osc.am1.seventhson-第11部分

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and　a　right　good　one　of　whatever　he　is。〃　Then　Wastenot　thought　of　something　and　grinned。　〃'Devil's　spawn；'〃　he　repeated；　maliciously　savoring　the　words。　〃Sounds　like　hysteria　to　me。〃
　　Furious；　Thrower　stalked　out　of　the　church。
　　He　found　Mistress　Faith　sitting　on　a　stool；　holding　Alvin　Junior　on　her　lap　and　rocking　him　as　he　continued　to　whimper。　She　was　scolding　him　gently。　〃Told　you　not　to　run　without　looking；　always　underfoot；　can't　never　hold　still；　makes　a　body　go　plumb　lunatic　looking　after　you〃　Then　she　saw　Thrower　standing　before　her；　and　fell　silent。
　　〃Don't　worry；〃　she　said。　〃I'll　not　bring　him　back　here。〃
　　〃For　his　safety；　I'm　glad；〃　said　Thrower。　〃If　I　thought　my　churchhouse　had　to　be　built　at　the　cost　of　a　child's　life；　I'd　sooner　preach　in　the　open　air　all　the　days　of　my　life。〃
　　She　looked　close　at　him　and　knew　that　he　meant　it　with　his　whole　heart。　〃It's　no　fault　of　yours；〃　she　said。　〃He's　always　been　a　clumsy　boy。　Seems　to　live　through　scrapes　that'd　kill　an　ordinary　child。〃
　　〃I'd　like　I'd　like　to　understand　what　happened　in　there。〃
　　〃Ridgepole　shivered；　of　course；〃　she　said。　〃It　happens　sometimes。〃
　　〃I　mean　how　it　happened　to　miss　him。　The　beam　split　before　it　touched　his　head。　I　want　to　feel　his　head；　if　I　may〃
　　〃Not　a　mark　on　him；〃　she　said。
　　〃I　know。　I　want　to　feel　it　to　see　if〃
　　She　rolled　her　eyes　upward　and　muttered；　〃Dowsing　for　brains；〃　but　she　also　moved　her　hands　away　so　he　could　feel　the　child's　head。　Slowly　now；　and　carefully；　trying　to　understand　the　map　of　the　boy's　skull；　to　read　the　ridges　and　bumps；　the　troughs　and　depressions。　He　had　no　need　to　consult　a　book。　The　books　were　nonsense；　anyway。　He　had　found　that　out　quite　quickly　　they　all　spouted　idiotic　generalities；　such　as；　〃The　Red　will　always　have　a　bump　just　over　the　ear；　indicating　savagery　and　cannibalism；〃　when　of　course　Reds　had　just　as　much　variety　in　their　heads　as　Whites。　No；　Thrower　had　no　faith　in　those　books　　but　he　had　learned　a　few　things　about　people　with　particular　skills；　and　head　bumps　they　had　in　mon。　He　had　developed　a　knack　of　understanding；　a　map　of　the　shapes　of　the　human　skull；　he　knew　as　his　hands　passed　over　Al's　head　what　it　was　he　found　there。
　　Nothing　remarkable；　that's　what　he　found。　No　one　trait　that　stood　out　above　all　others。　Average。　As　average　as　can　be。　So　utterly　average　that　it　could　be　a　virtual　textbook　example　of　normality；　if　only　there　were　any　textbook　worth　reading。
　　He　lifted　his　fingers　away；　and　the　boy　　who　had　stopped　crying　under　his　hands　　twisted　on　his　mother's　lap　to　look　at　him。　〃Reverend　Thrower；〃　he　said；　〃your　hands　are　so　cold　I　like　to　froze。〃　Then　he　squirmed　off　his　mother's　lap　and　ran　off；　shouting　for　one　of　the　German　boys；　the　one　he　had　been　wrestling　so　savagely　before。
　　Faith　laughed　ruefully。　〃You　see　how　quickly　they　forget？〃
　　〃And　you；　too；〃　he　said。
　　She　shook　her　head。　〃Not　me；〃　she　said。　〃I　don't　forget　a　thing。〃
　　〃You're　already　smiling。〃
　　〃I　go　on；　Reverend　Thrower。　I　just　go　on。　That's　not　the　same　as　forgetting。〃
　　He　nodded。
　　〃So　tell　me　what　you　found；〃　she　said。
　　〃Found？〃
　　〃Feeling　his　bumps。　Brain…dowsing。　Does　he　got　any？〃
　　〃Normal。　Absolutely　normal。　Not　a　single　thing　unusual　about　his　head。〃
　　She　grunted。　〃Nothing　unusual？〃
　　〃That's　right。〃
　　〃Well；　if　you　ask　me；　that's　pretty　unusual　right　there；　if　a　body　was　smart　enough　to　notice　it。〃　She　picked　up　the　stool　and　carried　it　off；　calling　to　Al　and　Cally　as　she　went。
　　After　a　moment；　Reverend　Thrower　realized　she　was　right。　Nobody　was　so　perfectly　average。　Everybody　had　some　trait　that　was　stronger　than　the　others。　It　wasn't　normal　for　Al　to　be　so　well　balanced。　To　have　every　possible　skill　that　could　be　marked　by　the　skull；　and　to　have　it　in　exactly　even　proportions。　Far　from　being　average；　the　child　was　extraordinary；　though　Thrower　had　no　notion　what　it　would　mean　in　the　child's　life。　Jack　of　all　trades　and　master　of　none？　Or　master　of　all？
