gs.earthabides-第44章

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nd　now　he　wondered。　
　　There　was　a　fourth　one　too；　of　course…but　this　brought　him　back　to　where　he　had　started。　He　got　out　of　the　chair　and　went　to　the　mantelpiece。　
　　The　hammer　was　there；　as　he　himself　had　replaced　it。　He　had　not　asked　any　child　to　take　it　back；　not　even　Joey。　He　had　preferred　not　to　raise　the　issue　again。　
　　There　it　stood；　balanced　on　its　four…pound　head　of　dull；　rust…pitted　steel。　The　hammer　had　been　with　him　a　long　time。　He　had　found　it　just　before　the　rattlesnake　had　struck　him；　and　so　it　might　be　called　his　oldest　friend。　It　had　been　with　him　longer　than　Em　or　Ezra。　
　　He　looked　at　it　curiously；　considering　it　carefully　and　selfconsciously。　The　handle　was　actually　in　bad　shape。　It　had　weathered　from　lying　so　long　in　the　open；　and　even　before　the　hammer　had　been　left　to　lie；　the　handle　had　apparently　been　banged　accidentally　against　a　rock　and　cracked　a　little。　What　was　the　wood？　He　really　did　not　know。　Ash　or　hickory；　he　supposed。　Hickory；　most　likely。　
　　The　simplest　thing；　he　concluded　impetuously；　would　be　to　get　rid　of　the　hammer。　He　could　throw　it　into　the　Bay。　No；　he　reconsidered；　that　would　be　merely　treating　the　ssymptom；　not　the　disease。　With　the　hammer　removed；　the　children's　tendency　to　superstition　would　still　remain；　and　would　merely　fix　upon　something　else；　and　perhaps　take　some　more　sinister　form。　
　　He　thought　of　destroying　the　hammer；　as　a　symbolical　leson　to　the　children　that　it　had　no　strength　in　itself。　But　he　remembered　that　he　did　not　actually　have　the　power　to　destroy　it。　The　handle　he　could　burn　easily；　but　the　steel　head　was　next　to　indestructible　by　any　means　at　his　disposal。　Even　if　he　found　a　carboy　of　acid　and　dissolved　the　steel　in　it；　to　go　to　so　much　trouble　would　make　the　children　think　that　the　hammer　must　really　have　possessed　some　deep…seated　power。　
　　So　he　looked　at　the　hammer　with　new　interest；　as　something　which　was　ing　to　have　a　life　and　power　of　its　own。　Yes；　it　had　the　qualities　which　went　toward　the　making　of　a　good　symbol…permanence；　entity；　strength。　Its　phallic　suggestion　was　obvious。　Curiously；　as　he　thought　now；　he　had　never　named　it；　though　men　were　likely　to　give　names　to　weapons；　which　also　were　symbols　of　power…Madelon　and　Brown　Bess　and　Killdeer　and　Excalibur。　Hammers　had　been　signs　of　godhead　before　this；　Thor　had　carried　a　hammer；　probably　other　gods　too。　Among　kings　there　had　been　that　old　Frankish　one　who　drove　back　the　Saracens…Martel；　they　had　called　him；　Charles　of　the　Hammer！　Ish　of　the　Hammer！　
　　Thus；　for　one　reason　or　another；　when　the　children　reassembled　in　school　the　next　morning；　Ish　said　nothing　about　superstition。　It　would　be　better；　he　told　himself；　to　bide　his　time　a　little；　to　observe　more　closely　for　a　day　or　two；　or　a　week。　Most　of　all；　he　wished　to　learn　more　about　Joey。　
　　As　the　result　of　this　observation；　over　a　period　of　some　weeks；　Ish　came　to　the　conclusion；　somewhat　reluctantly；　that　Joey　had　many　of　the　qualities　of　a　first…class　brat。　He　had　passed　his　tenth　birthday　during　the　summer。　His　precocity　was　sometimes　painful；　he　was；　in　the　old　phrase；　〃too　big　for　his　britches。〃　In　age；　he　was　half　way　between　Walt　and　Weston；　who　were　twelve；　and　Chris；　who　was　eight。　But　Joey's　precocity　put　him　naturally　into　the　pany　of　the　two　older　boys；　and　he　and　the　younger　one　had　nothing　in　mon。　This　must　be　hard　on　Joey；　Ish　concluded；　because　he　was　always　overreaching　to　attain　the　physical　power　of　boys　two　years　older　and　naturally　stronger　as　well。　Josey；　his　own　twin；　he　neglected　also；　for　he　was　at　a　stage　when　boys　had　no　interest　in　girls；　and　Josey；　besides；　was　not　nearly　so　bright　as　he。　
