English fiction -- 20th century; English poetry -- 20th century; Short stories, English; World War, 1914-1918 -- Fiction
“Not to me, sir. My Church--I’m a Fundamentalist, an’ I didn’t read ’em
more than half the scenario--started out by disownin’ me for aspersin’
the National Honour. A bunch of our home papers got holt of it next.
They said I was a ren’gade an’ done it for dollars. An’ then the
ladies on the Social Betterment an’ Uplift Committees took a hand. In
_your_ country you don’t know the implications of _that_! I’m--I’m a
one-hundred-per-cent. American, but--I didn’t know what men an’ women
are. I guess none of us do at home, or we’d say so, instead o’ playin’
at being American Cit’zens. There’s no law with Us under which a man
can be jailed for aspersin’ the National Honour. There’s no need. It
got into the Legislature, an’ one Senator there he spoke for an hour,
demandin’ to have me unanimously an’ internationally disavowed by--by
my Maker, I presoom. No one else stood by me. I’d been to the big Jew
combines that control the Movie business in our country. I’d been to
Heuvelstein--he represents sixty-seven millions dollars’ interests.
They say he’s never read a scenario in his life. He read every last
word of mine aloud. He laughed some, but he said he was doin’ well in
a small way, and he didn’t propose to start up any pogroms against the
Chosen in New York. He said I was ahead of my time. I know that. An’
then--my wife’s best friend was back of this--folk at home got talkin’
about callin’ for an inquiry into my state o’ mind, an’ whether I was
fit to run my own affairs. I saw a lawyer or two over that, an’ I came
to a realisin’ sense of American Law _an’_ Justice. That was another
of the things I didn’t know. It made me sick to my stummick, sir--sick
with physical an’ mental terror an’ dread. So I quit. I changed my
name an’ quit two years back. Those ancient prophets an’ martyrs
haven’t got much on me in the things a Democracy hands you if you don’t
see eye to eye with it. Therefore, I have no abidin’-place except this
old caravan. Now sir, we two are like ships that pass in the night,
except, as I said, I’ll be very pleased to tow you into Doncaster this
morning. Is there anythin’ about _me_ strikes _you_ in any way as
deviatin’ from sanity?”
“Not in the least,” I replied quickly. “But what have you done with
your scenario?”
“Deposited it in the Bank of England at London.”
“Would you sell it?”
“_No_, sir.”
“Couldn’t it be produced here?”
“I am a one-hundred-per-cent. American. The way _I_ see it, I could not
be a party to an indirect attack on my Native Land.”
Once again he ground his jaws. There did not seem to be much left to
say. The heat in the shut caravan was more and more oppressive. Time
had stood still with me listening. I was aware now that the owls had
ceased hooting and that a night had gone out of the world. I rose from
the bunk. Mr. Tarworth, carefully rebuttoning his raincoat, opened the
door.
“Good Lord Gord Almighty!” he cried with a child’s awed reverence.
“It’s sun-up. Look!”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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