"Oh, you _man_, you!" crowed Westmoreland. "John, John, if anything
were needed to make me love you, this would clinch it! Prying open
nature's fist, John, having butterflies bear your name, working hand
in glove with your government, boosting boys, writing books, are all
of them fine big grand things. But if along with them one's man enough
to stand up, John, with the odds against him, and punish a bully and a
scoundrel, the only way a bully and a scoundrel can feel punishment,
that's a heart-stirring thing, John! It gets to the core of my heart.
It isn't so much the fight itself, it's being able to take care of
oneself and others when one has to. Yes, yes, yes. A fight like that
is worth a million dollars to the man who wins it!"
Westmoreland may be president of the Peace League, and tell us that
force is all wrong. Nevertheless, his great-grandmother was born in
Tipperary.
We kept the Butterfly Man indoors for a week, while Westmoreland
doctored a viciously black eye and sewed up his lip. Morning and
afternoon Appleboro called, and left tribute of fruit and flowers.
"Gad, suh, he behaved like one of Stonewall Jackson's men!" said Major
Cartwright, pridefully. "No yellow in _him_; he's one of _us_!"
At nights came the Polish folks, and these people whom he had once
despised because they "hadn't got sense enough to talk American," he
now received with a complete and friendly understanding.
"I just come by and see how you make to feel, Meester."
"Oh, I feel fine, Joe, thank you."
There would be an interval of absolute silence, which, did not seem to
embarrass either visited or visitor. Then:
"Baby better now?" Meester would ask, interestedly.
"That beeg doctor, he oil heem an' make heem well all right."
After awhile: "I mebbe go now, Meester."
"Good-night," said the host, briefly.
At the door the Pole would turn, and look back, with the wistfully
animal look of the Under Dog.
"Those cheeldren, they make to get you the leetle bug. You mebbe like
that, Meester, yes? They make to get you plenty much bug, those
cheeldren. We _all_ make to get you the bug, Meester, thank you."
"That's mighty nice of you folks." Then one felt the note in the quiet
voice which explained his hold upon people.
"Hell, no. We _like_ to do that for you, Meester. Thank you." And
closing the door gently after him, he would slink off.
"They don't need to be so allfired grateful," said John Flint frankly.
"Parson, I'm the guy to be grateful. I got a whole heap more out of
that shindy than a black eye and a pretty mouth. I was bluemolding for
a man-tussle, and that scrap set me up again. You see--I wasn't sure
of myself any more, and it was souring on my stomach. Now I know I
haven't lost out, I feel like a white man. Yep, it gives a fellow the
holiday-heart to be dead sure he's plenty able to use his fists if
he's got to. Westmoreland's right about that."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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