diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'old/52454.txt')
| -rw-r--r-- | old/52454.txt | 1708 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 1708 deletions
diff --git a/old/52454.txt b/old/52454.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 8457a52..0000000 --- a/old/52454.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1708 +0,0 @@ -Project Gutenberg's Eben Holden's Last Day A-Fishing, by Irving Bacheller - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: Eben Holden's Last Day A-Fishing - -Author: Irving Bacheller - -Release Date: June 30, 2016 [EBook #52454] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EBEN HOLDEN'S LAST DAY A-FISHING *** - - - - -Produced by David Widger from page images generously -provided by the Internet Archive - - - - - - - - - - -EBEN HOLDEN'S LAST DAY A-FISHING - -By Irving Bacheller - -Author Of "Eben Holden" - -"Silas Strong" Etc. Etc. - -New York And London Harper & Brothers Publishers - -1907 - -[Illustration: 0001] - -[Illustration: 0006] - -[Illustration: 0007] - -[Illustration: 0009] - - -A. BARTON HEPBURN - -FISHERMAN, HUNTER, FRIEND OF UNCLE EB, - -AND LOVER OF THE LAND IN WHICH HE DWELT, - -I DEDICATE THIS LITTLE VOLUME - - - - -EBEN HOLDEN'S LAST DAY A-FISHING - - - - -I - - -[Illustration: 9011] - -[Illustration: 8011] - -NE morning in early June I was walking on a crowded thoroughfare. The -earth had rolled suddenly into summer skies. Birds chattered in the -parks, and I could hear a cock crow in a passing freight wagon. I -stopped to listen, while he seemed to hurl defiance at his captors and -all the noisy crowd, and bid them do their worst to him. His outcry put -me in - -[Illustration: 8012] - -mind of my own imprisonment there in the rock-bound city. As I thought -of it, I could see the green hills of the North all starred with -dandelions; I could hear the full flow of the streams that pass between -them--you know--and that evening we were on our way to Hillsborough. -Uncle Eb, then a "likely boy" of eighty-six, and Elizabeth Brower and -Lucinda Bisnette were still in the old home. We had quickly planned a -holiday to be full of surprise and delight for them. - -They were in the midst of the days that are few and silent--those -adorned with the fading flowers of old happiness and thoughts which are -"the conclusion of the whole matter." As for ourselves, we found them -full of a peace and charm I would fain impart to those who read of them, -if that - -[Illustration: 8013] - -were possible. I know well how feebly I shall do my task, but now, at -last, a time is come when it seems to call me, and I can begin it with -some hope and courage. I shall try not to write a book, nor a tale even, -but mainly to gather a few flowers, now full grown, in the garden -of remembrance. You that see it growing lovelier in the lengthening -distance will understand me. - -Always, when our train went roaring into the quiet village, we used to -look out of the car-window down across the river and a smooth stretch of -fields into the edge of the little town. At a small, familiar opening in -the shade-trees, almost half a mile from the train, we never failed to -see the flicker of a white handkerchief. It signalled their welcome. And -then--well, I doubt - -[Illustration: 8014] - -if any one may have in this world better moment. Yes--that was years -ago, and there are strangers in the old home, but to this day every time -I enter Hillsborough I look for that flicker of white, away off among -the trees. - -That day the signal greeted us, and was only one of many joys, for it -was a day of a thousand, warm, and full of the music of birds and -of bees' wings and the odor of new blossoms and a great happiness. -Elizabeth Brower stood at the gate, and beyond her we could see Uncle Eb -on the veranda, sitting in his arm-chair. The dear woman put her fingers -on her lips, and we knew what it meant. Uncle Eb had fallen asleep in -the warm sunlight. We greeted her with hushed voices, and approached the -venerable man, and sat down at his feet, smiling - -[Illustration: 8015] - -and looking up at his fine old face. He continued to sleep, all -unconscious that we were near him. Soon we heard him call in his dreams, -just above a whisper: "Here Fred! here Fred!" It was the name of our -old dog, dead these many years. His nap must have taken him far -back--perhaps into that long, westward journey through woods and fields. -I took his hand in mine. He came out of his dreams with a start, and -looked up at me. - -"What!" said he. "Wal, I _de_clare." - -He rose and clung to our hands and looked into our faces with a full -heart. - -"A merry birthday!" I exclaimed. - -"See here, Bill Brower," said he. "You've hearn o' the joy o' Paradise?" - -"Often," I answered. - -[Illustration: 8016] - -"Wal, here's the key-note o' the song," said Uncle Eb. "Now look here, -Liz Brower," he went on, "you tell 'Sindy we got to have the best dinner -ever made by human hands. I'll bring some water." - -Elizabeth, Uncle Eb, and that daughter of Grandma Bisnette were there. - -Hope and her mother went into the sitting-room, and I followed them, -while Uncle Eb went to the well for water. She looked up at us proudly -as we stood before her, side by side. - -"Turn around," she said, "an' let me look at ye careful." - -She surveyed the fit and material of Hope's gown with great -satisfaction. - -"Look so ye was just goin' t' be married," she remarked. - -We sat down presently upon the ancient hair-cloth sofa, with its knitted - -[Illustration: 8017] - -afghan of many colors lying folded against a curved arm. There were the -old, plain, priceless things--the carpet, the pictures, a pyramid of -plants and flowers in front of the large window, the centre-table, with -its album and reading-lamp, the secretary and the what-not filled with -books that were a part of our history. - -There were the ingredients of that receipt which, as it were, had made -the intellectual cake of my boyhood: Josephus' _History of the Jews_ -(the flour, two heaping volumes); _Ten Nights in a Bar-Room_ (the milk -and water, one volume); _Great Expectations, Bleak House), and _David -Copperfield_ (the sugar, three volumes); _Pilgrim's Progress_ (the egg, -one volume); _Our Golden West_ (the spice, one volume); _The Letters of -Lord Chesterfield_ - -[Illustration: 8018] - -(the frosting, one large table volume); _Wrigglesworth's _Day of -Doom_ (the fire that did the baking). - -Soon we found Uncle Eb with my boy David upon his knees on the veranda, -and he was telling him the tale of _The Witch's Bridle_, which I had -heard in my childhood, and we stood and listened. It was a relic of old -Yankee folk-lore and immensely true. - -"Once there was a young man who lived with his father an' mother in a -little village," the story went. "An' there was a house in the village -where a witch lived, an' it had a beautiful door. An' his mother told -him that he must keep away from that house; but one night it looked so -splendid that he opened the door an' went in, an' the witch spied him -an' come and - -[Illustration: 8019] - -looked into his face an' he thought she was beautiful. An' she ast him -to put on her bridle, but he said no. An' the ol' witch follered -behind him as careful as a cat after a bird, an' what do ye s'pose -she done?