WEBVTT

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<v Speaker 1>This is Section eighteen of The Gilded Age. This LibriVox

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<v Speaker 1>recording is in the public domain. The Gilded Age, A

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<v Speaker 1>Tale of to Day by Mark Twain and C. D. Warner,

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<v Speaker 1>Chapter eighteen. Eight years have passed since the death of

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<v Speaker 1>mister Hawkins. Eight years are not many in the life

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<v Speaker 1>of a nation or the history of a state, but

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<v Speaker 1>they may be years of destiny that shall fix the

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<v Speaker 1>current of the century. Following. Such years were those that

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<v Speaker 1>followed the Little Scrimmage on Lexington Common. Such years were

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<v Speaker 1>those that followed the double shotted demand for the surrender

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<v Speaker 1>of Fort Sumter. History is never done with inquiring of

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<v Speaker 1>these years, and summoning witnesses about them, and trying to

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<v Speaker 1>understand their significance. The eight years in America from eighteen

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<v Speaker 1>sixty to eighteen sixty eight uprooted institutions that were centuries old,

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<v Speaker 1>changed the politics of a people, transformed the social life

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<v Speaker 1>of half the country, and wrought so profoundly upon the

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<v Speaker 1>entire national character that the influence cannot be measured short

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<v Speaker 1>of two or three generations. As we are accustomed to

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<v Speaker 1>interpret the economy of providence, the life of the individual

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<v Speaker 1>is as nothing to that of the nation or the race.

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<v Speaker 1>But who can say, in the broader view and the

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<v Speaker 1>more intelligent weight of values, that the life of one

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<v Speaker 1>man is not more than that of a nationality, and

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<v Speaker 1>that there is not a tribunal where the tragedy of

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<v Speaker 1>one human soul shall not seem more significant than the

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<v Speaker 1>overturning of any human institution whatever. When one thinks of

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<v Speaker 1>the tremendous forces of the upper and the nether world

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<v Speaker 1>which play for the mastery of the soul of a

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<v Speaker 1>woman during the few years in which she passes from

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<v Speaker 1>plastic girlhood to the ripe maturity of womanhood, he may

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<v Speaker 1>well stand in awe before the momentous drama. What capacity

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<v Speaker 1>she has of purity, tenderness, goodness, What capacities of vileness,

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<v Speaker 1>bitterness and evil nature? Must needs be lavish with the

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<v Speaker 1>mother and creator of men and center in her all

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<v Speaker 1>the possibilities of life, and a few critical years can

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<v Speaker 1>decide whether her life is to be full of sweetness

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<v Speaker 1>and light, whether she is to be the vestal of

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<v Speaker 1>a holy temple, or whether she will be the fallen

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<v Speaker 1>priestess of a desecrated shrine. There are women, it is true,

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<v Speaker 1>who seem to be capable neither of rising much, nor

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<v Speaker 1>of falling much, and of whom a conventional life saves

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<v Speaker 1>from any special development of character. But Laura was not

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<v Speaker 1>one of them. She had the fatal gift of beauty,

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<v Speaker 1>and that more fatal gift which does not always accompany

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<v Speaker 1>mere beauty, the power of fascination, a power that may

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<v Speaker 1>indeed exist without beauty. She had will and pride, and

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<v Speaker 1>courage and ambition, and she was left to be very

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<v Speaker 1>much her own guide at the age when romance comes

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<v Speaker 1>to the aid of passion, and when the awakening powers

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<v Speaker 1>of her vigorous mind had little object on which to

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<v Speaker 1>discipline themselves. The tremendous conflict that was fought in this

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<v Speaker 1>girl's soul, none of those about her knew, and very

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<v Speaker 1>few knew that her life had in it anything unusual

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<v Speaker 1>or romantic or strange. Those were troublous days in Hawkeye,

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<v Speaker 1>as well as in most other Missouri towns, days of confusion,

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<v Speaker 1>when between Unionist and Confederate occupations, sudden maraudings and bushwhackings

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<v Speaker 1>and raids, individuals escaped observation or comment in actions that

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<v Speaker 1>would have filled the town with scandal and quiet times. Fortunately,

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<v Speaker 1>we only need to deal with Laura's life at this

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<v Speaker 1>period historically, and look back upon such portions of it

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<v Speaker 1>as will serve to reveal the woman as he was.