　　There　was　thus；　Ish　saw；　always　a　kind　of　strain　about　what　Joey　was　doing　or　trying　to　do。　Again　and　again　Ish　thought　of　that　little　incident　in　which　the　other　children　had　been　afraid　to　pick　up　the　hammer；　but　had　acquiesced　in　Joey's　doing　something　that　they　themselves　did　not　dare　to　do。　Obviously；　in　their　minds；　there　was　some　kind　of　power　inherent　in　Joey。　Ish　thought　far　back　to　the　times　of　his　studies；　and　he　remembered　the　wide…spread　belief　that　certain　members　of　a　tribe　had　a　special　power　within　them。　Mana；　the　anthropologists　had　called　it。　Perhaps　the　children　believed　that　Joey　had　mana；　possibly　Joey　himself　believed　it。　
　　Yet；　though　Ish　recognized　Joey's　limitations　and　disabilities　and　bad　qualities；　still　he　kept　his　thought　centered　more　on　Joey　than　on　any　of　the　others。　Joey　held　the　hope　for　the　future。　Only　by　the　power　of　intelligence；　Ish　believed　firmly；　had　mankind　ever　risen　to　civilization；　and　only　by　further　exercise　of　that　same　power；　would　mankind　ever　rise　again。　And　Joey　possessed　intelligence。　Possibly　also　he　possessed　that　other　power。　Mana　might　be　a　fallacy　of　simple　minds；　but　even　the　most　civilized　peoples　had　realized　that　certain　individuals　carried　within　them　some　strange　power　that　went　for　leadership。　Had　anyone　ever　explained　why　certain　men　became　leaders；　and　others；　though　they　seemed　better　qualified；　did　not？　
　　How　much　of　all　this　did　Joey　realize？　Many　times　Ish　asked　himself　the　question；　but　he　could　not　as　yet　answer　it。　Yet　more　and　more；　as　the　summer　progressed；　he　felt　that　in　Joey　lay　the　hope　of　the　future。　
　　All　mysticism　aside！　All　idea　of　mana　discounted！　Still；　only　Joey　could　keep　the　light　burning　through　this　dark　time。　
　　Only　he　could　store　up　and　transmit　the　great　tradition　of　mankind！　
　　But　mere　acquisition　of　knowledge　was　not　all　in　which　Joey　excelled。　Even　though　he　was　only　ten；　he　was　beginning　to　branch　out　for　himself；　to　experiment；　to　discover　things　on　his　own。　Indeed；　that　was　the　way　he　had　really　taught　himself　to　read　in　the　beginning。　To　be　sure；　all　this　development　was　still　at　a　childish　level。　
　　There　was　that　matter　of　the　jig…saw　puzzles；　for　instance。　The　children　had　developed　a　sudden　craze　for　the　puzzles；　and　had　set　about　rifling　some　of　the　stores。　Ish　had　watched　them　at　their　play；　and　at　first　Joey　had　not　been　as　good　as　the　others。　He　seemed　to　lack　some　basic　spatial　sense。　Sometimes　he　tried　to　join　pieces　which　obviously　did　not　fit；　and　the　others　indignantly　told　him　so。　Joey　had　been　irked　at　his　inferiority；　and　for　a　while　had　withdrawn　from　the　game。　
　　Then　Joey　had　suddenly　got　a　new　idea　of　how　to　go　about　it。　He　collected　himself　a　number　of　pieces　bearing　the　same　shade　of　yellow；　and　thus　was　able　to　put　them　together　more　rapidly　and　make　better　progress　than　the　other　children。　
　　When　he　proudly　displayed　what　he　had　done；　the　others　were　impressed。　But　even　after　he　had　explained　his　system；　they　did　not　want　to　adopt　it。　
　　〃What's　the　use　anyway！〃　Weston　had　argued。　〃We　might　be　able　to　do　it　faster　your　way；　but　it　wouldn't　be　any　more　fun；　and　nobody　cares　how　soon　we　get　this　finished。〃　
　　Betty　had　agreed。　〃Yes；　it's　no　fun　just　going　through　all　the　work；　picking　up　the　yellow　pieces　and　the　blue　pieces　and　the　red　pieces；　and　putting　them　in　different　places！〃　
　　Joey；　Ish　noticed；　could　not　put　up　a　good　argument　for　his　method；　and　yet　Ish　could　understand　his　motives。　In　the　first　place；　granted　there　was　no　need　to　finish　the　puzzle　in　a　hurry；　still　to　work　efficiently　was　just　as　natural　and　as　pleasant　for　Joey　as　not　to　crawl　when　he　could　walk。　Besides；　he　had　the　petitive　spirit；　the　old…time　drive；　so　characteristic　of　Americans；　for　getting　to　the　front。　Lacking　a　native　gift　for　distinguishing　shapes；　really　as　much　a　physical　endowment　as　having　strong　muscles；　he　had　seen　the　way　to　take　the　lead　by　intellectual　means。　He　had　〃used　his　head；〃　as　they　once　had　liked　to　say。　