--waited until he was sound asleep an' put her bridle on -him--that's what she done. Now, ye see, when a witch puts her bridle on -any one it always turns him into a hoss, an' a witch's hoss can go right -thro' the side of a house without makin' a hole in it, an' can jump over -trees an' hills an' travel like the wind. She rode him high an' low, an' -brought him back hum jest before daylight an' took off the bridle an' -that changed him into a boy again. An' when he woke up he was tired out -an' all of a tremble. An' ev'ry night the ol' witch come for him an' put -on her bridle an' - -[Illustration: 8020] - -turned him into a hoss, an' rode him all over the hills an' valleys -until he was about done fer, an' then fetched him back, an' ev'ry -morning when he woke up he was a boy ag'in, an' was lame an' sore an' -had a headache an' was sorry that he ever see the witch. He grew poor -an' spindlin', an' he'd lay awake night after night to keep the witch -away. But o' course he had to go to sleep some time, an' the minute he -forgot himself she'd slip in an' put on the bridle an' away they'd go. -An' he grew poorer an' poorer an' less an' less like a boy, an' more an' -more like an animal. By an' by, he got used to bein' a hoss an' loved to -go up in the air an' hadn't any more heart in him than my ol' mare. - -"Wal, one night, what d'ye s'pose happened? The witch come an' rode - -[Illustration: 8021] - -him away, an' when she got back, by an' by, an' took off his bridle, he -never changed a hair, but stayed a hoss. Why? 'Cause the boy in him was -all wore out an' dead as a door-nail. Fact is, hosses can stan' more'n -men. An' the witch grew sick o' him, an' said she wanted a better hoss, -an' give him a cut an' turned him loose in the sky. An' ev'ry night -fer years he galloped over the house-tops as if he was tryin' to find -suthin, an' when I went to bed I used to hear him whinny way up in the -dark, an' it sounded suthin' like this:" - -Here he whinnied like the witch's horse, and went on: - -"Keep on the ground, Dave, an' mind yer elders, 'cause a boy that has -his own head is apt to get it caught in the witch's bridle. Same way -with a - -[Illustration: 8022] - -man, 'less he takes advice ev'ry day from the great Father of all. -They's witches ev'rywhere, an' they're always lookin' fer a hoss to -ride." - -"See here," said he, as soon as he discovered us, "you must all come out -an' look at my garden." - -"They want to rest," Elizabeth objected. - -"No; we'd rather go with Uncle Eb," said Hope, and we followed him to -the garden. - -"Godfrey cordial! hear the birds!" Uncle Eb went on, as we took the -path that crossed an edge of the clover meadow. "Lot of 'em been gettin' -married, I guess. Don't do a thing but sing an' laugh an' holler--like a -lot o' boys an' gals." - -His strength had failed since we saw - -[Illustration: 8023] - -him last. He was bent a little farther, his hands trembled, a small task -affected his breathing, but he was the same cheerful, keen-minded man. - -"Gardens are all right, but the sight of a hoe makes me shudder," said -I. - -"The hoe is a good teacher," he answered. "Man that don't hoe his -character ev'ry few days won't have any." - -"My wife hoes mine," I said. - -"An' does it kind o' careless." He drew his hand over his mouth and -cleared his throat and went on as if nothing had happened. "These things -are a good deal like folks. Some grow up an' some grow down. I used -to know a woman that looked like a turnip, and a gal that was like a -flower, an' another that was like a pepper-plant, an' a man that was a -reg'lar human onion." - -[Illustration: 8024] - -"A garden always reminds me that it's about time to get your hook and -line ready," I suggested. - -He stopped and put his hand upon my arm. He glanced up at the sky, and -seemed to note the direction of the wind. - -"Say, by mighty!" he exclaimed. "You stop, or you'll make trouble." - -"Think of Paradise Valley," I went on. "It will be green and sprinkled -with blossoms, and the brook will be singing as it goes by." - -"You quit!" he answered, with a little gesture of impatience. "Say!" he -suggested, with enthusiasm, after a moment, "I wouldn't wonder but what -the fish would bite--ye take it on the rapids there." - -We returned to the house and he sat in his chair on the small veranda. - -[Illustration: 8025] - -Robins were building their nest on a shelf near him, and were busy with -their fetching and weaving. - -"Look at the scalawags!" he laughed. "No, there ain't nothin' that's -'fraid o' me some way. I got a club one day an' tried to scare a mouse; -but seems so she knew I was only foolin'. Now she's begun to bully me -an' fetch her children right into my bedroom, an' I guess I'll have to -git mad an' declare war." - -I hailed a boy in the street, and sent him for a team, to be brought -immediately after dinner. - -When we sat down to eat, Uncle Eb put the same old question: - -"Wal, how's ev'rything down there in the city?" - -"About as usual." - -"Too many folks there," he said, - -[Illustration: 8026] - -"an' they all look a leetle cross. I like t' pass the time o' day with -ev'ry man I meet, but mighty Dinah! they's so many of 'em!--there ain't -no use tryin' t' be pleasant. I got t' showin' the whites o' my eyes as -bad as any of 'em." He spoke, laughingly, of a symphony concert to which -we had taken him. - -"I'll never fergit the man with a p'inter," he said, his head noddin -with amusement. "How he could toss the music! It was like spreadin' -hay." Again his cheery voice, after a moment of silence: "No more meat! -Hope Brower, if you don't eat yer dinner, you'll be put to bed." - -After dinner I gathered up my tackle. - -"I dunno," Uncle Eb remarked. - -"Great day for fishing," I insisted. - -The team arrived, a lively pair of Morgan mares. Uncle Eb came out - -[Illustration: 8027] - -of the house in rubber boots, with his overcoat upon his arm. - -"I'm 'fraid you better not go," said Elizabeth Brower from the -door-step, with a look of anxiety, and now the trembling of his hands -made me almost regret that I had tempted him. - -"See here," said Uncle Eb, firmly, as he turned to my mother. "He's -picked on me 'til I can't stan' it any longer. Ye couldn't keep me out -o' that buggy with a gun." - -I helped him in and took my place at his side, and away we went a pace -of twelve miles to the hour, through town, across the flat, and up the -stairway of the hills. We passed the old Hosper homestead. - -"What's become of the deacon?" I asked. - -"Dead; got sick o' life. Wouldn't - -[Illustration: 8028] - -eat or take any medicine; kind o' pined away." - -"What was the trouble?" - -"Wal, ye know, he had to live with himself," said Uncle Eb, "an' he -wa'n't what ye might call good comp'ny. He couldn't help it, an' I -always felt kind o' sorry fer Hosper. They got him so scairt over there -at the white church that he was 'fraid to live an' 'fraid to die, an' -fer a long time he didn't do either. He thought it was his duty to -suffer. God had cursed the world, an' that was the reason why men had -to sweat an' toil. Think o' his days--full o' fear an' repentence an' -atonement an' hell an' ancient history. He kind o' straddled his span o' -life. One foot was in the future an' the other in the past. No wonder he -had the rheumatiz. Nobody liked him. He got to - -[Illustration: 8029] - -be a lonesome, sickly ol' man, I went to see him one day. Says I: - -"'Deacon, I wouldn't wonder if the fish 'u'd bite.' - -"'Fish!' says he, 'my mind ain't on fish. I'm thinkin' o' my immortal -soul.' - -"'Man's soul is like his stummick,' says I. 