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The Complete Works of O. Henry: Short Stories, Poems and Letters (illustrated, Annotated and Active TOC) (A to Z Classics)
O. Henry, A to Z Classics
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eBook - ePub
The Complete Works of O. Henry: Short Stories, Poems and Letters (illustrated, Annotated and Active TOC) (A to Z Classics)
O. Henry, A to Z Classics
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Ăber dieses Buch
This collection gathers together the works by O. Henry in a single, convenient, high quality, and extremely low priced Kindle volume! This book contains now several HTML tables of contents that will make reading a real pleasure!Contents: Cabbages and KingsThe Four Million The Trimmed LampHeart of the West The Voice of the CityThe Gentle GrafterRoads of DestinyOptionsStrictly BusinessWhirligigs Sixes and SevensRolling StonesWaifs and StraysO. HenryanaUncollected Stories and Poems
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Information
Thema
LiteratureThema
Religious Poetryroads of destiny
Doubleday, Page & Company, 1909
[The texts follow the first edition.]
roads of destiny
(âą)
I: Roads of Destiny
II: The Guardian of the Accolade
II: The Discounters of Money
IV: The Enchanted Profile
V: âNext to Reading Matterâ
VI: Art and the Bronco
VII: PhĆbe
VIII: A Double-Dyed Deceiver
IX: The Passing of Black Eagle
X: A Retrieved Reformation
XI: Cherchez la Femme
XII: Friends in San Rosario
XIII: The Fourth in Salvador
XIV: The Emancipation of Billy
XV: The Enchanted Kiss
XVI: A Departmental Case
XVII: The Renaissance at Charleroi
XVIII: On Behalf of the Management
XIX: Whistling Dickâs Christmas Stocking
XX: The Halberdier of the Little Rheinschloss
XXI: Two Renegades
XXII: The Lonesome Road
i
roads of destiny
[Ainsleeâs, April 1903]
I go to seek on many roads
What is to be.
True heart and strong, with love to lightâ
Will they not bear me in the fight
To order, shun or wield or mould
My Destiny?
Unpublished Poems of David Mignot.
The song was over. The words were Davidâs; the air, one of the countryside. The company about the inn table applauded heartily, for the young poet paid for the wine. Only the notary, M. Papineau, shook his head a little at the lines, for he was a man of books, and he had not drunk with the rest.
David went out into the village street, where the night air drove the wine vapour from his head. And then he remembered that he and Yvonne had quarrelled that day, and that he had resolved to leave his home that night to seek fame and honour in the great world outside.
âWhen my poems are on every manâs tongue,â he told himself, in a fine exhilaration, âshe will, perhaps, think of the hard words she spoke this day.â
Except the roysterers in the tavern, the village folk were abed. David crept softly into his room in the shed of his fatherâs cottage and made a bundle of his small store of clothing. With this upon a staff, he set his face outward upon the road that ran from Vernoy.
He passed his fatherâs herd of sheep huddled in their nightly penâthe sheep he herded daily, leaving them to scatter while he wrote verses on scraps of paper. He saw a light yet shining in Yvonneâs window, and a weakness shook his purpose of a sudden. Perhaps that light meant that she rued, sleepless, her anger, and that morning mightââ But, no! His decision was made. Vernoy was no place for him. Not one soul there could share his thoughts. Out along that road lay his fate and his future.
Three leagues across the dim, moonlit champaign ran the road, straight as a ploughmanâs furrow. It was believed in the village that the road ran to Paris, at least; and this name the poet whispered often to himself as he walked. Never so far from Vernoy had David travelled before.
the left branch
Three leagues, then, the road ran, and turned into a puzzle. It joined with another and a larger road at right angles. David stood, uncertain, for a while, and then took the road to the left.
Upon this more important highway were, imprinted in the dust, wheel tracks left by the recent passage of some vehicle. Some half an hour later these traces were verified by the sight of a ponderous carriage mired in a little brook at the bottom of a steep hill. The driver and postilions were shouting and tugging at the horsesâ bridles. On the road at one side stood a huge, black-clothed man and a slender lady wrapped in a long, light cloak.
David saw the lack of skill in the efforts of the servants. He quietly assumed control of the work. He directed the outriders to cease their clamour at the horses and to exercise their strength upon the wheels. The driver alone urged the animals with his familiar voice; David himself heaved a powerful shoulder at the rear of the carriage, and with one harmonious tug the great vehicle rolled up on solid ground. The outriders climbed to their places.
