CHAPTER XXXI
THE VISION
AS life came back into his body, Johnnie's first thought was a gratefulone: how cool to his cheek was the old, crackled oilcloth on the tableif he rested that cheek a moment, now here, now there! His secondthought, too, was one of thankfulness: How good it was to be lying thereso quietly after those rending blows which had driven the breath out ofhis lungs!
He would have liked to tug at his hair; but as his hands were tied fasttogether, and held a little way beyond where lay his head, being securedalmost immovably by a length of clothesline which came up to them fromaround a farther leg of the table, he could not comfort himself with hisold, odd habit.
Presently, "Cis!" he whispered. "Cis!"
A moan, feeble and pitiful, like the complaint of a hurt baby.
It was pitch dark in the kitchen, and though he turned his look her way,he could not see her. Yet all at once he knew that this was not thewild, fighting, bold Cis, with the strange, changed face, who hadstormed at the longshoreman; this was again the Cis he knew, gentle,wistful, leaning on him, wanting his affection and sympathy. "Aw, Cis!"he murmured fondly.
"Oh, Johnnie, I want a drink! I'm thirsty!"
He pulled at his hands. But Big Tom had done his tying well, and Johnniecould not even loosen one of them. "I wish I could bring you somewater," He answered. "But my legs 're roped down on this side, and he'sgot my hands 'way over my head on the other, so the most I could dowould be t' fall sideways off the table, and that wouldn't help y' onebit."
"Oh!" she mourned. "Oh!"
"Can't you git loose?" he asked.
"No! I'm tied just as _tight_!"
Then for a little they were quiet, while Johnnie tried to study out away of helping her. But he failed. And soon she began to fret, and moveimpatiently, now sobbing softly, as if to herself, again only sighing.
He strove to soothe her. "It won't be long till mornin'," he declared."If y' could make b'lieve y' was in bed, and count sheep----"
"But the ropes hurt me!" she complained. "I want them off! They hurt meawfully, and I feel sick!"
"Well," he proposed, "let's pretend y're so sick y' need a nurse,and----"
But she would not wait for the rest of his plan. "Oh, that kind ofthinking won't help me!" she protested. "And I don't want anybody but mymother!" Then sobbing aloud, "Oh, I want my mother! I want my mother!"
The cry smote his heart, bringing the tears that had not come whenBarber was beating him. Never before, in all the years he had known her,had she cried out this longing. Saying scarcely anything of that motherwho was gone, leaving her so lonely, so bereft, always she herself hadbeen the little mother of the flat.
"Course y' do!" he whispered, gulping. "Course y' do!"
"If she'd only come back to me now!" she went on. "And put her armsaround me again!"
"Don't, Cis!" he pleaded tenderly. "Oh, please don't! Ain't y' got me?That's pretty nice, ain't it? 'Cause we're t'gether. Here I am, Cis!Right in reach, almost. Close by! Don't cry!"
But she was not listening. "Oh, Mother, why did you go and leave me?"she wept. "Oh, Mother, I want you so much!"
Johnnie began to argue with her, gently: "But, Cis, think how MisterPerkins likes y'! My! And he wants t' marry y'! And y'll have such anice place t' live in. Oh, things'll be _fine_!"
That helped a little; but soon, "I want to lie down!" she complained."Oh, Johnnie, it hurts to sit like this all the time! Can't you reachme? Oh, try to untie me!"
"Cis, I can't," he protested, once more. "But it'll be mornin' before y'know it! W'y, it's awful late in the night right now! I betcher it'stwelve--almost. So let's play a game, and the time'll pass so _quick_!"
"I can't wait till morning for a drink!" she cried. "I'm so thirsty! AndI want to lie down!"
"Now," he started off cheerily, "--now, we'll play the way we used t'before y' got grown-up. Remember all the nice things we used t' do?Callin' on the Queen, and dancin' parties, and----"
"My back hurts! Awful!"
"Let's try t' think jus' o' all our nice friends," he coaxed. "MisterPerkins, and One-Eye, and Mrs. Kukor, and----"
"Let's call to Mrs. Kukor!" she pleaded. "Let's try to make her hear!"
"He'll whip us again if we do!" Johnnie cautioned. "And, Cis, I don'tthink I could stand any more whippin'. Oh, don't holler, Cis. Let'srest--jus' rest!" A weakness came over him suddenly, and he could not goon.
But she was sobbing again. "I'm thirsty!" she lamented. "I'm thirsty!I'm thirsty! I'm thirsty!"
Presently he roused himself, and remembered his faithful Buckle. Hesummoned the latter now, speaking to him in that throaty, importantvoice which he used when issuing commands. "Mister Buckle," he said,"bring the young lady a lemon soda jus' chock-full o' ice."