'It ain't healthy 'less he -can fergit it. Come an' have some fun.'" We rode in silence until Uncle -Eb went on: - -"He seemed to think that God was a kind of a bully, an' that he loved to -make men cowards. It don't seem likely to me. I don't b'lieve He meant -toil fer a curse nuther. I couldn't be happy 'less I had suthin' to -do. Seems 's 'o' them who wrote down the plans o' the Almighty made a -mistake now an' then, an' it ain't no wonder if they - -[Illustration: 8030] - -did. No man can be perfect, specially when he takes holt o' so big a -job. Prob'ly it was purty hot where they lived, an' work didn't agree -with 'em. Now it looks to me as if that fust family couldn't 'a' been -very happy without a thing to do. I don't wonder that Cain an' Abel -quarrelled. God must 'a' seen that the world lacked suthin' very -important. So He blessed it with toil. I don't believe He ever intended -to curse it, 'cause, if He did, ye got to own up that He ain't succeeded -fust-rate." - -We came to the top of Bowman's Hill and looked down into the little -valley, and were both silent. - -"Time flies!" I remarked, presently. - -"Beats all," Uncle Eb answered. - -The Brower farm had run down, as they say in the back country. The - -[Illustration: 8031] - -house and stable were in ill repair. Evil days had come to the neat and -cleanly fireside, where in the old time Santa Claus had blessed us, and -I had heard the cry of the swift and felt the touch of love and sorrow. - -The tenant, a man who showed the wear of hard times, put our team in the -stable. - -"If you'd stayed here," said he, with a glance at me, "this farm -wouldn't 'a' looked as it does now. - -Uncle Eb smiled. - -"No," said he; "the farm would 'a' looked better, but he'd 'a' looked a -dum sight wuss." - -He cleared his throat, and spoke of the weather as if to soften the blow -a little. - -I got my tackle ready while the man dug worms for Uncle Eb--an angler - -[Illustration: 8032] - -of the bait-and-sinker type. Soon we made our way slowly through the -same old cow-path that wavered across the green slope now starred with -soft, golden blossoms. It is curious, that conservatism of the cloven -hoof, which, like water, follows its old path, having found the way of -least resistance. In a few minutes we came near the rotted stump of Lone -Pine. - -"Hats off!" said Uncle Eb, as he uncovered. - -In a second my hat was in my hand; or there, between our feet, was a -lonely, half-forgotten grave--that of old Fred. Slowly, silently, we -resumed our walk. My venerable friend was breathing hard. I supported -him with my arm, and soon we sat down to rest upon a rock. The air was -clear and still. There was not a cloud in the sky. A - -[Illustration: 8033] - -hawk flew across the flat near us, his white butcher's apron stained -with blood. He was flying low, with some small creature in his talons. -It made me break the silence, and I said: - -"There's a thing that puzzles me--the cruelty that is in all God's -creation. It's a great slaughter-house, and everything that lives has -the stain of blood upon it." - -"It all teaches us that death ain't o' much account," said Uncle Eb. -"It looks like cruelty, an' most of us think it a curse. Death is a -wonderful blessin'--that's the way it looks to me. Why, Bill Brower, -ye've died twice already. Fust the child, then the boy, an' each time ye -wove a new body. Bym by yer loom is wore out. Got t' go git a new one. -Ye'll begin t' feel as if yer body was a kind of a bad fit. - -[Illustration: 8034] - -It'll be too small an' shabby an' un-comf'table. - -"I 'member a boy over'n Vermont by the name o' Lem Barker. Grew so fast -that the fust he knew his clo's begun to pinch him, an' the bottoms of -his pants wouldn't 'sociate with his shoe-leather, an' his hands was way -down below his coat sleeves, an' the old suit was wore so thin he didn't -dast run er rassle fer fear it would bust an' drop off him. All he could -do was to set an' think an' talk an' chaw ter-baccer an' walk as careful -as a hen lookin' fer grasshoppers. He hadn't any confidence in that old -suit, an' was kind o' 'fraid of it. One day he see a bear, an' it come -nec'sary fer him to move quick, an' he split his clo's, an' hed to go -hum in a rain-barrel. At fust he thought it was bad luck, but when his - -[Illustration: 8035] - -father got him a new suit he see that he was mistaken. We old folks are -a good deal like poor Lem. We toddle around in our old clo's an' are a -leetle bit afraid of 'em. It would be lucky for us if we could meet a -bear. I'd like to go down to the brook there on the run jest as I used -to. But I wouldn't dast try it. My body don't fit my spirit--that's -what's the matter. Got to go an' have my measure took, an' throw 'way -the old suit. An' I'll tell ye, Bill, I need a better outfit than -what I've ever had--suthin' stouter-wove an' han'somer an' more -durable--suthin' fit fer a man. I'm goin' to hev it--call that a curse?" - -He looked at his bony, trembling hands, and went on: - -"It's all faded an' kind o' cold an' threadbare. My back couldn't carry - -[Illustration: 8036] - -one small boy in a basket these days, but I'd like t' carry all the -boys in the county, an' mebbe some time I'll have a back broad 'nough. -That'll be when school's dismissed, an' I go off t' seek my fortune, -good deal as you did. I 'member how you went an' got some new clo's -there 'n New York fust thing. An' they was splendid--better 'n any ye -could git in Hillsborough." - -We heard footsteps in a moment, and I turned and saw Jed Feary -approaching us. He was past eighty years of age, and his hair and beard -were white, and he walked slowly with a cane. He stopped near us, and -began to laugh as we greeted him. - -"Heard you was here," he said, "an' Rans Walker druv me down the road." - -"Stump ye t' rassle with me," said Uncle Eb, with a smile. - -[Illustration: 8037] - -"Wait 'til I've throwed the rheumatiz, an' then I'll tackle you," said -the poet. - -"How are you, Uncle Jed?" was my query. - -"As you see--the trembling hand an' slippered pantaloon." - -"All the world's a stage," I quoted. - -"It used to be in the time o' Shakespeare," said the poet. "Life was a -pretty play those days, but since then we've got down to business. Now - - "All the world's a school, - - And all the men and women merely scholars. - - It has its teachers, grades, and many classes; - - Its trustees, honors, torts, and punishments. - - Its books are three: Nature, history, - - And revelation teaching holy truth: - - That men are brothers and must learn to - - love." - -"And you are one of its teachers," said Uncle Eb. - -[Illustration: 8038] - -"I'm only a humble student," said the poet. "Think what we've learnt in -a hundred years. That little Devil, who rode across Europe killing an' -burning an' spreading terror until they stopped him