　　Though　the　〃discovery〃　was　at　all　remarkable　only　because　made　by　so　young　a　child；　still　Ish　was　pleased　to　note　that　it　was　the　discovery　of　one　phase　of　classification；　that　basic　tool　of　man's　progress。　Logic　rested　upon　classification；　language；　too…by　its　nouns　and　verbs　grouping　things　and　actions　into　neat　workable　partments。　Only　by　his　discovery　of　classification　had　man　been　able　to　impose　some　workable　degree　of　order　upon　the　infinite　apparent　disorder　of　the　natural　world。　
　　Ish　saw　Joey's　experimental　mind　also　at　work　with　language。　To　him　language　was　not　merely　a　practical　matter；　an　unconscious　implement　used　to　express　wants　and　feelings。　Language　to　him　was　also　a　wonderful　plaything。　He　had；　for　instance；　a　sense　of　puns　and　of　rhymes；　although　none　of　the　other　children　showed　much　interest　in　such　things。　He　liked　riddles。　
　　One　day　Ish　heard　him　asking　a　riddle　of　the　other　children。　〃I　made　this　one　up　myself；〃　Joey　was　saying　proudly。　〃Why　are　a　man；　a　bull；　a　fish；　and　a　snake　all　alike？〃　
　　The　other　children　were　not　much　interested。　
　　〃Because　they　all　eat　things；〃　Betty　suggested　languidly。　
　　〃That's　too　simple；〃　said　Joey。　〃Everything　eats　things。　Birds　eat　things　too。〃　
　　They　made　one　or　two　other　suggestions；　and　then　there　came　up　a　suggestion　to　run　off　and　do　something　else。　Joey　saw　that　he　was　in　immediate　danger　of　losing　his　audience；　to　prevent　plete　anticlimax；　he　had　to　e　out　with　his　own　answer。　〃Why；　they're　all　alike　because　not　one　of　them　can　fly！〃　
　　At　the　moment　Ish　was　not　impressed　with　the　riddle；　but　as　he　thought　about　it　afterwards。　he　felt　that　it　was　a　highly　developed　and　curious　kind　of　ten…year…old　mind　which　could　evolve　the　idea　of　negative　likeness。　And　into　Ish's　mind　popped　suddenly　an　old　definition：　〃Genius　is　the　capacity　for　seeing　what　is　not　there。〃　Of　course；　like　every　other　definition　of　genius；　that　one　could　be　shot　to　pieces　also；　because　it　obviously　included　the　madman；　as　well　as　the　genius。　Yet　there　might　be　something　in　it；　too；　the　great　thinkers　of　the　world　must　necessarily　have　made　their　reputations　by　sensing　what　was　not　there　and　looking　for　it　and　discovering　it；　but　the　first　requisite　for　making　the　discovery；　unless　it　depended　upon　mere　luck；　was　the　realization　that　something　unseen　was　there　to　be　discovered；　something　lacking　in　the　picture。　
　　This　was　Joey's　summer　for　experiment　apparently；　and　one　day　he　came　home　reeling　strangely　and　with　a　strong　smell　of　liquor　on　his　breath。　The　story　came　out　that　he；　along　with　Walt　and　Weston；　had　visited　one　of　the　liquorstores　in　the　nearest　business　district。　This　was　a　problem　that　Ish　had　often　considered。　He　had　once　even　gone　into　one　of　the　stores　and　started　opening　and　emptying　the　bottles。　After　an　hour's　work；　however；　he　had　found　that　he　had　made　too　little　progress；　the　project　was　obviously　impossible；　and　the　children　must　take　their　chances　with　an　unlimited　liquor　supply。　And　yet；　when　he　thought　about　it；　the　situation　for　his　children　was　not　so　different　from　that　which　he　himself　had　experienced。　In　those　days　his　father　had　always　had　a　shelf　holding　a　bottle　or　two　of　whiskey　and　brandy　and　sherry；　and　there　would　have　been　nothing　to　stop　Ish　from　carrying　on　a　clandestine　experiment　of　his　own。　He　had　not；　and　so　also　his　own　children　and　grandchildren　apparently　were　not　greatly　attracted　by　the　unlimited　stores　available　to　them。　In　fact；　drunkenness　had　never　been　a　problem　in　the　munity　at　all。　Perhaps　the　simpler　life　they　were　leading　t