The Ruling Passion: Tales of Nature and Human NatureVan Dyke, Henry
General
The Ruling Passion: Tales of Nature and Human Nature
Van Dyke, Henry
Fiction; Short stories, American
The very name of Bytown was discarded as being too American and
commonplace. An Indian name was discovered, and considered much more
romantic and appropriate. You will look in vain for Bytown on the map
now. Nor will you find the old saw-mill there any longer, wasting a vast
water-power to turn its dripping wheel and cut up a few pine-logs into
fragrant boards. There is a big steam-mill a little farther up the
river, which rips out thousands of feet of lumber in a day; but there
are no more pine-logs, only sticks of spruce which the old lumbermen
would have thought hardly worth cutting. And down below the dam there is
a pulp-mill, to chew up the little trees and turn them into paper, and a
chair factory, and two or three industrial establishments, with quite a
little colony of French-Canadians employed in them as workmen.
Hose Ransom sold his place on the hill to one of the hotel companies,
and a huge caravansary occupied the site of the house with the white
palings. There were no more bleeding-hearts in the garden. There were
beds of flaring red geraniums, which looked as if they were painted; and
across the circle of smooth lawn in front of the piazza the name of the
hotel was printed in alleged ornamental plants letters two feet long,
immensely ugly. Hose had been elevated to the office of postmaster, and
lived in a Queen Antic cottage on the main street. Little Billy Ransom
had grown up into a very interesting young man, with a decided musical
genius, and a tenor voice, which being discovered by an enterprising
patron of genius, from Boston, Billy was sent away to Paris to learn to
sing. Some day you will hear of his debut in grand opera, as Monsieur
Guillaume Rancon.
But Fiddlin' Jack lived on in the little house with the curved roof,
beside the river, refusing all the good offers which were made to him
for his piece of land.
“NON,” he said; “what for shall I sell dis house? I lak' her, she
lak' me. All dese walls got full from museek, jus' lak' de wood of dis
violon. He play bettair dan de new feedle, becos' I play heem so long.
I lak' to lissen to dat rivaire in de night. She sing from long taim'
ago--jus' de same song w'en I firs come here. W'at for I go away? W'at I
get? W'at you can gif' me lak' dat?”
He was still the favourite musician of the county-side, in great request
at parties and weddings; but he had extended the sphere of his influence
a little. He was not willing to go to church, though there were now
several to choose from; but a young minister of liberal views who had
come to take charge of the new Episcopal chapel had persuaded Jacques
into the Sunday-school, to lead the children's singing with his violin.
He did it so well that the school became the most popular in the
village. It was much pleasanter to sing than to listen to long
addresses.
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.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account