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<v Speaker 1>At the time of the arrival of mister Harry Brierly

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<v Speaker 1>in Hawkeye. The Hawkins family were settled there and had

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<v Speaker 1>a hard enough struggle with poverty and the necessity of

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<v Speaker 1>keeping up appearances in accord with their own family pride,

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<v Speaker 1>and the large expectations they secretly cherished of a fortune

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<v Speaker 1>in the knobs of East Tennessee. How pinched they were,

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<v Speaker 1>perhaps no one knew but Clay, to whom they looked

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<v Speaker 1>for almost their whole support. Washington had been in Hawkeye

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<v Speaker 1>off and on, attracted away occasionally by some tremendous speculation,

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<v Speaker 1>from which he invariably returned to General Boswell's office. As

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<v Speaker 1>poor as he went, he was the inventor of No

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<v Speaker 1>one knew how many useless contrivances which were not worth patenting,

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<v Speaker 1>and his years had been passed in dreaming and planning

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<v Speaker 1>to no purpose, until he was now a man of

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<v Speaker 1>about thirty, without a profession or a permanent occupation. A tall,

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<v Speaker 1>brown haired, dreamy person of the best intents and a

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<v Speaker 1>frailist resolution, probably However, the eight years had been happier

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<v Speaker 1>to him than to any others in his circle, for

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<v Speaker 1>the time had been mostly spent in a blissful dream

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<v Speaker 1>of the coming of enormous wealth. He went out with

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<v Speaker 1>a company from Hawkeye to the war and was not

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<v Speaker 1>wanting encourage. But he would have been a better soldier

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<v Speaker 1>if he had been less engaged in contrivances for circumventing

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<v Speaker 1>the enemy by strategy unknown to the books. It happened

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<v Speaker 1>to him to be captured in one of his self

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<v Speaker 1>appointed expeditions, but the federal colonel released him after a

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<v Speaker 1>short examination, satisfied that he could most injure the Confederate

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<v Speaker 1>forces opposed to the Unionists by returning him to his regiment.

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<v Speaker 1>Colonel Sellars was, of course a prominent man during the war.

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<v Speaker 1>He was captain of the Home Guards in Hawkeye, and

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<v Speaker 1>he never left home except upon one occasion, when on

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<v Speaker 1>the strength of a rumor, he executed a flank movement

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<v Speaker 1>and fortified Stone's Landing, a place which no one unacquainted

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<v Speaker 1>with the country would be likely to find. Dad, said

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<v Speaker 1>the colonel afterwards. The landing is the key to Upper Missouri,

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<v Speaker 1>and it is the only place the enemy never captured.

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<v Speaker 1>If other places had been defended as well as that was,

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<v Speaker 1>the result would have been different. Sir. The Colonel had

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<v Speaker 1>his own theories about war, as he had in other things.

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<v Speaker 1>If everybody had stayed at home as he did, he said,

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<v Speaker 1>the South never would have been conquered, for what would

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<v Speaker 1>there have been to conquer. Mister jeff Davis was constantly

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<v Speaker 1>writing him to take command of a corps in the

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<v Speaker 1>Confederate Army, but Colonel Sellers said no, his duty was

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<v Speaker 1>at home, and he was by no means idle. He

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<v Speaker 1>was the inventor of the famous air torpedo, which came

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<v Speaker 1>very near destroying the Union armies in Missouri and the

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<v Speaker 1>city of Saint Louis itself. His plan was to fill

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<v Speaker 1>a torpedo with Greek fire and poisonous and deadly missiles,

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<v Speaker 1>attach it to a balloon, and then let it sail

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<v Speaker 1>away over the hostile camp and explode at the right

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<v Speaker 1>moment when the time fuse burned out. He intended to

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<v Speaker 1>use this invention in the capture of Saint Louis, exploding

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<v Speaker 1>his torpedoes over the city and reigning destruction upon it

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<v Speaker 1>until the Army of Occupation would gladly capitulate. He was

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<v Speaker 1>unable to procure the Greek fire, but he constructed a

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<v Speaker 1>vicious torpedo which would have answered the purpose. But the

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<v Speaker 1>first one prematurely exploded in his wood house, blowing it

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<v Speaker 1>clean away and setting fire to his house. The neighbors

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<v Speaker 1>helped him put out the conflagration, but they discouraged any

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<v Speaker 1>more experiments of that sort. The patriotical gentleman, however, planted

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<v Speaker 1>so much powder and so many explosive contrivances in the

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<v Speaker 1>roads leading into Hawkeye, and then forgot the exact spots

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<v Speaker 1>of danger that people were afraid to travel the highways

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<v Speaker 1>and used to come to town across the fields. The

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<v Speaker 1>colonel's motto was millions for defense, but not one cent

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<v Speaker 1>for tribute. When Laura came to Hawkeye, she might have

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<v Speaker 1>forgot gotten the annoyances of the gossips of Murphysburg and

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<v Speaker 1>have outlived the bitterness that was growing in her heart

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<v Speaker 1>if she had been thrown less upon herself, or if

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<v Speaker 1>the surroundings of her life had been more congenial and helpful.

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<v Speaker 1>But she had little society, less and less as she

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<v Speaker 1>grew older. That was congenial to her, and her mind

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<v Speaker 1>preyed upon itself, and the mystery of her birth at

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<v Speaker 1>once chagrined her and raised in her the most extravagant expectations.

