登陆注册
15478500000008

第8章 THE MAN THAT CORRUPTED HADLEYBURG(8)

Next day there was a surprise for Jack Halliday. He noticed that the faces of the nineteen chief citizens and their wives bore that expression of peaceful and holy happiness again. He could not understand it, neither was he able to invent any remarks about it that could damage it or disturb it. And so it was his turn to be dissatisfied with life. His private guesses at the reasons for the happiness failed in all instances, upon examination. When he met Mrs. Wilcox and noticed the placid ecstasy in her face, he said to himself, "Her cat has had kittens"--and went and asked the cook; it was not so, the cook had detected the happiness, but did not know the cause. When Halliday found the duplicate ecstasy in the face of "Shadbelly" Billson (village nickname), he was sure some neighbour of Billson's had broken his leg, but inquiry showed that this had not happened. The subdued ecstasy in Gregory Yates's face could mean but one thing--he was a mother-in-law short; it was another mistake. "And Pinkerton--Pinkerton--he has collected ten cents that he thought he was going to lose." And so on, and so on. In some cases the guesses had to remain in doubt, in the others they proved distinct errors. In the end Halliday said to himself, "Anyway it roots up that there's nineteen Hadleyburg families temporarily in heaven: I don't know how it happened; I only know Providence is off duty to-day."An architect and builder from the next State had lately ventured to set up a small business in this unpromising village, and his sign had now been hanging out a week. Not a customer yet; he was a discouraged man, and sorry he had come. But his weather changed suddenly now. First one and then another chief citizen's wife said to him privately:

"Come to my house Monday week--but say nothing about it for the present. We think of building."He got eleven invitations that day. That night he wrote his daughter and broke off her match with her student. He said she could marry a mile higher than that.

Pinkerton the banker and two or three other well-to-do men planned country-seats--but waited. That kind don't count their chickens until they are hatched.

The Wilsons devised a grand new thing--a fancy-dress ball. They made no actual promises, but told all their acquaintanceship in confidence that they were thinking the matter over and thought they should give it--"and if we do, you will be invited, of course."People were surprised, and said, one to another, "Why, they are crazy, those poor Wilsons, they can't afford it." Several among the nineteen said privately to their husbands, "It is a good idea, we will keep still till their cheap thing is over, then WE will give one that will make it sick."The days drifted along, and the bill of future squanderings rose higher and higher, wilder and wilder, more and more foolish and reckless. It began to look as if every member of the nineteen would not only spend his whole forty thousand dollars before receiving-day, but be actually in debt by the time he got the money. In some cases light-headed people did not stop with planning to spend, they really spent--on credit. They bought land, mortgages, farms, speculative stocks, fine clothes, horses, and various other things, paid down the bonus, and made themselves liable for the rest--at ten days. Presently the sober second thought came, and Halliday noticed that a ghastly anxiety was beginning to show up in a good many faces. Again he was puzzled, and didn't know what to make of it.

"The Wilcox kittens aren't dead, for they weren't born; nobody's broken a leg; there's no shrinkage in mother-in-laws; NOTHING has happened--it is an insolvable mystery."There was another puzzled man, too--the Rev. Mr. Burgess. For days, wherever he went, people seemed to follow him or to be watching out for him; and if he ever found himself in a retired spot, a member of the nineteen would be sure to appear, thrust an envelope privately into his hand, whisper "To be opened at the town-hall Friday evening," then vanish away like a guilty thing. He was expecting that there might be one claimant for the sack--doubtful, however, Goodson being dead--but it never occurred to him that all this crowd might be claimants. When the great Friday came at last, he found that he had nineteen envelopes.

III

The town-hall had never looked finer. The platform at the end of it was backed by a showy draping of flags; at intervals along the walls were festoons of flags; the gallery fronts were clothed in flags;the supporting columns were swathed in flags; all this was to impress the stranger, for he would be there in considerable force, and in a large degree he would be connected with the press. The house was full. The 412 fixed seats were occupied; also the 68extra chairs which had been packed into the aisles; the steps of the platform were occupied; some distinguished strangers were given seats on the platform; at the horseshoe of tables which fenced the front and sides of the platform sat a strong force of special correspondents who had come from everywhere. It was the best-dressed house the town had ever produced. There were some tolerably expensive toilets there, and in several cases the ladies who wore them had the look of being unfamiliar with that kind of clothes. At least the town thought they had that look, but the notion could have arisen from the town's knowledge of the fact that these ladies had never inhabited such clothes before.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 快穿之打倒白莲花