at Waterloo, -he taught us a great lesson. He made us hate war, and that was the -beginning o' the end of it. There were to be other wars, but they have -been steps only in the conquest of Peace." - -"And there will be no more war?" I queried. - -"Yes; but the learned races will put an end to it by and by," he went -on. "The upper classes have all learnt their lesson--they know too much. -We know suthin' 'bout war here in Faraway. Let me tell ye a story." - -The old poet sat on a rock near, and began this little epic of the -countryside: - -[Illustration: 8039] - - "So ye're runnin' fer Congress, mister? Le' - - me tell ye 'bout my son, - - Might make you fellers carefuller down - - there in Washington: - - He clings to his rifle an' uniform--folks - - call him Whisperin' Bill, - - An' I tell ye the war ain't over yit up here - - on Bowman's Hill. - - "This dooryard is his battle-field--le's see, - - he was nigh sixteen - - When Sumter fell, an' as likely a boy as - - ever this world has seen, - - An' what with the news o' battle lost, the - - speeches, an' all the noise, - - I guess ev'ry farm in the neighborhood - - lost a part of its crop o' boys. - - "'Twas harvest time when Bill left home, - - ev'ry stalk in the fields o' rye - - Seemed t' stan' tip-toe t' see him off an' - - wave a fond good-bye. - - His sweetheart was here with some other - - gals--the sassy little miss-- - - An' pertendin' she wanted t' whisper 'n - - his ear, she give him a rousin' kiss. - -[Illustration: 8040] - - "Oh, he was a han'some feller! an* tender - - an' brave an' smart, - - An' though he was bigger 'n I was, the boy - - had a woman's heart. - - I couldn't control my feelin's, but I tried - - with all my might, - - An' his mother an' me stood a-cryin' till - - Bill was out o' sight. - - "His mother she often tol' him, when she - - knew he was goin' away, - - That God would take care o' him, maybe, - - if he didn't fergit to pray; - - An' on the bloodiest battle-fields, when - - bullets whizzed in the air, - - An' Bill was a fightin' desperit, he used to - - whisper a prayer. - - 'Oh, his comrades has often told me that - - Bill never flinched a bit - - When ev'ry second a gap in the ranks tol' - - where a ball had hit. - - An' one night when the field was covered - - with the awful harvest o' war, - - They found my boy 'mongst the martyrs - - o' the cause he was fightin' for. - -[Illustration: 8041] - - "His fingers was clutched in the dewy grass - - --oh, no sir, he wasn't dead, - - But he lay kind o' helpless an' crazy with - - a rifle-ball in his head; - - An' he trembled with the battle-fear a-lay- - - in' in the dew, - - An' he whispered, as he tried to rise: 'God - - 'll take care o' you.' - - 'An officer wrote an' tol' us how the boy - - had been hurt in the fight, - - But he said the doctors reckoned they - - could bring him around all right, - - An' then we heard from a neighbor, dis- - - abled at Malvern Hill, - - That he thought in the course of a week - - or so he'd be cornin' home with Bill. - - 'We was that anxious t' see him we'd set - - up an' talk o' nights - - Till the break o' day had dimmed the - - stars an' put out the Northern Lights; - - We waited an' watched fer a month or - - more, an' the summer was nearly past, - - When a letter come one day that said - - they'd started fer hum at last. - -[Illustration: 8042] - - "I'll never fergit the day Bill come--'twas - - harvest time again-- - - An' the air blown over the yellow fields was - - sweet with the scent o' the grain. - - The dooryard was full o' the neighbors, - - who had come to share our joy, - - An' all of us sent up a mighty cheer at - - the sight o' that soldier boy. - - "An' all of a sudden somebody said: 'My - - God! don't the boy know his mother?' - - An' Bill stood a-whisperin', fearful like, - - an' a starin' from one to another; - - 'Have courage, Bill,' says he to himself, - - as he stood in his coat o' blue, - - 'Why, God 'll take care o' you, my boy, - - God 'll take care o' you.' - - "He seemed to be loadin' an' firin' a gun, - - an't' act like a man who hears - - The awful roar o' the battle-field a-sound- in' in his ears; - - Ten thousan' ghosts o' that bloody day - - was marchin' through his brain, - - An' his feet they kind o' picked their way - - as if they felt the slain. - -[Illustration: 8043] - - An' I grabbed his hand, an' says I to Bill, - - 'Don't ye 'member me? - - I'm yer father--don't ye know me? How - - frightened ye seem to be.' - - But the boy kep' a-whisperin' to himself, - - as if 't was all he knew, - - 'God 'll take care o' you, Bill, God 'll take - - care o' you.' - - He's never known us since that day, nor - - his sweetheart, an' never will; - - Father an' mother an' sweetheart are all - - the same to Bill. - - An' he groans like a wounded soldier, - - sometimes, the whole night through, - - An' we smooth his head, an' say: 'Yes, - - Bill, He'll surely take care o' you.' - - 'Ye can stop a war in a minute, but when - - can ye stop the groans? - - Fer ye've broke our hearts an' sapped our - - strength an' plucked away our bones. - - An' ye've filled our souls with bitterness - - that goes from sire to son, - - So ye best be kind o' careful down there - - in Washington." - -[Illustration: 8044] - -Before us lay the peaceful valley, and on a far hill we could see the -door-yard bordered with small trees and haunted by the ghosts of the -battlefield. - -"We've had our lesson," said Uncle Eb, "but there's some that havint. -You 'member Lon Tracy--he was one o' the most peaceable men that ever -lived. One day he went to the village, an' some mis'rable, drunken cuss -pitched on him an' Lon set to an' thrashed him proper. - -"'I'm surprised,' said the Justice o' the Peace, when Lon come before -him. - -"'So'm I,' said Lon. - -"'S'pose ye knew 'nough t' keep out o' trouble.' - -"'So did I,' says Lon. - -"'I didn't think you were a fighting man.' - -[Illustration: 8045] - -"'I didn't nuther,' says Lon. - -"'How did it happen?' - -"'Very easy--he rapped me an' I rapped back,' says Lon. - -"'An' you rapped the hardest.' - -"'Wal, when ye pay a debt o' that kind,' says Lon, 'ye ain't no way -petic'lar how much int'rest ye allow.' - -"Now that's what's the matter," said Uncle Eb. "They's some that 'ain't -learnt any better than to fight an' quarrel, an' when they git rapped -they're goin' t' rap back, an' be a leetle too liberal with the pay." - -"But the great school ain't goin' t' be ruled much longer by its primer -class," said the poet. "An' the Principal an' trustees will put an end -to fightin' between classes. They find it interferes with the work o' -the school, whose great aim is given in three - -[Illustration: 8046] - -words: Peace, Happiness, Brotherhood." - -"Wal, I'm goin' t' play truant an' go fishin'," said Uncle Eb. - -"School's dismissed fer the day," said Feary, as he rose to leave us. -"Eb Holden, we're both likely to be promoted before long. We're like two -boys who've been away to school. When we get home they're goin' to be -glad to see us. Good-bye!" - -"Good-bye!" - -So the old man left us, and we sat watching him as he crossed the brook -and slowly mounted the green uplands. - -"Purty good fishin' when Jed Feary's around," said Uncle Eb, as we -slowly made our way to the edge of the woods. "Growin' old, ain't -he?