of Pythias," said a third.
"I'm a Mohammedist," said a fourth; "I hope I ain't goin' to hearnothin' to shock me."
What with my feelings at Scipio's discretion, and my human curiosity, Iwas not in that mood which best profits from a sermon. Yet even thoughmy expectations had been cruelly left quivering in mid air, I was notsure how much I really wanted to "keep around." You will thereforeunderstand how Dr. MacBride was able to make a prayer and to readScripture without my being conscious of a word that he had uttered. Itwas when I saw him opening the manuscript of his sermon that I suddenlyremembered I was sitting, so to speak, in church, and began once more tothink of the preacher and his congregation. Our chairs were in the frontline, of course; but, being next the wall, I could easily see thecow-boys behind me. They were perfectly decorous. If Mrs. Ogden hadlooked for pistols, dare-devil attitudes, and so forth, she must havebeen greatly disappointed. Except for their weather-beaten cheeks andeyes, they were simply American young men with mustaches and without,and might have been sitting, say, in Danbury, Connecticut. Even Trampasmerged quietly with the general placidity. The Virginian did not, to besure, look like Danbury, and his frame and his features showed out ofthe mass; but his eyes were upon Dr. MacBride with a creamlikepropriety.
Our missionary did not choose Miss Wood's text. He made his selectionfrom another of the Psalms; and when it came, I did not dare to look atanybody; I was much nearer unseemly conduct than the cow-boys. Dr.MacBride gave us his text sonorously, "'They are altogether becomefilthy; There is none of them that doeth good, no, not one.'" His eyeshowed us plainly that present company was not excepted from this. Herepeated the text once more, then, launching upon his discourse, gavenone of us a ray of hope.
I had heard it all often before; but preached to cow-boys it took on anew glare of untimeliness, of grotesque obsoleteness--as if some oneshould say, "Let me persuade you to admire woman," and forthwith holdout her bleached bones to you. The cow-boys were told that not only theycould do no good, but that if they did contrive to, it would not helpthem. Nay, more: not only honest deeds availed them nothing, but even ifthey accepted this especial creed which was being explained to them asnecessary for salvation, still it might not save them. Their sin wasindeed the cause of their damnation, yet, keeping from sin, they mightnevertheless be lost. It had all been settled for them not only beforethey were born, but before Adam was shaped. Having told them this, heinvited them to glorify the Creator of the scheme. Even if damned, theymust praise the person who had made them expressly for damnation. Thatis what I heard him prove by logic to these cow-boys. Stone upon stonehe built the black cellar of his theology, leaving out its beautifulpark and the sunshine of its garden. He did not tell them the splendorof its past, the noble fortress for good that it had been, how its tonichad strengthened generations of their fathers. No; wrath he spoke of,and never once of love. It was the bishop's way, I knew well, to holdcow-boys by homely talk of their special hardships and temptations. Andwhen they fell he spoke to them of forgiveness and brought themencouragement. But Dr. MacBride never thought once of the lives of thesewaifs. Like himself, like all mankind, they were invisible dots increation; like him, they were to feel as nothing, to be swept up in thepotent heat of his faith. So he thrust out to them none of the sweet butall the bitter of his creed, naked and stern as iron. Dogma was his allin all, and poor humanity was nothing but flesh for its canons.
Thus to kill what chance he had for being of use seemed to me moredeplorable than it did evidently to them. Their attention merelywandered. Three hundred years ago they would have been frightened; butnot in this electric day. I saw Scipio stifling a smile when it came tothe doctrine of original sin. "We know of its truth," said Dr. MacBride,"from the severe troubles and distresses to which infants are liable,and from death passing upon them before they are capable of sinning."Yet I knew he was a good man; and I also knew that if a missionary is tobe tactless, he might almost as well be bad.
I said their attention wandered, but I forgot the Virginian. At firsthis attitude might have been mere propriety. One can look respectfullyat a preacher and be internally breaking all the commandments. But evenwith the text I saw real attention light in the Virginian's eye. Andkeeping track of the concentration that grew on him with each minutemade the sermon short for me. He missed nothing. Before the end his gazeat the preacher had become swerveless. Was he convert or critic? Convertwas incredible. Thus was an hour passed before I had thought of time.
When it was over we took it variously. The preacher was genial and spokeof having now broken ground for the lessons that he hoped to instil. Hediscoursed for a while about trout-fishing and about the rumoreduneasiness of the Indians northward where he was going. It was plainthat his personal safety never gave him a thought. He soon bade us goodnight. The Ogdens shrugged their shoulders and were amused. That wastheir way of taking it. Dr. MacBride sat too heavily on the Judge'sshoulders for him to shrug them. As a leading citizen in the Territoryhe kept open house for all comers. Policy and good nature made him bidwelcome a wide variety of travelers. The cow-boy out of employment foundbed and a meal for himself and his horse, and missionaries had beforenow been well received at Sunk Creek Ranch.
