gs.earthabides-第85部分

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　　Deep　within　him；　Ish　again　felt　his　old　hatred　of　loose　thinking　boil　up。　Though　he　was　an　old　man；　still　he　might　do　something。　
　　〃No！〃　he　said；　so　sharply　that　the　young　man　started。　〃No！　That　is　not　right。　The　white　arrowheads　and　the　red！　One　just　as　well　as。。。。〃　
　　Then；　slowly　his　voice　trailed　off。　No；　he　thought；　that　was　not　the　way　it　was　destined　to　be。　He　heard　a　rich　contralto　voice　saying　to　him；　〃Relax！〃　Perhaps　he　might　persuade　this　young　man　named　Jack；　who　was　undoubtedly　a　remarkably　intelligent　and　imaginative　young　man；　possibly　even　somewhat　like　that　little　one　named　Joey。　But　what　would　it　acplish？　Only；　perhaps　to　make　the　young　man　confused　and　ill　at　ease　among　all　the　others。　And　what　was　really　the　difference？　At　least；　copper　arrowheads　were　not　less　effective　against　lions；　and　if　the　bowman　thought　them　more　effective；　the　thought　gave　him　courage　and　steadied　his　hand。　
　　So　Ish　said　nothing　more　about　the　matter；　and　smiled　at　the　young　man　reassuringly；　and　looked　again　at　the　arrow。　Another　thought　came　to　him；　and　he　asked：　
　　〃Can　you　always　find　plenty　of　those　little　round　things？〃　
　　The　young　man　laughed　merrily；　as　if　this　were　a　strange　question。　
　　〃Oh；　yes；〃　he　said。　〃There　are　so　many　that　if　all　of　us　spent　all　our　time　pounding　out　arrowheads；　still　we　should　never　run　short。〃　
　　Ish　considered。　Yes；　that　was　probably　true。　Even　if　there　were　a　hundred　men　in　The　Tribe　by　now；　there　must　be　thousands　and　thousands　of　coins　readily　to　be　found　in　tills　and　cash…boxes；　even　in　this　one　corner　of　the　city。　And　if　the　coins　should　be　exhausted；　there　would　be　thousands　of　miles　of　copper　telephone　wire。　When　he　had　first　made　an　arrow；　he　recollected；　he　had　imagined　that　The　Tribe　would　revert　to　stone　arrowheads。　Instead　they　had　taken　a　short…cut；　and　were　already　fashioning　metal。　So　perhaps　The　Tribe；　his　own　descendants；　had　already　passed　the　turning…point；　were　no　longer　forgetting　more　old　things　than　they　were　learning　new　things；　and　were　no　longer　sinking　toward　savagery；　but　were　maintaining　a　stable　level　or　perhaps　gradually　beginning　to　win　new　security。　By　showing　them　how　to　make　bows；　he　had　helped；　and　he　felt　greatly　forted。　
　　Then；　having　finished　looking　at　the　arrow；　Ish　handed　it　back。　〃It　seems　to　be　a　very　good　arrow；〃　he　said；　although　he　did　not　really　know　much　about　arrows。　
　　Nevertheless　the　young　man　smiled　with　great　happiness　at　this　praise　of　his　arrow；　and　Ish　noted　that　he　made　a　mark　on　it　before　he　put　it　back　into　the　quiver；　as　if　he　wished　to　know　it　and　distinguish　it　from　other　arrows　after　what　had　happened。　Then；　as　he　still　looked　at　the　young　man；　Ish　felt　a　sudden　great　love　for　him；　and　he　had　not　been　so　moved　for　a　long　time　since　he　had　been　sitting　as　an　old　man　on　the　hillside。　This　Jack；　who　was　of　the　First　Ones；　must　be　Ish's　great…grandson　in　the　male　line；　and　he　was　also　Em's　great…grandson。　So；　as　Ish　looked；　his　heart　yearned　outwards；　and　he　asked　a　strange　question：　
　　〃Young　man；〃　he　said；　〃are　you　happy？〃　The　young　man　named　Jack　looked　startled　at　this　question；　and　he　glanced　in　both　directions　before　answering；　and　then　he　spoke。　
　　〃Yes；　I　am　happy。　Things　are　as　they　are；　and　I　am　part　of　them。〃　
　　Ish　began　to　think　of　what　this　might　mean　and　to　wonder　again　whether　the　words　had　been　spoken　only　in　simplicity　or　whether　there　was　some　deep　philosophy　behind　them；　but　he　could　not　decide。　At　his　trying　to　think；　the　fog　seemed　again　to　move　in　at　the　corners　of　his　brain。　But　still　he　recollected　vaguely　that　the　words…strange　as　they　were…had　a　ring　of　familiarity　about　them。　He　had　not　perhaps　ever　heard　those　exact　words　before；　but　they　were　words　that　someone　whom　he　had　once　known　might　well　have　spoken。　For　in　his　words　the　young　man　had　not　questioned；　but　had　accepted。　Ish　could　not　recall　this　person　exactly；　but　he　remembered　softness　and　warmth；　and　warm　feelings　flowed　through　him。　
