The Mysterious Stranger Manuscripts (Literature) (40 page)

They led him a dog's life all the forenoon-but they failed again.
In the afternoon they gave him a Latin Bible-take that took him till
evening to set up; and after he had proved it and was carrying away
the galley, Moses tripped him and he fell sprawling, galley and all.
The foreman raged and fumed over his clumsiness, putting all the
blame on him and none on Moses, and finished with a peculiarly
mean piece of cruelty: ordering him to come back after supper and
set up the take again, by candle-light, if it took him all night.

This was a little too much for Fischer's stomach, and he began to
remonstrate; but Katzenyammer told him to mind his own business; and the others moved up with threatenings in their eyes, and so
Fischer had to stand down and close his mouth. He had occasion to
be sorry he had tried to do the boy a kindness, for it gave the
foreman an excuse to double-up the punishment. He turned on
Fischer and said,

"You think you've got some influence here, don't you? I'll give
you a little lesson that'll teach you that the best way for you to get
this Jail-Bird into trouble is to come meddling around here trying to
get him out of it."

Then he told 44 lie must set up the pi'd matter and distribute it
before he began on the take!

An all-night job!-and that poor friendless creature hadn't done
a thing to deserve it. Did the master know of these outrages? Yes,
and was privately boiling over them; but he had to swallow his
wrath, and not let on. The men had him in their power, and knew
it. Ile was under heavy bonds to finish a formidable piece of work
for the University of Prague-it was almost done, a few days more
would finish it, to fall short of completion would mean ruin. He
must see nothing, hear nothing, of these wickednesses: if his men
should strike-and they only wanted an excuse and were playing for
it-where would he get others? Venice? Frankfort? Paris? London?
Why, these places were weeks away!

The men went to bed exultant that Wednesday night, and I
sore-hearted.

But lord, how premature we were: the boy's little job was all
right in the morning! Ah, he was the most astonishing creature!

Then the disaster fell: the men gave it up and struck! The poor
master, when he heard the news, staggered to his bed, worn out
with worry and wounded pride and despair, to toss there in fever
and delirium and gabble distressful incoherencies to his grieving
nurses, Marget and Katrina. The men struck in the forenoon of
Thursday, and sent the master word. Then they discussed and
discussed-trying to frame their grounds. Finally the document
was ready, and they sent it to the master. He was in no condition to
read it, and Marget laid it away. It was very simple and direct. It said that the Jail-Bird was a trial to them, and an unendurable
aggravation; and that they would not go back to work again until he
was sent away.

They knew the master couldn't send the lad away. It would
break his sword and degrade him from his guild, for he could prove
no offence against the apprentice. If he did not send 44 away work
would stand still, he would fail to complete his costly printing-contract and be ruined.

So the men were happy; the master was their meat, as they
expressed it, no matter which move he made, and he had but the
two.

IT WAS a black and mournful time, that Friday morning that the
works stood idle for the first time in their history. There was no
hope. As usual the men went over to early mass in the village, like
the rest of us, but they did not come back for breakfast-naturally.
They came an hour later, and idled about and put in the dull time
the best they could, with dreary chat, and gossip, and prophecies,
and cards. They were holding the fort, you see; a quite unnecessary
service, since there was none to take it. It would not have been safe
for any one to set a type there.

No, there was no hope. By and by Katrina was passing by a
group of the strikers, when Moses, observing the sadness in her
face, could not forbear a gibe:

"I wouldn't look so disconsolate, Katrina, prayer can pull off
anything, you know. Tossup a hint to your friend the Virgin."

You would have thought, by the sudden and happy change in
her aspect, that he had uttered something very much pleasanter
than a coarse blasphemy. She retorted,

"Thanky, dog, for the idea. I'll do it!" and she picked up her feet
and moved off briskly.

I followed her, for that remark had given me an idea, too. It was this: to cheer up, on our side, and stop despairing and get down to
work-bring to our help every supernatural force that could be had
for love or money: the Blessed Mother, Balthasar the magician, and
the Sisters of the Perpetual Adoration. It was a splendid inspiration,
and she was astonished at my smartness in thinking of it. She was
electrified with hope and she praised me till I blushed; and indeed I
was worthy of some praise, on another count: for I told her to
withdraw my former "intention," (you have to name your desirecalled "intention"-when you apply to the P. A.,) and tell the
Sisters not to pray for my relief, but leave me quite out and throw
all their strength into praying that Doangivadam might come to the
master's rescue-an exhibition of self-sacrifice on my part which
Katrina said was noble and beautiful and God would remember it
and requite it to me; and indeed I had thought of that already, for it
would he but right and customary.