"I suppose I'll have to take him fishing," said the Judge ruefully.
"Yes, my dear," said his wife, "you will. And I shall have to make histea for six days."
"Otherwise," Ogden suggested, "it might be reported that you wereenemies of religion."
"That's about it," said the Judge. "I can get on with most people. Butelephants depress me."
So we named the Doctor "Jumbo," and I departed to my quarters.
At the bunk house, the comments were similar but more highly salted. Themen were going to bed. In spite of their outward decorum at the service,they had not liked to be told that they were "altogether become filthy."It was easy to call names; they could do that themselves. And theyappealed to me, several speaking at once, like a concerted piece at theopera: "Say, do you believe babies go to hell?"--"Ah, of course hedon't."--"There ain't no hereafter, anyway."--"Ain't there?"--"Who toldy'u?"--"Same man as told the preacher we were all a sifted set ofsons-of-guns."--"Well, I'm going to stay a Mormon."--"Well, I'm going toquit fleeing from temptation."--"That's so! Better get it in the neckafter a good time than a poor one." And so forth. Their wit was notextreme, yet I should like Dr. MacBride to have heard it. One fellow puthis natural soul pretty well into words, "If I happened to learn whatthey had predestinated me to do, I'd do the other thing, just to show'em!"
And Trampas? And the Virginian? They were out of it. The Virginian hadgone straight to his new abode. Trampas lay in his bed, not asleep, andsullen as ever.
"He ain't got religion this trip," said Scipio to me.
"Did his new foreman get it?" I asked.
"Huh! It would spoil him. You keep around, that's all. Keep around."
Scipio was not to be probed; and I went, still baffled, to my repose.
No light burned in the cabin as I approached its door.
The Virginian's room was quiet and dark; and that Dr. MacBride slumberedwas plainly audible to me, even before I entered. Go fishing with him! Ithought, as I undressed. And I selfishly decided that the Judge mighthave this privilege entirely to himself. Sleep came to me fairly soon,in spite of the Doctor. I was wakened from it by my bed's beingjolted--not a pleasant thing that night. I must have started. And it wasthe quiet voice of the Virginian that told me he was sorry to haveaccidentally disturbed me. This disturbed me a good deal more. But hissteps did not go to the bunk house, as my sensational mind hadsuggested. He was not wearing much, and in the dimness he seemed tallerthan common. I next made out that he was bending over Dr. MacBride. Thedivine at last sprang upright.
"I am armed," he said. "Take care. Who are you?"
"You can lay down your gun, seh. I feel like my spirit was going to bearwitness. I feel
like I might get an enlightening."
He was using some of the missionary's own language. The baffling I hadbeen treated to by Scipio melted to nothing in this. Did living menpetrify, I should have changed to mineral between the sheets. The Doctorgot out of bed, lighted his lamp, and found a book; and the two retiredinto the Virginian's room, where I could hear the exhortations as I layamazed. In time the Doctor returned, blew out his lamp, and settledhimself. I had been very much awake, but was nearly gone to sleep again,when the door creaked and the Virginian stood by the Doctor's side.
"Are you awake, seh?"
"What? What's that? What is it?"
"Excuse me, seh. The enemy is winning on me. I'm feeling less inwardopposition to sin."
The lamp was lighted, and I listened to some further exhortations. Theymust have taken half an hour. When the Doctor was in bed again, Ithought that I heard him sigh. This upset my composure in the dark; butI lay face downward in the pillow, and the Doctor was soon againsnoring. I envied him for a while his faculty of easy sleep. But I musthave dropped off myself; for it was the lamp in my eyes that now wakedme as he came back for the third time from the Virginian's room. Beforeblowing the light out he looked at his watch, and thereupon I inquiredthe hour of him.
"Three," said he.
I could not sleep any more now, and I lay watching the darkness.
"I'm afeard to be alone!" said the Virginian's voice presently in thenext room. "I'm afeard." There was a short pause, and then he shoutedvery loud, "I'm losin' my desire afteh the sincere milk of the Word!"
"What? What's that? What?" The Doctor's cot gave a great crack as hestarted up listening, and I put my face deep in the pillow.
"I'm afeard! I'm afeard! Sin has quit being bitter in my belly."