    快穿之打倒白莲花

    为报复“真爱小三”的丈夫,苏宛接受了韩骁“收集女主破碎之心”的任务。于是,苏宛穿梭在各个剧情成为恶毒女配,踏上了打倒女主白莲花的道路……想傍富二代的校园白莲花,蹬女配上位的娱乐圈白莲花,陷害女配还装纯的修仙白莲花,纯傻白甜善良到无脑的总裁文白莲花……渣男贱女,看哪儿呢?虐渣虐的就是你们!
  • 哈佛谈判术

    哈佛谈判术

    本书运用有趣的寓言故事,传授了十分实用的“哈佛谈判术”,主要内容包括不得不面对的难题、迎难而上的乔瑟夫、鉴定灵活的既定方针、谈判的魔力等。
  • 楼兰新娘

    楼兰新娘

    [花雨授权]为了政治目的便可以欺侮一个纤弱的少女吗?不,他做不到!在他冷漠孤傲的面具下,藏着一颗至情至性的心。从第一眼见到他时她就知道,自己想当他的楼兰新娘!哪怕要赔上性命也决不退缩!
  • 浅唱离歌

    浅唱离歌

    在年少轻狂的时代,我们的那一段青春那一段轰轰烈烈的恋情那一首每人都会唱的热门歌曲那人人都抱怨的课堂作业。在成熟稳重的时代,我们那一段年少轻狂的青春只得留来空闲时间回忆,站在第三人的角度上去看那年少轻狂的回忆片。在安享晚年的时候,我们会把此生所经历的告诉我们的儿孙,在说到曾在哪个年级的时候喜欢的哪个人也不会在脸红,只是用缓慢的语气来陈述这个属于我们而又让我们痛心的故事!
  • 空冥魔人录

    空冥魔人录

    一个来自异域的男子,受领主所托,来大陆完成一个任务,却因此陷入了人生的迷途,在一群人的帮助下,他不辱使命,坚定地重新回到了以前...
  • 源来天会晴

    源来天会晴

    王源,你可知道,我在世界的另一边,一直在等你啊。我不怕下地狱,只怕地狱里没有你;我愿颠沛流离,只想看你一个微笑;我不会离开你,只因为我真的爱你!
  • 假如时光流逝唯我等你

    假如时光流逝唯我等你

    “童话故事里的结局都很美好,为什么我们却......咳咳”又有鲜血从她嘴角流出,染红了他那洁白的衬衫。她用最后的一丝力气笑着说:“在我临死的时候也得不到你为我留下的一滴眼泪,我知道你爱她,去追回来她吧......若有来生,我愿为树,一叶之灵,窥尽全......秋......”那双会笑的大眼睛闭上了......永远的闭上了......本是花一样的年龄,却遭到了无情的对待,童话里的公主都很幸福,为何她......
  • 相思谋:妃常难娶

    相思谋:妃常难娶

    某日某王府张灯结彩,婚礼进行时,突然不知从哪冒出来一个小孩,对着新郎道:“爹爹,今天您的大婚之喜,娘亲让我来还一样东西。”说完提着手中的玉佩在新郎面前晃悠。此话一出,一府宾客哗然,然当大家看清这小孩与新郎如一个模子刻出来的面容时,顿时石化。此时某屋顶,一个绝色女子不耐烦的声音响起:“儿子,事情办完了我们走,别在那磨矶,耽误时间。”新郎一看屋顶上的女子,当下怒火攻心,扔下新娘就往女子所在的方向扑去,吼道:“女人,你给本王站住。”一场爱与被爱的追逐正式开始、、、、、、、
  • 六虚世界录

    六虚世界录

    六虚开,三界生。万千种族间的争斗,感情的羁绊。视死已如归,独独放不下你。可以忘记自己是谁,却舍不得忘记你。如果注定要我湮灭,那我就在灰烬中重生。只要和你在一起,那么繁华尽是空,唯你为真。
  • 都是生活之奋进

    都是生活之奋进

    鲁迅说:生活就像海绵里的水,挤挤总会有的。陈凡说:既然老天让我出现在这里,那么我就要不断奋进,不去追求最好的,但是却要不断的更好如果是重生在平行面位,你会怎么做?让我们一起走进尘封的心里世界,看看陈凡如何引时代的发展。