At my suggestion she said she would get 44 to implore his
overlord the magician to exert his dread powers in the master's
favor. So now our spirits had a great uplift; our clouds began to
pass, and the sun to shine for us again. Nothing could be more
judicious than the arrangement we had arrived at; by it we were
pooling our stock, not scattering it; by it we had our money on three
cards instead of one, and stood to win on one turn or another.
Katrina said she would have all these great forces at work within
the hour, and keep them at it without intermission until the winner's flag went up.

I went from Katrina's presence walking on air, as the saying is.
Privately I was afraid we had one card that was doubtful-the
magician. I was entirely certain that he could bring victory to our
flag if he chose, but would he choose? Ile probably would if Maria
and her mother asked him, but who was to ask them to ask him?
Katrina? They would not want the master ruined, since that would
be their own ruin; but they were in the dark, by persuasion of the
strikers, who had made them believe that no one's ruin was really
going to result except 44's. As for 44 having any influence with his
mighty master, I did not take much stock in that; one might as well
expect a poor lackey to have the ear and favor of a sovereign.

I expected a good deal of Katrina's card, and as to my own I
hadn't the least doubt. It would fetch Doangivadam, let him be
where he might; of that I felt quite sure. What he might be able to
accomplish when he arrived-well, that was another matter. One
thing could be depended upon, anyway-he would take the side of
the under dog in the fight, be that dog in the right or in the wrong,
and what man could do he would do-and up to the limit, too.

He was a wandering comp. Nobody knew his name, it had long
ago sunk into oblivion under that nickname, which described him
to a dot. Hamper him as you might, obstruct him as you might,
make things as desperate for him as you pleased, he didn't give a
damn, and said so. He was always gay and breezy and cheerful,
always kind and good and generous and friendly and careless and
wasteful, and couldn't keep a copper, and never tried. But let his
fortune be up or down you never could catch him other than
handsomely dressed, for he was a dandy from the cradle, and a flirt.
He was a beauty, trim and graceful as Satan, and was a born
masher and knew it. He was not afraid of anything or anybody, and
was a fighter by instinct and partiality. All printers were pretty
good swordsmen, but he was a past master in the art, and as agile as
a cat and as quick. He was very learned, and could have occupied
with credit the sanctum sanctorum, as the den of a book-editor was
called, in the irreverent slang of the profession. He had a baritone
voice of great power and richness, he had a scientific knowledge of
music, was a capable player upon instruments, was possessed of a
wide knowledge of the arts in general, and could swear in nine
languages. He was a good son of the Church, faithful to his
religious duties, and the most pleasant and companionable friend
and comrade a person could have.

But you never could get him to stay in a place, he was always
wandering, always drifting about Europe. If ever there was a perpetual sub, he was the one. He could have had a case anywhere for
the asking, but if he had ever had one, the fact had passed from the
memory of man. He was sure to turn up with us several times a
year, and the same in Frankfort, Venice, Paris, London, and so on,
but he was as sure to flit again after a week or two or three-that is to say, as soon as he had earned enough to give the boys a rouse and
have enough left over to carry him to the next front-stoop on his
milk-route, as the saying is.

I we were, standing still, and so much to do! So much to do,
and so little time to do it in: it must be finished by next Monday;
those commissioners from Prague would arrive then, and demand
their two hundred Bibles-the sheets, that is, we were not to bind
them. Half of our force had been drudging away on that great job
for eight months; 30,000 ems would finish the composition; but for
our trouble, we could turn on our whole strength and do it in a day
of 14 hours, then print the final couple of signatures in a couple of
hours more and be far within contract-time-and here we were,
idle, and ruin coming on!