David stood for a moment upon one foot. The huge gentleman waved a hand. âYou will enter the carriage,â he said, in a voice large, like himself, but smoothed by art and habit. Obedience belonged in the path of such a voice. Brief as was the young poetâs hesitation, it was cut shorter still by a renewal of the command. Davidâs foot went to the step. In the darkness he perceived dimly the form of the lady upon the rear seat. He was about to seat himself opposite, when the voice again swayed him to its will: âYou will sit at the ladyâs side.â
The gentleman swung his great weight to the forward seat. The carriage proceeded up the hill. The lady was shrunk, silent, into her corner. David could not estimate whether she was old or young, but a delicate, mild perfume from her clothes stirred his poetâs fancy to the belief that there was loveliness beneath the mystery. Here was an adventure such as he had often imagined. But as yet he held no key to it, for no word was spoken while he sat with his impenetrable companions.
In an hourâs time David perceived through the window that the vehicle traversed the street of some town. Then it stopped in front of a closed and darkened house, and a postilion alighted to hammer impatiently upon the door. A latticed window above flew wide and a night-capped head popped out.
âWho are ye that disturb honest folk at this time of night? My house is closed. âT is too late for profitable travellers to be abroad. Cease knocking at my door, and be off.â
âOpen!â spluttered the postilion, loudly; âopen for Monseigneur the Marquis de Beaupertuys.â
âAh!â cried the voice above. âTen thousand pardons, my lord. I did not knowâthe hour is so lateâat once shall the door be opened, and the house placed at my lordâs disposal.â
Inside was heard the clink of chain and bar, and the door was flung open. Shivering with chill and apprehension, the landlord of the Silver Flagon stood, half clad, candle in hand, upon the threshold.
David followed the marquis out of the carriage. âAssist the lady,â he was ordered. The poet obeyed. He felt her small hand tremble as he guided her descent. âInto the house,â was the next command.
The room was the long dining-hall of the tavern. A great oak table ran down its length. The huge gentleman seated himself in a chair at the nearer end. The lady sank into another against the wall, with an air of great weariness. David stood, considering how best he might now take his leave and continue upon his way.
âMy lord,â said the landlord, bowing to the floor, âh-had I ex-expected this honour, entertainment would have been ready. T-t-there is wine and cold fowl and m-m-maybeâââ
âCandles,â said the marquis, spreading the fingers of one plump white hand in a gesture he had.
âY-yes, my lord.â He fetched half a dozen candles, lighted them, and set them upon the table.
âIf monsieur would, perhaps, deign to taste a certain Burgundyâthere is a caskâââ
âCandles,â said monsieur, spreading his fingers.
âAssuredlyâquicklyâI fly, my lord.â
A dozen more lighted candles shone in the hall. The great bulk of the marquis overflowed his chair. He was dressed in fine black from head to foot save for the snowy ruffles at his wrists and throat. Even the hilt and scabbard of his sword were black. His expression was one of sneering pride. The ends of an upturned moustache reached nearly to his mocking eyes.
The lady sat motionless, and now David perceived that she was young, and possessed of pathetic and appealing beauty. He was startled from the contemplation of her forlorn loveliness by the booming voice of the marquis.
âWhat is your name and pursuit?â
âDavid Mignot. I am a poet.â
The moustache of the marquis curled nearer to his eyes.
âHow do you live?â
âI am also a shepherd; I guarded my fatherâs flock,â David answered, with his head high, but a flush upon his cheek.
âThen listen, master shepherd and poet, to the fortune you have blundered upon to-night. This lady is my niece, Mademoiselle Lucie de Varennes. She is of noble descent and is possessed of ten thousand francs a year in her own right. As to her charms, you have but to observe for yourself. If the inventory pleases your shepherdâs heart, she becomes your wife at a word. Do not interrupt me. To-night I conveyed her to the chateau of the Comte de Villemaur, to whom her hand had been promised. Guests were present; the priest was waiting; her marriage to one eligible in rank and fortune was ready to be accomplished. At the altar this demoiselle, so meek and dutiful, turned upon me like a leopardess, charged me with cruelty and crimes, and broke, before the gaping priest, the troth I had plighted for her. I swore there and then, by ten thousand devils, that she should marry the first man we met after leaving the chateau, be he prince, charcoal-burner, or thief. You, shepherd, are the first. Mademoiselle must be wed this night. If not you, then another. You have ten minutes in which to make your decision. Do not vex me with words or questions. Ten minutes, shepherd; and they are speeding.â
The marquis drummed loudly with his white fingers upon the table. He sank into a veiled attitude of waiting. It was as if some great house had shut its doors and windows against approach. David would have spoken, but the huge manâs bearing stopped his tongue. Instead, he stood by the ladyâs chair and bowed.