　　When　he　came　out　of　his　reverie　and　looked　up　again；　no　one　was　standing　in　front　of　him。　In　fact；　Ish　would　have　been　unable　to　say　surely　whether　the　young　man　named　Jack　had　been　there　that　same　day；　or　whether　this　was　now　some　other　day；　or　perhaps　even　another　summer。　
　　
　　Chapter　2
　　He　awoke　so　early；　one　morning；　that　the　room　was　still　in　half…darkness。　He　lay　quiet　for　a　moment；　wondering　where　he　was；　and　for　a　moment　he　thought　that　he　was　a　small　boy　again　and　had　crawled　into　his　mother's　bed　for　fort　in　the　early　morning。　Then　he　realized　that　it　could　not　be　so；　and　he　thought　that　if　he　stretched　out　his　hand　he　would　find　Em　lying　there　beside　him。　But　that　was　not　so；　either。　Then　he　thought　of　his　young　wife。　But　no；　she　would　not　be　there　either；　for　long　ago　he　had　given　her　to　a　younger　man　because　it　is　right　that　a　woman　should　bear　children　so　that　the　tribe　will　increase　and　the　darkness　draw　farther　back。　So　then　at　last　he　realized　that　he　was　a　very　old　man；　and　was　lying　in　the　bed　by　himself。　Nevertheless；　it　was　the　same　bed　and　the　same　room。　
　　There　was　a　strange　dryness　in　his　throat。　After　a　minute　he　slowly　got　out　of　bed；　and　uncertainly　on　his　old　stiff　legs　he　walked　to　the　bathroom　for　a　drink　of　water。　As　he　went　into　the　bathroom；　he　stretched　out　his　right　hand；　and　flipped　the　electric…light　switch。　It　made　the　familiar　click；　and　suddenly　the　room　was　brilliant　to　his　eyes。　Then　after　a　moment　he　found　himself　in　the　half…darkness　of　dawn　again；　and　he　realized　that　the　electric　light　had　not　flashed　on。　It　had　not　so　flashed　for　years；　and　would　never　again…and　the　familiar　click　had　merely　fooled　his　old　brain；　so　that　for　a　moment　the　room　had　seemed　light。　All　this　did　not　bother　him；　because　it　had　thus　happened　before。　
　　Also；　when　he　turned　the　stiff　faucet…handle　at　the　washbowl；　no　water　gushed　out　merrily。　Then　he　remembered　that　years　ago　the　water　had　ceased　to　run。　
　　He　could　not　get　his　drink　of　water；　but　he　was　not　so　much　thirsty　as　merely　bothered　by　that　dryness　in　the　throat。　
　　After　he　had　swallowed　a　few　times；　he　felt　better。　When　he　stood　by　the　bedside　again；　he　hesitated；　sniffing。　He　could　remember　many　changes　of　smells　through　the　years。　Far　back　there　had　been　the　smell　of　a　great　city。　That　had　given　way　to　the　clean　smell　of　green　things　and　growth。　But　that　also　had　yielded；　and　now　there　was　about　the　old　house　a　smell　of　age　and　decay。　That　smell；　however；　was　familiar　and　was　not　bothering　him。　What　he　was　trying　to　assay　was　a　kind　of　dry　smokiness。　That　dryness；　he　considered；　had　made　him　wake　up　so　early。　But　he　felt　no　fear；　and　crawled　into　bed　again。　
　　A　steady　wind　was　blowing　from　the　north。　It　tossed　the　pine　trees　that　now　grew　closely　around　the　house；　and　the　branches　swished　and　knocked　against　the　windows　and　against　the　walls　of　the　house。　
　　The　noise　kept　him　awake；　and　he　lay　there　listening。　He　wished　that　he　knew　the　time；　but　he　no　longer　kept　a　clock　wound。　Time　in　its　old　sense　of　appointments　to　be　kept　and　things　to　be　done…all　that　had　long　since　ceased　to　exist；　both　because　the　way　of　life　had　changed　and　because　he　himself　was　so　old　as　to　be　almost　out　of　life。　In　certain　ways　he　had　already；　as　it　seemed；　passed　from　time　to　eternity。　
　　Now　he　lay　by　himself　in　the　old　and　half…ruined　house。　The　others　slept　in　other　houses；　or　in　good　weather　lay　in　the　open。　Perhaps　they　felt　that　ghosts　walked　in　this　old　house。　Well；　perhaps！　To　Ish　himself　the　thoughts　of　those　who　had　been　long　dead　were　often　more　immediately　present　than　the　bodies　of　those　now　living。　
　　Though　he　had　no　clock；　the　half…light　told　him　that　the　time　could　not　be　much　before　sunrise。　Perhaps　he　had　slept　as　long　as　an　old　man　needed　to　sleep。　He　would　lie　there；　turning　himself　over　occasionally；　until　the　sun　had　risen；　and　someone…he　hoped　it　would　be　the　young　man　called　Jack…came　to　bring　him　his　breakfast。　There　would　be　a　well…braised　beef　bone　on　which　he　could　suck；　and　some　corn…meal　boiled　into　a　mush。　The　Tribe　took　good　care　of　him；　an　old　man。　They　let　him　have　corn…meal　though　that　was　something　of　a　rarity　with　them。　They　sent　someone　t