All Friday and Saturday I stumped nervously back and forth
between the Owl Tower and the kitchen-watching from the one,
in hope of seeing Doangivadam come climbing up the winding
road; seeking Katrina in the other for consultation and news. But
when night shut down, Saturday, nothing definite had happened,
uncertainty was still our portion, and we did not know where we
were at, as the saying is. The magician had treated 44 to an
exceedingly prompt snub and closed out his usefulness as an ambassador; then Katrina had scared Maria and her mother into a realization of their danger and they had tried their hands with Balthasar.
fle was very gracious, very sympathetic, quite willing to oblige, but
pretty non-committal. He said that these printers were not the
originators of this trouble, and were acting in opposition to their
own volition; they were only unwitting tools-tools of three of the
most malignant and powerful demons in hell, demons whom he
named, and whom he had battled with once before, overcoming
them, but at cost of his life almost. They were not conspiring
against the master, that was only a blind-he, the magician, was
the prey they were after, and he could not as vet foresee how the
struggle would come out; but he was consulting the stars, and
should do his best. Ile believed that three other strong demons
were in the conspiracy, and he was working spells to find out as to
this; if it should turn out to be so, he should have to command the presence and aid of the very Prince of Darkness himself! The result
would necessarily be terrible, for many innocent persons would be
frightened to death by his thunders and lightnings and his awful
aspect; still, if the ladies desired it-

But the ladies didn't! nor any one else, for that matter. So there it
stood. If the three extra fiends didn't join the game, we might
expect Balthasar to go in and win it and make everything comfortable again for the master; but if they joined, the game was blocked,
of course, since no one was willing to have Lucifer go to the bat. It
was a momentous uncertainty; there was nothing for it but to wait
and see what those extras would elect to do.

Meantime Balthasar was doing his possible-we could see that.
He was working his incantations right along, and sprinkling powders, and lizards, and newts, and human fat, and all sorts of puissant things into his caldron, and enveloping himself in clouds of
smoke and raising a composite stink that made the castle next to
unendurable, and could be smelt in heaven.

I clung to my hope; and stuck to the Owl Tower till night closed
down and veiled the road and the valley in a silvery mist of
moonlight, but Doangivadam did not come, and my heart was very
heavy.

But in the morrow was promise; the service in our chapel would
have double strength, because four Sisters would be on duty before
the altar, whereas two was the custom. That thought lifted my
hope again.

Apparently all times are meet for love, sad ones as well as bright
and cheerful ones. Down on the castle roof I could see two couples
doing overtime-Fischer and Marget, and Moses and Maria. I did
not care for Maria, but if I had been older, and Fischer had wanted
to put on a sub-but it was long ago, long ago, and such things do
not interest me now. She was a beautiful girl, Marget.

IT WAS a lovely Sunday, calm and peaceful and holy, and bright
with sunshine. It seemed strange that there could be jarrings and
enmities in so beautiful a world. As the forenoon advanced the
household began to appear, one after another, and all in their best;
the women in their comeliest gowns, the men in velvets and laces,
With snug-fitting hose that gave the tendons and muscles of their
legs a chance to show their quality. The master and his sister were
brought to the chapel on couches, that they might have the benefit
of the prayers-he pale and drowsing and not yet really at himself;
then the rest of us (except 44 and the magician) followed and took
our places. It was not a proper place for sorcerers and their tools.
The villagers had come over, and the seats were full.

The chapel was fine and sumptuous in its new paint and gilding;
and there was the organ, in full view, an invention of recent date,
and hardly any in the congregation had ever seen one before.
Presently it began to softly rumble and moan, and the people held
their breath for wonder at the adorable sounds, and their faces were
alight with ecstasy. And I-I had never heard anything so plaintive, so sweet, so charged with the deep and consoling spirit of
religion. And oh, so dreamily it moaned, and wept, and sighed and
sang, on and on, gently rising, gently falling, fading and fainting,
retreating to dim distances and reviving and returning, healing our
hurts, soothing our griefs, steeping us deeper and deeper in its
unutterable peace-then suddenly it burst into breath-taking rich
thunders of triumph and rejoicing, and the consecrated ones came
filing in! You will believe that all worldly thoughts, all ungentle
thoughts, were gone from that place, now; you will believe that
these uplifted and yearning souls were as a garden thirsting for the
fructifying dew of truth, and prepared to receive it and hold it
precious and give it husbandry.