"No! No!" Cis broke in petulantly. "Oh, that makes it all the harder tobear!--Oh, where's Mrs. Kukor? She knows something's wrong! Why hasn'tshe helped us?" She fell to weeping irritably.
At his wits' end, Johnnie racked his brain for something to tellher--something which might take her thoughts from her misery. But hisown misery was now great, for the clothesline was cutting into hiswrists and ankles; while across the front of his body, the edge of thetable was pressing into him like the blade of a dull knife. "But I'llstand it," he promised himself. "And I'll try t' be cheerful, like theHandbook says."
However, there was no immediate need for his cheerfulness, for Cis hadquieted. A few moments, and he heard her deep breathing. He smiledthrough the dark at her, happy to think that sleep had come to help herover the long night hours. As for himself, he could not sleep, weak ashe was. His heart was sore because of what he had lost--his new,wonderful uniform, and all his dear, dear books. What were all thesenow? Just a bit of gray dust in the cooling stove! Gone! Gone forever!
Ah, but _were_ they! The suit was. Yes, he would not be able ever againto wear that--not actually. But the books--? They were also destroyed,as completely as the khaki uniform. And yet--_had_ Big Tom really doneto them what he wanted to do? _Had_ he wiped them out?
No!
And as Johnnie answered himself thus, he realized the truth of a certainstatement which Father Pat had once made to him: "The only possessionsin this world that can't be taken away from ye, lad dear, 're thethoughts, the ideas, the knowledge that ye've got in yer brain." Andalong with his sudden understanding of this there came a sense of joyouswonder, and a feeling of utter triumph. His precious volumes wereburned. True enough. Their covers, their pictures, their good-smellingleaves, these were ashes. But--_what was in each book had not been wipedout_! No! The longshoreman had not been able to rob Johnnie of thethoughts, the ideas, the knowledge which had been tied into those bookswith the printed letter!
"I got 'em yet, all the stories!" he cried to himself. "The 'stronomy,too! And the things in the Handbook! They're all in my brain!"
And the people of his books! They were not destroyed at all! Fire hadnot wiped them out! They were just as alive as ever! As he lay,stretched over the table edge, they took shape for him; and out of theblack corners of the room, from behind the cupboard, the stove, and thechairs, they came trooping to him--Aladdin, the Sultan, the PrincessBuddir al Buddoor, Jim Hawkins, Uncas, King Arthur, Long John Silver,Robinson Crusoe, Lincoln, Heywood, Elaine, Galahad, Friday, Alice, SirKay!
"Oh!" he exclaimed in a whisper. "Oh, gee, all my friends!" Oh, yes, thepeople in stories _did_ live on and on, just as Father Pat had said;were immortal because they lived in the minds of all who loved them!
His eyes were shut. But he smiled at the group about him. "He didn'thurt y'!" he said happily--but whispering as before, lest he disturbCis. "Say! He didn't hurt y' a teeny-weeny bit!"
Pressing eagerly round him, smiling back at him fondly, those bookpeople whom he loved best replied proudly: "Course he didn't! Shucks! Wedon't bother 'bout _him_!"
"Oh, fine! Fine!" answered Johnnie.
Next, he understood in a flash why it was that Father Pat could feel sosatisfied about Edith Cavell.
That general (whose name was like a hiss)could shoot down a brave woman, and hide her body away in the ground,_but he could not destroy her_! No! not with all his power of men andguns! She would live on and on, just as these dear ones of his lived on!And the fact was, her executioner had only helped in making her live!
Yes, and here she was, right now, standing in white beside scarlet-cladGalahad! In the darkness her nurse's dress glimmered. "I'm better 'causeI know you," Johnnie said to her. His tied right hand closed as if onthe hand of another, and he bent his head on the oilcloth, as if beforea Figure. "Oh, thank y' for comin'!"
Then came another wonderful thought: what difference did itmake--really--whether he was on his back on his square of old mattress,or here on his face across the table _if_ he wished to think somesplendid adventure with all these friends? "Not a bit o' difference!" hedeclared. "Not a bit!" Big Tom had been able to tie fast his feet andhands; but in spite of that Johnnie could go wherever he pleased!
His wound-darkened, tear-stained face lit with that old, radiant smile."Big Tom can't tie my thinks!" he boasted. He was out of his body now,and up on his feet, looking into the faces of all those book friends."So let's take a ship--your ship, Jim Hawkins! Ye-e-eh, let's take the_Hispaniola_, and sail, and sail! Where? The 'Cific Ocean? 'R t' Cathay?'R where?" Then he knew! "Say! we'll take a 'stronomy trip!" heannounced.
In one swift moment how gloriously arranged it all was! Halfway acrossthe kitchen floor, here were wonderful marble steps--steps guarded oneither side by a stone lion! The steps led up to a terrace that wasrather startlingly like Father Pat's description of the terrace belowthe great New York Public Library; yet it was not the Library terrace,since there was no building at the farther side of it. No, this wide,granite-floored space was nothing less than a grand wharf.