"Courage, my good man." The Doctor was out of bed with his lamp again,and the door shut behind him. Between them they made it long this time.I saw the window become gray; then the corners of the furniture growvisible; and outside, the dry chorus of the blackbirds began to fill thedawn. To these the sounds of chickens and impatient hoofs in the stablewere added, and some cow wandered by loudly calling for her calf. Next,some one whistling passed near and grew distant. But although the coldhue that I lay staring at through the window warmed and changed, theDoctor continued working hard over his patient in the next room. Only aword here and there was distinct; but it was plain from the Virginian'sfewer remarks that the sin in his belly was alarming him less. Yes, theymade this time long. But it proved, indeed, the last one. And thoughsome sort of catastrophe was bound to fall upon us, it was myself whoprecipitated the thing that did happen.
Day was wholly come. I looked at my own watch, and it was six. I hadbeen about seven hours in my bed, and the Doctor had been about sevenhours out of his. The door opened, and he came in with his book andlamp. He seemed to be shivering a little, and I saw him cast a longingeye at his couch. But the Virginian followed him even as he blew out thenow quite superfluous light. They made a noticeable couple in theirunderclothes; the Virginian with his lean racehorse shanks running to apoint at his ankle, and the Doctor with his stomach and his fatsedentary calves.
"You'll be going to breakfast and the ladies, seh, pretty soon," saidthe Virginian, with a chastened voice. "But I'll worry through the daysomehow without y'u. And to-night you can turn your wolf loose on meagain."
Once more it was no use. My face was deep in the pillow, but I madesounds as of a hen who has laid an egg. It broke on the Doctor with atotal instantaneous smash, quite like an egg.
He tried to speak calmly. "This is a disgrace. An infamous disgrace.Never in my life have I--" Words forsook him, and his face grew redder."Never in my life--" He stopped again, because, at the sight of himbeing dignified in his red drawers, I was making the noise of a dozenhens. It was suddenly too much for the Virginian. He hastened into hisroom, and there sank on the floor with his head in his hands. The Doctorimmediately slammed the door upon him, and this rendered me easily fitfor a lunatic asylum. I cried into my pillow, and wondered if the Doctorwould come and kill me. But he took no notice of me whatever. I couldhear the Virginian's convulsions through the door, and also the Doctorfuriously making his toilet within three feet of my head; and I layquite still with my face the other way, for I was really afraid to lookat him. When I heard him walk to the door in his boots, I ventured topeep; and there he was, going out with his bag in his hand. As I stillcontinued to lie, weak and sore, and with a mind that had ceased alloperation, the Virginian's door opened. He was clean and dressed anddecent, but the devil still sported in his eye. I have never seen acreature more irresistibly handsome.
Then my mind worked again. "You've gone and done it," said I. "He'spacked his valise. He'll not sleep here."
The Virginian looked quickly out of the door. "Why, he's leavin' us!" heexclaimed. "Drivin' away right now in his little old buggy!" He turnedto me, and our eyes met solemnly over this large fact. I thought that Iperceived the faintest tincture of dismay in the features of JudgeHenry's new, responsible, trusty foreman. This was the first act of hisadministration. Once again he looked out at the departing missionary."Well," he vindictively stated, "I cert'nly ain't goin' to run aftehhim." And he looked at me again.
"Do you suppose the Judge knows?" I inquired.
He shook his head. "The windo' shades is all down still oveh yondeh." Hepaused. "I don't care," he stated, quite as if he had been ten yearsold. Then he grinned guiltily. "I was mighty respectful to him allnight."
"Oh, yes, respectful! Especially when you invited him to turn his wolfloose."
The Virginian gave a joyous gulp. He now came and sat down on the edgeof my bed. "I spoke awful good English to him most of the time," saidhe. "I can, y'u know, when I cinch my attention tight on to it. Yes, Icert'nly spoke a lot o' good English. I didn't understand some of itmyself!"
He was now growing frankly pleased with his exploit. He had builded somuch better than he knew. He got up and looked out across the crystalworld of light. "The Doctor is at one-mile crossing," he said. "He'llget breakfast at the N-lazy-Y." Then he returned and sat again on mybed, and began to give me his real heart. "I never set up for beingbetter than others. Not even to myself. My thoughts ain't apt to travelaround making comparisons. And I shouldn't wonder if my memory took asmuch notice of the meannesses I have done as of--as of the otheractions. But to have to sit like a dumb lamb and let a stranger tell y'ufor an hour that yu're a hawg and a swine, just after you have acted ina way which them that know the facts would call pretty near white--"
[Footnote 3: Reprinted from Mr. Owen Wister's "The Virginian."Copyright, 1902-1904, by The Macmillan Company.]
The Wit and Humor of America, Volume IV. (of X.) Page 24