âMademoiselle,â he said, and he marvelled to find his words flowing easily before so much elegance and beauty. âYou have heard me say I was a shepherd. I have also had the fancy, at times, that I am a poet. If it be the test of a poet to adore and cherish the beautiful, that fancy is now strengthened. Can I serve you in any way, mademoiselle?â
The young woman looked up at him with eyes dry and mournful. His frank, glowing face, made serious by the gravity of the adventure, his strong, straight figure and the liquid sympathy in his blue eyes, perhaps, also, her imminent need of long-denied help and kindness, thawed her to sudden tears.
âMonsieur,â she said, in low tones, âyou look to be true and kind. He is my uncle, the brother of my father, and my only relative. He loved my mother, and he hates me because I am like her. He has made my life one long terror. I am afraid of his very looks, and never before dared to disobey him. But to-night he would have married me to a man three times my age. You will forgive me for bringing this vexation upon you, monsieur. You will, of course, decline this mad act he tries to force upon you. But let me thank you for your generous words, at least. I have had none spoken to me in so long.â
There was now something more than generosity in the poetâs eye. Poet he must have been, for Yvonne was forgotten; this fine, new loveliness held him with its freshness and grace. The subtle perfume from her filled him with strange emotions. His tender look fell warmly upon her. She leaned to it, thirstily.
âTen minutes,â said David, âis given me in which to do what I would devote years to achieve. I will not say I pity you, mademoiselle; it would not be trueâI love you. I cannot ask love from you yet, but let me rescue you from this cruel man, and, in time, love may come. I think I have a future; I will not always be a shepherd. For the present I will cherish you with all my heart and make your life less sad. Will you trust your fate to me, mademoiselle?â
âAh, you would sacrifice yourself from pity!â
âFrom love. The time is almost up, mademoiselle.â
âYou will regret it, and despise me.â
âI will live only to make you happy, and myself worthy of you.â
Her fine small hand crept into his from beneath her cloak.
âI will trust you,â she breathed, âwith my life. Andâand loveâmay not be so far off as you think. Tell him. Once away from the power of his eyes I may forget.â
David went and stood before the marquis. The black figure stirred, and the mocking eyes glanced at the great hall clock.
âTwo minutes to spare. A shepherd requires eight minutes to decide whether he will accept a bride of beauty and income! Speak up, shepherd, do you consent to become mademoiselleâs husband?â
âMademoiselle,â said David, standing proudly, âhas done me the honour to yield to my request that she become my wife.â
âWell said!â said the marquis. âYou have yet the making of a courtier in you, master shepherd. Mademoiselle could have drawn a worse prize, after all. And now to be done with the affair as quick as the Church and the devil will allow!â
He struck the table soundly with his sword hilt. The landlord came, knee-shaking, bringing more candles in the hope of anticipating the great lordâs whims. âFetch a priest,â said the marquis, âa priest; do you understand? In ten minutes have a priest here, orâââ
The landlord dropped his candles and flew.
The priest came, heavy-eyed and ruffled. He made David Mignot and Lucie de Varennes man and wife, pocketed a gold piece that the marquis tossed him, and shuffled out again into the night.
âWine,â ordered the marquis, spreading his ominous fingers at the host.
âFill glasses,â he said, when it was brought. He stood up at the head of the table in the candlelight, a black mountain of venom and conceit, with something like the memory of an old love turned to poison in his eye, as it fell upon his niece.
âMonsieur Mignot,â he said, raising his wineglass, âdrink after I say this to you: You have taken to be your wife one who will make your life a foul and wretched thing. The blood in her is an inheritance running black lies and red ruin. She will bring you shame and anxiety. The devil that descended to her is there in her eyes and skin and mouth that stoop even to beguile a peasant. There is your promise, monsieur poet, for a happy life. Drink your wine. At last, mademoiselle, I am rid of you.â
The marquis drank. A little grievous cry, as if from a sudden wound, came from the girlâs lips. David, with his glass in his hand, stepped forward three paces and faced the marquis. There was little of a shepherd in his bearing.
