按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
the land to do；〃 he declared in a loud voice and his short figure straightened and he thought that something like a halo of Godly ap… proval hung over him。
It will perhaps be somewhat difficult for the men and women of a later day to understand Jesse Bent… ley。 In the last fifty years a vast change has taken place in the lives of our people。 A revolution has in fact taken place。 The coming of industrialism； at… tended by all the roar and rattle of affairs； the shrill cries of millions of new voices that have come among us from overseas； the going and coming of trains； the growth of cities； the building of the inter… urban car lines that weave in and out of towns and past farmhouses； and now in these later days the coming of the automobiles has worked a tremen… dous change in the lives and in the habits of thought of our people of Mid…America。 Books； badly imag… ined and written though they may be in the hurry of our times； are in every household； magazines cir… culate by the millions of copies； newspapers are ev… erywhere。 In our day a farmer standing by the stove in the store in his village has his mind filled to over… flowing with the words of other men。 The newspa… pers and the magazines have pumped him full。 Much of the old brutal ignorance that had in it also a kind of beautiful childlike innocence is gone for… ever。 The farmer by the stove is brother to the men of the cities； and if you listen you will find him talking as glibly and as senselessly as the best city man of us all。
In Jesse Bentley's time and in the country districts of the whole Middle West in the years after the Civil War it was not so。 Men labored too hard and were too tired to read。 In them was no desire for words printed upon paper。 As they worked in the fields； vague； half…formed thoughts took possession of them。 They believed in God and in God's power to control their lives。 In the little Protestant churches they gathered on Sunday to hear of God and his works。 The churches were the center of the social and intellectual life of the times。 The figure of God was big in the hearts of men。
And so； having been born an imaginative child and having within him a great intellectual eagerness； Jesse Bentley had turned wholeheartedly toward God。 When the war took his brothers away； he saw the hand of God in that。 When his father became ill and could no longer attend to the running of the farm； he took that also as a sign from God。 In the city； when the word came to him； he walked about at night through the streets thinking of the matter and when he had come home and had got the work on the farm well under way； he went again at night to walk through the forests and over the low hills and to think of God。
As he walked the importance of his own figure in some divine plan grew in his mind。 He grew avari… cious and was impatient that the farm contained only six hundred acres。 Kneeling in a fence corner at the edge of some meadow； he sent his voice abroad into the silence and looking up he saw the stars shining down at him。
One evening； some months after his father's death； and when his wife Katherine was expecting at any moment to be laid abed of childbirth； Jesse left his house and went for a long walk。 The Bentley farm was situated in a tiny valley watered by Wine Creek； and Jesse walked along the banks of the stream to the end of his own land and on through the fields of his neighbors。 As he walked the valley broadened and then narrowed again。 Great open stretches of field and wood lay before him。 The moon came out from behind clouds； and； climbing a low hill； he sat down to think。
Jesse thought that as the true servant of God the entire stretch of country through which he had walked should have come into his possession。 He thought of his dead brothers and blamed them that they had not worked harder and achieved more。 Be… fore him in the moonlight the tiny stream ran down over stones； and he began to think of the men of old times who like himself had owned flocks and lands。
A fantastic impulse； half fear； half greediness； took possession of Jesse Bentley。 He remembered how in the old Bible story the Lord had appeared to that other Jesse and told him to send his son David to where Saul and the men of Israel were fighting the Philistines in the Valley of Elah。 Into Jesse's mind came the conviction that all of the Ohio farmers who owned land in the valley of Wine Creek were Philistines and enemies of God。 〃Suppose；〃 he whispered to himself； 〃there should come from among them one who； like Goliath the Philistine of Gath； could defeat me and take from me my posses… sions。〃 In fancy he felt the sickening dread that he thought must have lain heavy on the heart of Saul before the coming of David。 Jumping to his feet； he began to run through the night。 As he ran he called to God。 His voice carried far over the low hills。 〃Jehovah of Hosts；〃 he cried； 〃send to me this night out of the womb of Katherine； a son。 Let Thy grace alight upon me。 Send me a son to be called David who shall help me to pluck at last all of these lands out of the hands of the Philistines and turn them to Thy service and to the building of Thy kingdom on earth。〃
II
DAVID HARDY OF Winesburg； Ohio； was the grand… son of Jesse Bentley； the owner of Bentley farms。 When he was twelve years old he went to the old Bentley place to live。 His mother； Louise Bentley； the girl who came into the world on that night when Jesse ran through the fields crying to God that he be given a son； had grown to womanhood on the farm and had married young John Hardy of Wines… burg； who became a banker。 Louise and her hus… band did not live happily together and everyone agreed that she was to blame。 She was a small woman with sharp grey eyes and black hair。 From childhood she had been inclined to fits of temper and when not angry she was often morose and si… lent。 In Winesburg it was said that she drank。 Her husband； the banker； who was a careful； shrewd man； tried hard to make her happy。 When he began to make money he bought for her a large brick house on Elm Street in Winesburg and he was the first man in that town to keep a manservant to drive his wife's carriage。
But Louise could not be made happy。 She flew into half insane fits of temper during which she was sometimes silent； sometimes noisy and quarrelsome。 She swore and cried out in her anger。 She got a knife from the kitchen and threatened her husband's life。 Once she deliberately set fire to the house； and often she hid herself away for days in her own room and would see no one。 Her life； lived as a half re… cluse； gave rise to all sorts of stories concerning her。 It was said that she took drugs and that she hid herself away from people because she was often so under the influence of drink that her condition could not be concealed。 Sometimes on summer afternoons she came out of the house and got into her carriage。 Dismissing the driver she took the reins in her own hands and drove off at top speed through the streets。 If a pedestrian got in her way she drove straight ahead and the frightened citizen had to es… cape as best he could。 To the people of the town it seemed as though she wanted