　　Superstition　or　not；　Thrower　found　himself　wondering。　A　seventh　son　of　a　seventh　son；　a　startling　shape　to　the　head；　and　the　miracle　　he　could　think　of　no　other　word　　of　the　ridgebeam。　An　ordinary　child　would　have　died　this　day。　Natural　law　demanded　it。　But　someone　or　something　was　protecting　this　child；　and　natural　law　had　been　overruled。
　　Once　the　talk　had　subsided；　the　men　resumed　work　on　the　roof。　The　original　beam　was　useless；　of　course；　and　they　carried　the　two　sections　of　it　outside。　After　what　had　happened；　they　had　no　intention　of　using　the　beams　for　anything　at　all。　Instead　they　set　to　work　and　pleted　another　beam　by　midafternoon；　rebuilt　the　scaffolding；　and　by　nightfall　the　whole　roof　ridge　was　set　in　place。　No　one　spoke　of　the　incident　with　the　ridgebeam；　at　least　not　in　Thrower's　presence。　And　when　he　went　to　look　for　the　shivered　ridgepole；　he　couldn't　find　it　anywhere。
　　
　　
　　Chapter　Seven　　Altar
　　
　　Alvin　Junior　wasn't　scared　when　he　saw　the　beam　falling；　and　he　wasn't　scared　when　it　crashed　to　the　floor　on　either　side。　But　when　all　the　grown…ups　started　carrying　on　like　the　Day　of　Rapture；　a…hugging　him　and　talking　in　whispers；　then　he　got　scared。　Grown…ups　had　a　way　of　doing　things　for　no　reason　at　all。
　　Like　the　way　Papa　was　setting　on　the　floor　by　the　fire；　just　studying　the　split　pieces　of　the　shivered　ridgepole；　the　piece　of　wood　that　sprung　under　the　weight　of　the　ridgebeam　and　sent　it　all　crashing　down。　When　Mama　was　being　herself；　not　Papa　or　nobody　could　bring　big　old　pieces　of　split　and　dirty　wood　into　her　house。　But　today　Mama　was　as　crazy　as　Papa；　and　when　he　showed　up　toting　them　big　old　splinters　of　wood；　she　just　bent　over；　rolled　up　the　rug；　and　got　herself　out　of　Papa's　way。
　　Well；　anybody　who　didn't　know　to　get　out　of　Papa's　way　when　he　had　that　look　on　his　face　was　too　dumb　to　live。　David　and　Calm　was　lucky；　they　could　go　off　to　their　own　houses　on　their　own　cleared　land；　where　their　own　wives　had　their　own　suppers　cooking　and　they　could　decide　whether　to　be　crazy　or　not。　The　rest　of　them　weren't　so　lucky。　With　Papa　and　Mama　being　crazy；　the　rest　of　them　had　to　be　crazy；　too。　Not　one　of　the　girls　fought　with　any　of　the　others；　and　they　all　helped　fix　supper　and　clean　up　after　without　a　word　of　plaint。　Wastenot　and　Wantnot　went　out　and　chopped　wood　and　did　the　evening　milking　without　so　much　as　punching　each　other　in　the　arm；　let　alone　getting　in　a　wrestling　match；　which　was　right　disappointing　to　Alvin　Junior；　seeing　as　how　he　always　got　to　wrestle　the　loser；　which　was　the　best　wrestling　he　ever　got　to　do；　them　being　eighteen　years　old　and　a　real　challenge；　not　like　the　boys　he　usually　hunkered　down　with。　And　Measure；　he　just　sat　there　by　the　fire；　whittling　out　a　big　old　spoon　for　Mama's　cooking　pot；　never　so　much　as　looking　up　　but　he　was　waiting；　just　like　the　others；　for　Papa　to　e　back　to　his　right　self　and　yell　at　somebody。
　　The　only　normal　person　in　the　house　was　Calvin；　the　three…year…old。　The　trouble　was　that　normal　for　him　meant　tagging　along　after　Alvin　Junior　like　a　kitten　on　a　mouse's　trail。　He　never　came　close　enough　to　play　with　Alvin　Junior；　or　to　touch　him　or　talk　to　him　or　anything　useful。　He　was　just　there；　always　there　at　the　edge　of　things；　so　Alvin　would　look　up　just　as　Calvin　looked　away；　or　catch　a　glimpse　of　his　shirt　as　he　ducked　behind　a　door；　or　sometimes　in　the　dark　of　night　just　hear　a　faint　breathing　that　was　closer　than　it　ought　to　be；　which　told　him　Calvin　wasn't　lying　on　his　cot；　he　was　standing　right　there　by　Alvin's　bed；　watching。　Nobody　ever　seemed　to　notice　it。　It　had　been　more　than　a　year　since　Alvin　gave　up　trying　to　get　him　to　stop。　If　Alvin　Junior　ever　said；　〃Ma；　Cally's　pestering　me；〃　Mama　would　just　say；　〃Al　Junior；　he　didn't　say　a　thing；　he　didn't　touch　you；　and　if　you　don't　like　him　just　standing　quiet　as　a　body　could　ask；　well；　that's　just　too　bad　for　you；　because　it　suits　me　fine。　I　wish　certain　other　of　my　children　could　learn　to　be　as　still。〃　Alvin　figured　that　it　wasn't　that　Calvin　was　normal　today；　it's　that　the　rest　of　the　family　had　just　e　up　to　his　regular　level　of　craziness。
　　Papa　just　stared　and　stared　at　the　split　wood。　Now　and　the