âJust now,â he said, calmly, âyou did me the honour to call me âmonsieur.â May I hope, therefore that my marriage to mademoiselle has placed me somewhat nearer to you inâlet us say, reflected rankâhas given me the right to stand more as an equal to monseigneur in a certain little piece of business I have in my mind?â
âYou may hope, shepherd,â sneered the marquis.
âThen,â said David, dashing his glass of wine into the contemptuous eyes that mocked him, âperhaps you will condescend to fight me.â
The fury of the great lord outbroke in one sudden curse like a blast from a horn. He tore his sword from its black sheath; he called to the hovering landlord: âA sword there, for this lout!â He turned to the lady, with a laugh that chilled her heart, and said: âYou put much labour upon me, madame. It seems I must find you a husband and make you a widow in the same night.â
âI know not sword-play,â said David. He flushed to make the confession before his lady.
ââI know not sword-play,ââ mimicked the marquis. âShall we fight like peasants with oaken cudgels? Hola! François, my pistols!â
A postilion brought two shining great pistols ornamented with carven silver, from the carriage holsters. The marquis tossed one upon the table near Davidâs hand. âTo the other end of the table,â he cried; âeven a shepherd may pull a trigger. Few of them attain the honour to die by the weapon of a De Beaupertuys.â
The shepherd and the marquis faced each other from the ends of the long table. The landlord, in an ague of terror, clutched the air and stammered: âM-M-Monseigneur, for the love of Christ! not in my house!âdo not spill bloodâit will ruin my customâââ The look of the marquis, threatening him, paralyzed his tongue.
âCoward,â cried the lord of Beaupertuys, âcease chattering your teeth long enough to give the word for us, if you can.â
Mine hostâs knees smote the floor. He was without a vocabulary. Even sounds were beyond him. Still, by gestures he seemed to beseech peace in the name of his house and custom.
âI will give the word,â said the lady, in a clear voice. She went up to David and kissed him sweetly. Her eyes were sparkling bright, and colour had come to her cheek. She stood against the wall, and the two men levelled their pistols for her count.
âUnâdeuxâtrois!â
The two reports came so nearly together that the candles flickered but once. The marquis stood, smiling, the fingers of his left hand resting, outspread, upon the end of the table. David remained erect, and turned his head very slowly, searching for his wife with his eyes. Then, as a garment falls from where it is hung, he sank, crumpled, upon the floor.
With a little cry of terror and despair, the widowed maid ran and stooped above him. She found his wound, and then looked up with her old look of pale melancholy. âThrough his heart,â she whispered. âOh, his heart!â
âCome,â boomed the great voice of the marquis, âout with you to the carriage! Daybreak shall not find you on my hands. Wed you shall be again, and to a living husband, this night. The next we come upon, my lady, highwayman or peasant. If the road yields no other, then the churl that opens my gates. Out with you to the carriage!â
The marquis, implacable and huge, the lady wrapped again in the mystery of her cloak, the postilion bearing the weaponsâall moved out to the waiting carriage. The sound of its ponderous wheels rolling away echoed through the slumbering village. In the hall of the Silver Flagon the distracted landlord wrung his hands above the slain poetâs body, while the flames of the four and twenty candles danced and flickered on the table.
the right branch
Three leagues, then, the road ran, and turned into a puzzle. It joined with another and a larger road at right angles. David stood, uncertain, for a while, and then took the road to the right.
Whither it led he knew not, but he was resolved to leave Vernoy far behind that night. He travelled a league and then passed a large chĂąteau which showed testimony of recent entertainment. Lights shone from every window; from the great stone gateway ran a tracery of wheel tracks drawn in the dust by the vehicles of the guests.
Three leagues farther and David was weary. He rested and slept for a while on a bed of pine boughs at the roadside. Then up and on again along the unknown way.
Thus for five days he travelled the great road, sleeping upon Natureâs balsamic beds or in peasantsâ ricks, eating of their black, hospitable bread, drinking from streams or the willing cup of the goatherd.
At length he crossed a great bridge and set his foot within the smiling city that has crushed or crowned more poets than all the rest of the world. His breath came quickly as Paris sang to him in a little undertone her vital chant of greetingâthe hum of voice and foot and wheel.
High up under the eaves of an old house in the Rue Conti, David paid for lodging, and set himself, in a wooden chair, to his poems. The street, once sheltering citizens of import and consequence, was now ...