--say, if his body fitted his soul what do ye s'pose we'd think o' -him? I dunno but we'd - -[Illustration: 8047] - -feel like gittin' on our knees when he come around. It wouldn't do. This -world's no place fer angels, after all. Wal, come on, le's quit thinkin' -an' have some fun." - - - - -II - - -[Illustration: 9048] - -[Illustration: 8048] - -S we entered the cool woods and came where we could hear the song of the -brook, Uncle Eb cautioned me in a whisper, just as he used to do: "Now -go careful." - -I found a rock at the head of a likely stretch of rapids on which he -could sit comfortably as he fished. I prepared his tackle and baited -his hook for him, and stood by as it went plunking into smooth water. -Sitting there, he seemed to forget his feebleness, and his voice and -figure were full of animation. His hair, as white as snow, was - -[Illustration: 8049] - -like the crown of glory of which David sings. - -He kept hauling and giving out. Now and then, as he felt a nibble, he -addressed the fish: - -"How d' do? Come ag'in," he said, as he continued to work his line. -"Tut, tut! you're another!" he exclaimed, with a sharp twitch. - -The trout was a large one, and Uncle Eb, with a six-ounce rod, had not -been able to lift and swing him ashore in the old fashion. He held on -with jiggling hands and a look of great animation as the fish took line -in half a dozen quick rushes. - -"You're tryin' to jerk me out o' my boots"--the words were emphasized -and broken here and there by the struggle. The rod's vibration had got -into his voice and all the upper part - -[Illustration: 8050] - -of his body. "Stop that, ye scalawag!" he went on. "Consarn ye, come -here to me!" - -He seized the line, flung his rod on the shore, and began to haul -vigorously hand over hand. When the splendid fish lay gasping at his -feet, Uncle Eb turned to me and shook his head. He sat breathing hard, -as if the exertion had wearied him. Soon he took out his jack-knife, a -serious look on his face. - -"You go cut me an alder pole," said he, with decision. "That thing ain't -no better'n a spear o' grass." - -I ran up the shore, glad of the chance he had given me to conceal my -laughter. I cut a long, stout pole among the bushes, and returned, -trimming it as I ran. - -"Willie, hurry up!" said he, with an eager look on his face, as if it -were one - -[Illustration: 8051] - -again. - -"There," said he, trying the pole, "that's a reg'lar stun-lifter. I can -sass 'em back now. Put on the hook an' line." - -In a moment he gave his bait a fling, and assumed that alert and eager -attitude so familiar to me. - -"Tut, tut!" said he, with a lively twitch. "I dare ye to do it ag'in." - -Soon the rod sprang upward, and a wriggling trout rose in the air, swung -above the head of Uncle Eb, and fell to the earth behind him. - -"There, by gravy! that's what I call fun," said he. "No, I don't want to -torment 'em there 'n the water; 'taint fair. I'd ruther fetch 'em right -out." - -I unhooked the fish for him. - -"Look here, you go on 'bout yer - -[Illustration: 8052] - -business," he added. "I can bait my own hook." - -I left him and began to whip my way down the brook. It was good fishing, -but the scene was by far the best part of it. What was there in those -lovely and familiar shores to keep my heart so busy? The crows, hurrying -like boys let out of school, seemed to denounce me as an alien. A crane -flew over my head, crunkling a fierce complaint of me, and the startled -kingfisher was most inhospitable. - -A small, bare-footed boy passed me, fishing on the farther bank. He had -a happy face, and mine--well, I turned away for very shame of it. The -boy looked at me critically, as if I were a trespasser, and I remembered -how I felt years ago, when I saw a stranger on the brook. - -[Illustration: 8053] - -I remembered how, as a boy, I used to long for a watch-chain, and how -once Uncle Eb hung his upon my coat, and said I could "call it mine." -So it goes all through life. We are the veriest children, and there is -nothing one may really own. He may call it his for a little while, just -to satisfy him. The whole matter of deeds and titles had become now a -kind of baby's play. You may think you own the land, and you pass on; -but there it is, while others, full of the same old illusion, take your -place. - -I followed the brook to where it idled on, bordered with buttercups, in -a great meadow. The music and the color halted me, and I lay on my -back in the tall grass for a little while, and looked up at the sky and -listened. There under the clover tops I could - -[Illustration: 8054] - -hear the low, sweet music of many wings--the continuous treble of the -honey-bee in chord with flashes of deep bass from the wings of that big, -wild, improvident cousin of his. - -Above this lower heaven I could hear a tournament of bobolinks. They -flew over me, and clung in the grass tops and sang--their notes bursting -out like those of a plucked string. What a pressure of delight was -behind them! Hope and I used to go there for berries when we were -children, and later--when youth had come, and the colors of the wild -rose and the tiger-lily were in our faces--we found a secret joy in -being alone together. Those days there was something beautiful in -that hidden fear we had of each other--was it not the native, imperial -majesty of innocence? The look of - -[Illustration: 8055] - -her eyes seemed to lift me up and prepare me for any sacrifice. That -orchestra of the meadow spoke our thoughts for us--youth, delight and -love were in its music. - -Soon I heard a merry laugh and the sound of feet approaching, and then -the voice of a young man. - -"Mary, I love you," it said, "and I would die for your sake." - -The same old story, and I knew that he meant every word of it. What Mary -may have said to him I know well enough, too, although it came not to my -ears; for when I rose, by and by, and crossed the woodland and saw them -walking up the slopes, she all in white and crowned with meadow flowers, -I observed that his arm supported her in the right way. - -I took down my rod and hurried up - -[Illustration: 8056] - -stream, and came soon where I could see Uncle Eb sitting motionless -and leaning on a tree trunk. I approached him silently. His head leaned -forward; the "pole" lay upon his knees. Like a child, weary of play, -he had fallen asleep. His trout lay in a row beside him; there were -at least a dozen. That old body was now, indeed, a very bad fit, and -more--it was too shabby for a spirit so noble and brave. I knew, as I -looked down upon him, that Uncle Eb would fish no more after that day. -In a moment there came a twitch on the line. He woke suddenly, tightened -his grasp, and flung another fish into the air. It broke free and fell -upon the ripples. - -"Huh! ketched me nappin'," said he. "I declare, Bill, I'm kind o' -shamed." - -[Illustration: 8057] - -I could see that he felt the pathos of that moment. - -"I guess we've fished enough," he said to himself, as he broke off the -end of the pole and began to wind his line upon it. "When the fish hev -t' wake ye up to be hauled in its redic'lous. The next time I go fishin' -with you I'm goin' t' be rigged proper." - -In a moment he went on: "Fishin' ain't what it used t' be. I've grown -old and lazy, an' so has the brook. They've cut the timber an' dried the -springs, an' by an' by the live water will go down to the big sea, an' -the dead water will sink into the ground, an' you won't see any brook -there." - -We began our walk up one of the cowpaths. - -"One more look," said he, facing about, and gazing up and down the - -[Illustration: 8058] - -familiar valley. "We've had a lot o' fun here--'bout as much as we're -entitled to, I guess--let 'em have it." - -So, in a way, he deeded Tinkle Brook and its valley to future -generations. - -We proceeded in silence for a moment, and soon he added: "That little -brook has done a lot fer us. It took our thoughts off the hard work, -and helped us fergit the mortgage, an' taught us to laugh like the rapid -water. It never owed us anything after the day Mose Tupper lost his -pole. Put it all together, I guess I've laughed a year over that. 