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<v Speaker 1>She was proud, and she felt the sting of poverty.

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<v Speaker 1>She could not but be conscious of her beauty also,

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<v Speaker 1>and she was vain of that, and came to take

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<v Speaker 1>a sort of delight in the exercise of her fascinations

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<v Speaker 1>upon the rather loutish young men who came in her

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<v Speaker 1>way and whom she despised. There was another world open

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<v Speaker 1>to her, a world of books, but it was not

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<v Speaker 1>the best world of that sort, for the small libraries

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<v Speaker 1>she had access to in Hawkeye were decidedly miscellaneous and

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<v Speaker 1>largely made up of romances and fictions, which fed her

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<v Speaker 1>imagination with the most exaggerated notions of life, and showed

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<v Speaker 1>her men and women in a very false sort of heroism.

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<v Speaker 1>From these stories, she learned what a woman of keen

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<v Speaker 1>intellect and some culture, joined to beauty and fascination of manner,

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<v Speaker 1>might expect to accomplish in society. As she read of it,

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<v Speaker 1>and along with these ideas she imbibed other very crude ones.

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<v Speaker 1>In regard to the emancipation of women. There were also

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<v Speaker 1>other books, histories, biographies of distinguished people, travels in far lands, poems,

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<v Speaker 1>especially those of Byron, Scott and Shelley and Moore, which

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<v Speaker 1>she eagerly absorbed and appropriated therefrom what was to her liking.

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<v Speaker 1>Nobody in Hawkeye had read so much, or after a fashion,

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<v Speaker 1>studied so diligently as Laura. She passed for an accomplished girl,

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<v Speaker 1>and no doubt thought herself one, as she was judged

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<v Speaker 1>by any standard near her. During the war, there came

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<v Speaker 1>to Hawkeye Confederate officer Colonel Selby, who was stationed there

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<v Speaker 1>for a time in command of that district. He was

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<v Speaker 1>a handsome soldierly man of thirty years, a graduate of

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<v Speaker 1>the University of Virginia, and of distinguished family, if his

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<v Speaker 1>story might be believed, and it was evident, a man

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<v Speaker 1>of the world and of extensive travel and adventure. To

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<v Speaker 1>find in such an out of the way country place

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<v Speaker 1>a woman like Laura was a piece of good luck,

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<v Speaker 1>upon which Colonel Selby congratulated himself. He was studiously polite

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<v Speaker 1>to her and treated her with a consideration to which

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<v Speaker 1>she was accustomed. She had read of such men, but

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<v Speaker 1>she had never seen one before. One so high bred,

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<v Speaker 1>so noble in sentiment, so entertaining in conversation, so engaging

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<v Speaker 1>in manner. It is a long story. Unfortunately, it is

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<v Speaker 1>an old story, and it need not be dwelt on.

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<v Speaker 1>Laura loved him and believed that his love for her

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<v Speaker 1>was as pure and deep as her own. She worshiped

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<v Speaker 1>him and would have counted her life a little thing

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<v Speaker 1>to give him if he would only love her and

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<v Speaker 1>let her feed the hunger of her heart upon him.

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<v Speaker 1>The passion possessed her whole being and lifted her up

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<v Speaker 1>till she seemed to walk on air. It was all true, then,

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<v Speaker 1>the romances she had read, the bliss of love she

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<v Speaker 1>had dreamed of. Why had she never noticed before how

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<v Speaker 1>blithes in the world was, how jockuned with love. The

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<v Speaker 1>birds sang it, the trees whispered it to her as

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<v Speaker 1>she passed. The very flowers beneath her feet strewed the

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<v Speaker 1>way as for a bridal march. When the colonel went away,

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<v Speaker 1>they were engaged to be married as soon as he

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<v Speaker 1>could make certain arrangements which he represented to be necessary,

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<v Speaker 1>and quit the army. He wrote to her from Harding,

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<v Speaker 1>a small town in the southwest corner of the state,

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<v Speaker 1>saying that he should be held in the service longer

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<v Speaker 1>than he had expected, but that it would not be

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<v Speaker 1>more than a few months. Then he should be at

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<v Speaker 1>liberty to take her to Chicago, where he had property,

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<v Speaker 1>and should have business, either now or as soon as

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<v Speaker 1>the war was over, which he thought could not last long. Meantime,

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<v Speaker 1>why should they be separated. He was established in comfortable quarters,

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<v Speaker 1>and if she could find company and join him, they

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<v Speaker 1>would be married and gain so many more months of happiness.

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<v Speaker 1>Was woman ever prudent when she loved Laura went to Harding,

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<v Speaker 1>the neighbors supposed to Nurse Washington, who had fallen ill there.

