The best short stories of 1917, and the yearbook of the American short story
General
The best short stories of 1917, and the yearbook of the American short story
American fiction -- 20th century; Short stories -- 20th century -- Bibliography; Short stories -- 20th century -- Indexes; Short stories, American
I don't know how long it was I crouched there on the timbers, staring
out into the havoc of that black night, and listening to the hungry
clamor of the Bight. I must have been crying for the minister, over and
over, without knowing it, for when my cousin Duncan's hand fell on my
shoulder and I started up half out of my wits, he pointed a finger
toward the outer edge of the wharf.
And there they were in a little close group, Sympathy Gibbs standing
straight with the child in her arms, and Minister Malden down on his
knees. There were many people on the pier, all with their eyes to sea,
all except Sympathy Gibbs; hers were up-shore, where Mate Snow lay in
state on his own counter, all his sweet revenge behind him and gone.
I thought little Hope was asleep in the swathing shawl, till I saw the
dark round spots of her eyes. If it was a strange night for the others,
it was stranger still to her.
The wind and the rain beat on Minister Malden's bended back. He loved it
that way. The missionary was praying for the soul of the heathen.
NONE SO BLIND[21]
[Note 21: Copyright 1917, by Harper and Brothers. Copyright 1918, by
Mary Synon.]
BY MARY SYNON
From _Harper's Magazine_.
We were listening to Leila Burton's music--her husband, and Dick
Allport, and I--with the throb of London beating under us like the surge
of an ocean in anger, when there rose above the smooth harmonies of the
piano and the pulsing roar of the night a sound more poignant than them
both, the quavering melody of a street girl's song.
Through the purpling twilight of that St. John's Eve I had been drifting
in dreams while Leila had gone from golden splendors of chords which
reflected the glow on westward-fronting windows into somber symphonies
which had seemed to make vocal the turbulent soul of the city--for Dick
Allport and I were topping the structure of that house of life that was
to shelter the love we had long been cherishing. With Leila playing in
that art which had dowered her with fame, I was visioning the glory of
such love as she and Standish Burton gave each other while I watched
Dick, sensing rather than seeing the dearness of him as he gave to the
mounting climaxes the tense interest he always tendered to Leila's
music.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account