'Bout -the best payin' job we ever done. Mose thought he had a whale, an' I -don't blame him. Fact is, a lost fish is an awful liar. A trout would -deceive the devil when he's way down out o' sight in the - -[Illustration: 8059] - -water, an' his weight is telegraphed through twenty feet o' line. When -ye fetch him up an' look him square in the eye he tells a different -story. I blame the fish more'n I do the folks. - -"That 'swallered pole' was a kind of a magic wand round here in Faraway. -Ye could allwus fetch a laugh with it. Sometimes I think they must 'a' -lost one commandment, an' that is: Be happy. Ye can't be happy an' be -bad. I never see a bad man in my life that was hevin' fun. Let me hear -a man laugh an' I'll tell ye what kind o' metal there is in him. There -ain't any sech devilish sound in the world as the laugh of a wicked man. -It's like the cry o' the swift, an' you 'member what that was." - -Uncle Eb shook with laughter as I - -[Illustration: 8060] - -tried the cry of that deadly bugbear of my youth. - -We got into the wagon presently and drove away. The sun was down as I -drew up at the old school-house. - -"Run in fer a minute an' set down in yer old seat an' see how it seems," -said Uncle Eb. "They're goin' to tear it down, an' tain't likely you'll -see it ag'in." - -I went to the door and lifted its clanking latch and walked in. My -footsteps filled the silent room with echoes, and how small it -looked! There was the same indescribable odor of the old time country -school--that of pine timber and seasoning fire-wood. I sat down in the -familiar seat carved by jack-knives. There was my name surrounded by -others cut in the rough wood. - -[Illustration: 8061] - -Ghosts began to file into the dusky room, and above a plaintive hum of -insects it seemed as if I could hear the voices of children and bits of -the old lessons--that loud, triumphant sound of tender intelligence as -it began to seize the alphabet; those parrot-like answers: "Round like a -ball," - -"Three-fourths water and one-fourth land," and others like them. - -"William Brower, stop whispering!" I seemed to hear the teacher say. -What was the writing on the blackboard? I rose and walked to it as I had -been wont to do when the teacher gave his command. There in the silence -of the closing day I learned my last lesson in the old school-house. -These lines in the large, familiar script of Feary, who it seems had -been a - -[Illustration: 8062] - -visitor at the last day of school, were written on the board: - - -SCHOOL 'S OUT - - Attention all--the old school's end is near. - - Behold the sum of all its lessons here: - - If e'er by loss of friends your heart is bowed! - - Straightway go find ye others in the crowd. - - Let Love's discoveries console its pain - - And each year's loss be smaller than its gain. - - God's love is in them--count the friends ye - - get - - The only wealth, and foes the only debt. - - In life and Nature read the simple plan: - - Be kind, be just, and fear not God or man. - - School's out. - -I passed through the door--not eagerly, as when I had been a boy, but -with feet paced by sober thought--and I felt like one who had "improved -his time," as they used to say. - -[Illustration: 8063] - -We rode in silence on our way to Hillsborough, as the dusk fell. - -"The end o' good things is better'n the beginning," said Uncle Eb, as we -got out of the carriage. - - - - -III - -[Illustration: 8064] - -[Illustration: 9064] - -NE more scene from that last year, and I am done with it. There is much -comes crowding out of my memory, but only one thing which I could wish -were now a part of the record. Yet I have withheld it, and well might -keep it to myself, for need of better words than any which have come to -me in all my life. - -Christmas! And we were back in the old home again. We had brought the -children with us. Somehow they seemed to know our needs and perils. They -rallied to our defence, marching - -[Illustration: 8065] - -up and down with fife and drum, and waving banners, and shouts of -victory--a battalion as brave as any in the great army of happiness. -They saved the day which else had been overrun with thoughts and fears -from the camp of the enemy. Well, we had a cheerful time of it, and not -an eye closed until after the stroke of ten that night. - -Slowly, silence fell in the little house. Below-stairs the lights were -out, and Hope and I were sitting alone before the fire. We were talking -of old times in the dim firelight. Soon there came a gentle rap at our -door. It was Uncle Eb with a candle in his hand. - -"I jes' thought I'd come in an' talk a leetle conversation," said he, -and sat down, laughing with good humor. - -"'Member the ol' hair trunk?" he asked, and when I assured him that we - -[Illustration: 8066] - -could not ever forget it, he put his hand over his face and shook with -silent and almost sorrowful laughter. - -"I 'member years ago, you use' to think my watch was a gran' thing, an' -when ye left hum ye wanted t' take it with ye, but we didn't think it -was best then." - -"Yes, I remember that." - -"I don't s'pose"--he hesitated as a little embarrassed--"you've got so. -many splendid things now, I--I don't s'pose--" - -"Oh, Uncle Eb, I'd prize it above all things," I assured him. - -"Would ye? Here 't is," said he, with a smile, as he took it out of his -pocket and put it in my hand. "It's been a gran' good watch." - -"But you--you'll need it." - -"No," he answered. "The clock - -[Illustration: 8067] - -'ll do fer me--I'm goin' to move soon." - -"Move!" we both exclaimed. "Goin' out in the fields to work ag'in," he -added, cheerfully. - -After a glance at our faces, he added: "I ain't afraid. It's all goin' -t' be fair an' square. If we couldn't meet them we loved, an' do fer -'em, it wouldn't be honest. We'd all feel as if we'd been kind o' -cheated. Suthin' has always said to me: 'Eb Holden, when ye git through -here yer goin' t' meet them ye love.' Who do ye s'pose it was that spoke -t' me? I couldn't tell ye, but somebody said it, an' whoever 'tis He -says the same thing to most ev'ry one in the world." - -"It was the voice of Nature," I suggested. - -"Call it God er Natur' er what ye - -[Illustration: 8068] - -please--fact is it's built into us an' is a part