Up to it Johnnie bounded in his brown shoes--and a new think-uniformfully as handsome as the one Big Tom had thrust into the stove. On thestep next to the top one, some one was waiting--a person dressed inwork-clothes, with big, soiled hands, and an unshaven face. Thisindividual seemed to know that he was out of place and looking hisworst, for his manner was apologetic, and downcast. He implored Johnniewith sad eyes.
It was Big Tom!
How beautiful the terrace wharf was, with its balustrades, and itsfountains, and its giant vases, these last holding flowers which were aslarge as trees! And how deliciously cool was the breeze that sweptagainst Johnnie's face from the vast air ocean stretching across theroofs! At the very center of the terrace was the place of honor. ThereJohnnie took his stand.
He glanced round at the longshoreman. "No, we don't want y' on thistrip," he said firmly. He felt in a pocket for a five-cent piece, foundit, and tossed it to Barber. "Go and buy y'rself a lemon soda," he badekindly. "Hurry and git away, 'cause some folks is comin'."
Poor Barber! In spite of all he had done, it was almost pitiful toobserve how disappointed he was at this order, for he yearned to beincluded in the approaching, and thrilling, adventure. He got to a knee,holding out both hands. "Johnnie," he said, "I'll work! I'll do theloadin' and unloadin'!" (The cargo hook was round his thick neck.)
"Nope," answered Johnnie, carelessly. "Don't need y'. Got Aladdin'sslaves." He waved a hand, motioning the suppliant off.
Below Big Tom scores of Johnnie's friends were waiting--his bookfriends, his real friends, and his think-acquaintances. Ignoring thelongshoreman, Johnnie called down to them. "Come on up!" he invited."Come ahead! The wind's fine! The ship, she's headin' this way!"
Music sounded, for just that second Johnnie had ordered a band. With themusic there was plenty of dandy drumming--_Rumpety! rumpety! rump! rump!rump!_
Then, ushered by Buckle, the guests began to stream up the steps.One-Eye was first, attended by all of his fellow cowboys; and there wassome yip-yipping, and ki-eying, in true Western fashion, Johnniesaluting each befurred horseman in perfect scout style. On the heels ofall these came Long John Silver, stumping the granite with his woodenleg, and bidding his fellow buccaneers walk lively. Of course JimHawkins was of this party, carrying the pieces-of-eight parrot in onehand and leading Boof with the other.
David and Goliath were the next, and each was so pleasant to the otherthat no one would have guessed they had ever waged a fight. The two,like all who had gone by before, gave Barber a withering look as theypassed the drooping figure, after which Mr. Buckle, acting as a sort ofGrand Introducer, planted himself squarely in front of Big Tom, turningupon him that gorgeous red-plush back, and wholly cutting off his view.
"Glad t' see y'!--It's fine y' could come!--How-d'y'-do!" Johnnie's handwent from side to hat brim like a piston.
Another parrot! This was Crusoe's, borne by the Islander's servant,Friday, who strode in the wake of his master along with any number ofman-eating savages, all, however, under perfect control. And on theheels of these, having just alighted from mammoth, armored and howdahedelephants, advanced Aladdin, escorting his Princess and her father, theSultan, and accompanied by fully a hundred slaves, all fairly groaningunder trays of pearls and rubies, diamonds and emeralds. The slaves andthe savages mingled with one another in the friendliest fashion; and asUncas and his painted and feathered braves now appeared, yelling theirwar cry and swinging their tomahawks, there was, on hand, as Johnnieremarked to Mr. Buckle, quite an assortment of kitchen and other helpfor the voyage.
"But y're the boss o' 'em all," Johnnie hastened to add. "So don't y'let one o' 'em run y'."
Of course Mr. Perkins could not be left out of this extraordinaryvoyage. He came with Cis, the latter wearing such a pretty pink dress.Grandpa walked with them, looking straight and strong and happy. Thefirst two, as might have been expected, paid not the slightest attentionto the longshoreman beyond making a slight detour in passing him. Butthe old veteran shook a stern head at his son.
_Rumpety! rumpety! rumpety! rump!_
Small wonder that the music was blaring forth again! For here wereguests of great distinction--Mr. Carnegie (looking older than formerly),Mr. Rockefeller, Mr. Astor and Mr. Vanderbilt. There was no mistakingthem, for they wore millionaire hats, soft and velvety, and coats withfur collars. All were strolling as leisurely and jauntily as only trueplutocrats can afford to do.
When they reached Big Tom, they halted; and at the same moment theyturned their four heads to stare at him, and showed him their fourcountenances in four cold frowns. Then--they turned their heads away,all snubbing him at once, and sauntered up the last step to the terrace,and so forward to where their young host stood.