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<v Speaker 1>Her engagement was of course known in Hawkeye, and was

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<v Speaker 1>indeed a matter of pride to her family. Missus Hawkins

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<v Speaker 1>would have told the first inquirer that Laura had gone

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<v Speaker 1>to be married, but Laura had cautioned her she did

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<v Speaker 1>not want to be thought of, she said as going

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<v Speaker 1>in search of a husband. Let the news come back

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<v Speaker 1>after she was married. So she traveled to Harding on

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<v Speaker 1>the pretense we have mentioned, and was married. She was married,

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<v Speaker 1>But something must have happened on that very day or

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<v Speaker 1>the next that alarmed her. Washington did not know then

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<v Speaker 1>or after what it was, but Laura bound him not

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<v Speaker 1>to send news of her marriage to Hawkeye yet, and

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<v Speaker 1>to enjoin her mother not to speak of it. Whatever cruel,

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<v Speaker 1>suspicion or nameless dread this was, Laura tried bravely to

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<v Speaker 1>put it away and not let it cloud her happiness.

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<v Speaker 1>Communication that summer, as may be imagined, was neither regular

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<v Speaker 1>nor frequent between the remote Confederate camp at Harding and Hawkeye,

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<v Speaker 1>and Laura was in a measure lost sight of Indeed,

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<v Speaker 1>every one had troubles enough of his own without borrowing

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<v Speaker 1>from his neighbors. Laura had given herself utterly to her husband,

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<v Speaker 1>and if he had faults, if he was selfish, if

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<v Speaker 1>he was sometimes coarse, if he was dissipated, she did

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<v Speaker 1>not or would not see it. It was the passion

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<v Speaker 1>of her life, the time when her whole nature went

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<v Speaker 1>to flood tide and swept away all barriers. Was her

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<v Speaker 1>husband ever cold or indifferent? She shut her eyes to

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<v Speaker 1>everything but her sense of possession of her idol. Three

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<v Speaker 1>months passed. One morning her husband informed her that he

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<v Speaker 1>had been ordered south and must go within two hours.

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<v Speaker 1>I can be ready, said Laura cheerfully. But I can't

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<v Speaker 1>take you. You must go back to Hawkeye. Can't take me,

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<v Speaker 1>Laura asked, with wonder in her eyes. I can't live

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<v Speaker 1>without you. You said, oh, bother what I said, and

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<v Speaker 1>the colonel took up his sword to buckle it on,

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<v Speaker 1>and then continued coolly. The fact is, Laura, our romance

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<v Speaker 1>is played out. Laura heard, but she did not comprehend.

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<v Speaker 1>She caught his arm and cried, George, how can you

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<v Speaker 1>joke so cruelly? I will go anywhere with you. I

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<v Speaker 1>will wait anywhere. I can't go back to Hawkeye. Well

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<v Speaker 1>go where you like, perhaps, continued he with a sneer.

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<v Speaker 1>You would do as well to wait here for another colonel.

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<v Speaker 1>Laura's brain whirled. She did not yet comprehend. What does

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<v Speaker 1>this mean? Where are you going? It means, said the officer,

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<v Speaker 1>in measured words, that you haven't anything to show for

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<v Speaker 1>a legal marriage, and that I am going to New Orleans.

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<v Speaker 1>It's a lie, George, it's a lie. I am your wife.

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<v Speaker 1>I shall go. I shall follow you to New Orleans.

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<v Speaker 1>Perhaps my wife might not like it. Laura raised her head,

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<v Speaker 1>her eyes flamed with fire. She tried to utter a cry.

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<v Speaker 1>And fell senseless on the floor. When she came to herself,

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<v Speaker 1>the colonel was gone. Washington Hawkins stood at her bedside.

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<v Speaker 1>Did she come to herself? Was there anything left in

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<v Speaker 1>her heart but hate and bitterness, a sense of an

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<v Speaker 1>infamous wrong at the hands of the only man she

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<v Speaker 1>had ever loved. She returned to Hawkeye. With the exception

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<v Speaker 1>of Washington and his mother. No one knew what had happened.

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<v Speaker 1>The neighbors supposed that the engagement with Colonel Selby had

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<v Speaker 1>fallen through. Laura was ill for a long time, but

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<v Speaker 1>she re covered. She had that resolution in her that

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<v Speaker 1>could conquer death almost and with her health came back

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<v Speaker 1>her beauty and an added fascination of something that might

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<v Speaker 1>be mistaken for sadness. Is there a beauty in the

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<v Speaker 1>knowledge of evil? A beauty that shines out in the

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<v Speaker 1>face of a person whose inward life is transformed by

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<v Speaker 1>some terrible experience? Is the pathos in the eyes of

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<v Speaker 1>the Beatrice Cenchi From her guilt or her innocence, Laura

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<v Speaker 1>was not much changed. The lovely woman had a devil

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<v Speaker 1>in her heart. That was all. End of Chapter eighteen