of us jest as the beams -are a part o' this house. I don't b'lieve it was put there fer nuthin. -An' it wa'n't put there t' make fools of us nuther. I tell ye, Bill, -this givin' life fer death ain't no hoss-trade. If ye give good value, -ye're goin' to git good value, an' what folks hev been led to hope an' -pray fer since Love come into the world, they're goin' to have--sure." - -He went to Hope and put a tiny locket in her hand. Beneath its panel lay -a ringlet of hair, golden-brown. - -"It was give to me," he said, as he stood looking down at her. "Them -little threads o' gold is kind o' wove all into my life. Sixty year ago -I begun to spin my hope with 'em. It's grow-in' stronger an' stronger. -It ain't - -[Illustration: 8069] - -possible that Natur' has been a foolin' me all this time." - -After a little silence, he said to Hope: "I want you to have it." - -Her pleasure delighted him, and his face glowed with tender feeling. - -Slowly he left us. The candle trembled in his hand, and flickering -shadows fell upon us. He stopped in the open door. We knew well what -thought was in his mind as he whispered back to us: - -"Merry Chris'mas--ev'ry year." Soon I went to his room. The door was -open. He had drawn off his boots and was sitting on the side of his bed. -I did not enter or speak to him, as I had planned to do; for I saw -him leaning forward on his elbows and wiping his eyes, and I heard him -saying to himself: - -[Illustration: 8070] - -"Eb Holden, you oughter be 'shamed, I declare. Merry Chris'mas! I tell -ye. Hold up yer head." - -I returned to Hope, and we sat long looking into the firelight. Youth -and its grace and color were gone from us, yet I saw in her that beauty -"which maketh the face to shine." - -Our love lay as a road before and behind us. Long ago it had left the -enchanted gardens and had led us far, and was now entering the City of -Faith and we could see its splendor against the cloud of mystery beyond. -Our souls sought each other in the silence and were filled with awe as -they looked ahead of them and, at last, I understood the love of a man -for a woman. - -THE END - - - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Eben Holden's Last Day A-Fishing, by -Irving Bacheller - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EBEN HOLDEN'S LAST DAY A-FISHING *** - -***** This file should be named 52454.txt or 52454.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/2/4/5/52454/ - -Produced by David Widger from page images generously -provided by the Internet Archive - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for the eBooks, unless you receive -specific permission. If you do not charge anything for copies of this -eBook, complying with the rules is very easy. You may use this eBook -for nearly any purpose such as creation of derivative works, reports, -performances and research. They may be modified and printed and given -away--you may do practically ANYTHING in the United States with eBooks -not protected by U.S. copyright law. Redistribution is subject to the -trademark license, especially commercial redistribution. - -START: FULL LICENSE - -THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG LICENSE -PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU DISTRIBUTE OR USE THIS WORK - -To protect the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg"), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg-tm License available with this file or online at -www.gutenberg.org/license. - -Section 1. General Terms of Use and Redistributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works - -1.A. By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work and you do not agree to be bound -by the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the -person or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph -1.E.8. - -1.B. "Project Gutenberg" is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works if you follow the terms of this -agreement and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works. See paragraph 1.E below. - -1.C. The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation ("the -Foundation" or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is unprotected by copyright law in the -United States and you are located in the United States, we do not -claim a right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg-tm mission of promoting -free access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg-tm -works in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the -Project Gutenberg-tm name associated with the work. You can easily -comply with the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the -same format with its attached full Project Gutenberg-tm License when -you share it without charge with others. - -1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also govern -what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most countries are -in a constant state of change. If you are outside the United States, -check the laws of your country in addition to the terms of this -agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg-tm work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country outside the United States. - -1.E. Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg: - -1.E.1. The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg-tm License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg-tm work (any work -on which the phrase "Project Gutenberg" appears, or with which the -phrase "Project Gutenberg" is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed: - - This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and - most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no - restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it - under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this - eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the - United States, you'll have to check the laws of the country where you - are located before using this ebook. - -1.E.2. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is -derived from texts not protected by U.S. copyright law (does not -contain a notice indicating that it is posted with permission of the -copyright holder), the work can be copied and distributed to anyone in -the United States without paying any fees or charges. If you are -redistributing or providing access to a work with the phrase "Project -Gutenberg" associated with or appearing on the work, you must comply -either with the requirements of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or -obtain permission for the use of the work and the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark as set forth in paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.3. If an individual Project Gutenberg-tm electronic work is posted -with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and distribution -must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and any -additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg-tm License for all works -posted with the permission of the copyright holder found at the -beginning of this work. - -1.E.4. Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project Gutenberg-tm -License terms from this work, or any files containing a part of this -work or any other work associated with Project Gutenberg-tm. - -1.E.5. Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute this -electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg-tm License. - -1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg-tm work in a format -other than "Plain Vanilla ASCII" or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg-tm web site -(www.gutenberg.org), you must, at no additional cost, fee or expense -to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a means -of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original "Plain -Vanilla ASCII" or other form. Any alternate format must include the -full Project Gutenberg-tm License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1. - -1.E.7. Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg-tm works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9. - -1.E.8. You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works -provided that - -* You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from - the use of Project Gutenberg-tm works calculated using the method - you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed - to the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm trademark, but he has - agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid - within 60 days following each date on which you prepare (or are - legally required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty - payments should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project - Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in - Section 4, "Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg - Literary Archive Foundation." - -* You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies - you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he - does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg-tm - License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all - copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue - all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg-tm - works. - -* You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of - any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the - electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of - receipt of the work. - -* You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free - distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm works. - -1.E.9. If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and The -Project Gutenberg Trademark LLC, the owner of the Project Gutenberg-tm -trademark. Contact the Foundation as set forth in Section 3 below. - -1.F. - -1.F.1. Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend considerable -effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe and proofread -works not protected by U.S. copyright law in creating the Project -Gutenberg-tm collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may -contain "Defects," such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate -or corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other -intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or -other medium, a computer virus, or computer codes that damage or -cannot be read by your equipment. - -1.F.2. LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES - Except for the "Right -of Replacement or Refund" described in paragraph 1.F.3, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the Project -Gutenberg-tm trademark, and any other party distributing a Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE. - -1.F.3. LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND - If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem. - -1.F.4. Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set forth -in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you 'AS-IS', WITH NO -OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE. - -1.F.5. Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions. - -1.F.6. INDEMNITY - You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, the -trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works in -accordance with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg-tm work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg-tm work, and (c) any -Defect you cause. - -Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg-tm - -Project Gutenberg-tm is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life. - -Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need are critical to reaching Project Gutenberg-tm's -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg-tm collection will -remain freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg-tm and future -generations. To learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation and how your efforts and donations can help, see -Sections 3 and 4 and the Foundation information page at -www.gutenberg.org Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Contributions to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation are tax deductible to the full extent permitted by -U.S. federal laws and your state's laws. - -The Foundation's principal office is in Fairbanks, Alaska, with the -mailing address: PO Box 750175, Fairbanks, AK 99775, but its -volunteers and employees are scattered throughout numerous -locations. Its business office is located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt -Lake City, UT 84116, (801) 596-1887. Email contact links and up to -date contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and -official page at www.gutenberg.org/contact - -For additional contact information: - - Dr. Gregory B. Newby - Chief Executive and Director - gbnewby@pglaf.org - -Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation - -Project Gutenberg-tm depends upon and cannot survive without wide -spread public support and donations to carry out its mission of -increasing the number of public domain and licensed works that can be -freely distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest -array of equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations -($1 to $5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt -status with the IRS. - -The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit www.gutenberg.org/donate - -While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate. - -International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff. - -Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: www.gutenberg.org/donate - -Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg-tm electronic works. - -Professor Michael S. Hart was the originator of the Project -Gutenberg-tm concept of a library of electronic works that could be -freely shared with anyone. For forty years, he produced and -distributed Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of -volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as not protected by copyright in -the U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition. - -Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility: www.gutenberg.org - -This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg-tm, -including how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to -subscribe to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks. - |