"Gee, he hated what y' done t' him!" exclaimed Johnnie. After shakinghands with them, he passed them on to Uncas and his braves, the Indiansreceiving them with every indication of cordiality.
_Bling-ell! bling-ell! bling-ell-dee-dee!_--a fresh burst of melody.
This time the Prince and his gentlemen were approaching, allsilk-hatted, and frock-coated, and gold-caned. His Royal Highnessled--naturally--and was assisting dear, little Mrs. Kukor as he came,and she was beaming up at Royalty, and talking at him with both pudgyhands, and rocking madly in her effort to keep step.
Following on the proper salutations, the English Prince and Aladdin veryproperly got together, treating each other like old friends, whileJohnnie faced about to greet Father Pat, who was puffing and blowing ashe made the last step, and pointing back over a shoulder to where KingArthur was approaching with Guinevere, the former in royal robes, withfour kings walking before him, bearing four golden swords; while theQueen had four queens ahead of her, bearing four white doves. There wasa choir in this majestic train, and after the choir came fully two dozenknights whose chain mail shone in the sunlight like gold.
"Here she comes!"
Now hats waved wildly, and handkerchiefs fluttered--as into sight, hermany rosy, silken sails filled to stiffness with the breeze, her scoresof flags snapping in the glorious air, and all her lovely lines showingin sharp beauty against a violet-blue sky, came Jim Hawkins's superbship, crewless, and unguided, but moving evenly, slowly, ma
jestically,as if she were some living thing!
Roses garlanded her--pink roses by the thousands. They circled her raillike a monster wreath. They hung down from her yardarms, too, in mammothfestoons. And her cargo--forward, it was of watermelons, which werearranged in a huge heap at the prow; aft, her load was books! There werebooks in red bindings, and books in brown and green. Here and there onthe piles of volumes a book would be open, showing attractiveillustrations. To judge of the size of the consignment it was evidentthat not one book had been left in that certain Fifth Avenue store!
Cheers--as softly the _Hispaniola_ came to a stop.
"All aboard!" shouted Johnnie. "All but Thomas Barber, who's goin' t' beleft behind 'cause he was so mean!"
What a blow! The longshoreman, plainly crushed by it, sank lower on hisstep and covered his face.
But the company cared little how he felt. Shouting gayly, chatting,smiling, waving to one another, all swarmed across the rose-borderedrail to embark at Johnnie's bidding. Last of all stalked the haughtyBuckle--to begin passing melon.
"Ready! Let 'er go!"
Now a soul-inspiring blending of choir and instruments--just as Johnniegave his command, and the ship of his dreams moved off across the roofsof the city, with no rolling from side to side. Skillfully she steeredher own way among the chimneys till she was lifted above them, all thewhile tossing the blue air to either side of her prow exactly as if itwere water, so that it rose up in cloud-topped waves, and curled, andbroke along her rose-trimmed sides in crystal, from where it fell to laybehind her in a long, tumbled, frothy path.
"Oh, Cis, we're sailin' the sky!" Johnnie shouted. His yellow hair wasblowing straight back from his eager, happy face as he peered forward(as a good captain should) into the limitless, but astronomer-charted,leagues ahead. "We're floatin' in the ocean o' space!"
Here, close at hand, was a cloud, monster, dazzlingly white, and madeall of dew which was heavenly cool. Gallantly the _Hispaniola_ plungedinto it, sending the bits of cloud from her in a milky spray, butcatching some of them upon her sides and sails, so that as she cameforth into the sun again, she seemed set with all of Aladdin'sdiamonds!
"On, and on, and on, and on!" Johnnie commanded. (He had no time evenfor a slice of watermelon!) Oh, how wonderful to think that there was noshore ahead upon which Jim Hawkins's ship would need to beach! thatJohnnie and his friends could go on sailing and sailing for as long asthey chose!
"Look out for the Great Bear and the Bull!"--another command for the_Hispaniola_, for now that the ship was higher, she was passing amongthe stars, all as perfectly round as so many toy balloons, allmarvelously luminous, and each most accommodatingly marked across itsround, golden face (in great, black, capital letters!) with itsname--MARS, JUPITER, SATURN, VENUS.
It seemed to Johnnie as if he were meeting old friends. "Oh, Arcturus!"he hailed. "Aldebaran! Neptune!"
"Johnnie, don't bump the Moon!" cried the Prince and his gentlemen,waving their canes.
"Y' betcher life I won't!"
Any large body, the good ship most considerately avoided. As for thesmall ones, which had no names on them, if she struck one, it glancedoff of her like a red-gold spark.
"Aw, gee!" cried Johnnie, easing his tortured little body by a shift ofhis weight across the table edge; "this is jus' fine!"