the night-born-第10部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！





〃Yes；　sir；〃　said　Dave；　and　absolute　conviction　vibrated　in　his　voice。



He　opened　the　door　and　passed　out。　The　secretary　looked　at　him

interrogatively。



〃Gosh！〃　was　all　Dave　vouchsafed；　and　with　this　utterance　passed

out　of　the　offices　and　the　story。



III



James　G。　Ward　was　forty　years　of　age；　a　successful　business

man；　and　very　unhappy。　For　forty　years　he　had　vainly　tried　to

solve　a　problem　that　was　really　himself　and　that　with

increasing　years　became　more　and　more　a　woeful　affliction。　In

himself　he　was　two　men；　and；　chronologically　speaking；　these

men　were　several　thousand　years　or　so　apart。　He　had　studied　the

question　of　dual　personality　probably　more　profoundly　than　any

half　dozen　of　the　leading　specialists　in　that　intricate　and

mysterious　psychological　field。　In　himself　he　was　a　different

case　from　any　that　had　been　recorded。　Even　the　most　fanciful

flights　of　the　fiction…writers　had　not　quite　hit　upon　him。　He

was　not　a　Dr。　Jekyll　and　Mr。　Hyde；　nor　was　he　like　the

unfortunate　young　man　in　Kipling's　〃Greatest　Story　in　the

World。〃　His　two　personalities　were　so　mixed　that　they　were

practically　aware　of　themselves　and　of　each　other　all　the　time。



His　other　self　he　had　located　as　a　savage　and　a　barbarian

living　under　the　primitive　conditions　of　several　thousand　years

before。　But　which　self　was　he；　and　which　was　the　other；　he

could　never　tell。　For　he　was　both　selves；　and　both　selves　all

the　time。　Very　rarely　indeed　did　it　happen　that　one　self　did

not　know　what　the　other　was　doing。　Another　thing　was　that　he

had　no　visions　nor　memories　of　the　past　in　which　that　early

self　had　lived。　That　early　self　lived　in　the　present；　but　while

it　lived　in　the　present；　it　was　under　the　compulsion　to　live

the　way　of　life　that　must　have　been　in　that　distant　past。



In　his　childhood　he　had　been　a　problem　to　his　father　and

mother；　and　to　the　family　doctors；　though　never　had　they　come

within　a　thousand　miles　of　hitting　upon　the　clue　to　his

erratic；　conduct。　Thus；　they　could　not　understand　his　excessive

somnolence　in　the　forenoon；　nor　his　excessive　activity　at

night。　When　they　found　him　wandering　along　the　hallways　at

night；　or　climbing　over　giddy　roofs；　or　running　in　the　hills；

they　decided　he　was　a　somnambulist。　In　reality　he　was　wide…eyed

awake　and　merely　under　the　nightroaming　compulsion　of　his　early

self。　Questioned　by　an　obtuse　medico；　he　once　told　the　truth

and　suffered　the　ignominy　of　having　the　revelation

contemptuously　labeled　and　dismissed　as　〃dreams。〃



The　point　was；　that　as　twilight　and　evening　came　on　he　became

wakeful。　The　four　walls　of　a　room　were　an　irk　and　a　restraint。

He　heard　a　thousand　voices　whispering　to　him　through　the

darkness。　The　night　called　to　him；　for　he　was；　for　that　period

of　the　twenty…four　hours；　essentially　a　night…prowler。　But

nobody　understood；　and　never　again　did　he　attempt　to　explain。

They　classified　him　as　a　sleep…walker　and　took　precautions

accordinglyprecautions　that　very　often　were　futile。　As　his

childhood　advanced；　he　grew　more　cunning；　so　that　the　major

portion　of　all　his　nights　were　spent　in　the　open　at　realizing

his　other　self。　As　a　result；　he　slept　in　the　forenoons。　Morning

studies　and　schools　were　impossible；　and　it　was　discovered　that

only　in　the　afternoons；　under　private　teachers；　could　he　be

taught　anything。　Thus　was　his　modern　self　educated　and

developed。



But　a　problem；　as　a　child；　he　ever　remained。　He　was　known　as　a

little　demon；　of　insensate　cruelty　and　viciousness。　The　family

medicos　privately　adjudged　him　a　mental　monstrosity　and

degenerate。　Such　few　boy　companions　as　he　had；　hailed　him　as　a

wonder；　though　they　were　all　afraid　of　him。　He　could　outclimb；

outswim；　outrun；　outdevil　any　of　them；　while　none　dared　fight

with　him。　He　was　too　terribly　strong；　madly　furious。



When　nine　years　of　age　he　ran　away　to　the　hills；　where　he

flourished；　night…prowling；　for　seven　weeks　before　he　was

discovered　and　brought　home。　The　marvel　was　how　he　had　managed

to　subsist　and　keep　in　condition　during　that　time。　They　did　not

know；　and　he　never　told　them；　of　the　rabbits　he　had　killed；　of

the　quail；　young　and　old；　he　had　captured　and　devoured；　of　the

farmers'　chicken…roosts　he　had　raided；　nor　of　the　cave…lair　he

had　made　and　carpeted　with　dry　leaves　and　grasses　and　in　which

he　had　slept　in　warmth　and　comfort　through　the　forenoons　of

many　days。



At　college　he　was　notorious　for　his　sleepiness　and　stupidity

during　the　morning　lectures　and　for　his　brilliance　in　the

afternoon。　By　collateral　reading　and　by　borrowing　the　notebook

of　his　fellow　students　he　managed　to　scrape　through　the

detestable　morning　courses；　while　his　afternoon　courses　were

triumphs。　In　football　he　proved　a　giant　and　a　terror；　and；　in

almost　every　form　of　track　athletics；　save　for　strange

Berserker　rages　that　were　sometimes　displayed；　he　could　be

depended　upon　to　win。　But　his　fellows　were　afraid　to　box　with

him；　and　he　signalized　his　last　wrestling　bout　by　sinking　his

teeth　into　the　shoulder　of　his　opponent。



After　college；　his　father；　in　despair；　sent　him　among　the

cow…punchers　of　a　Wyoming　ranch。　Three　months　later　the　doughty

cowmen　confessed　he　was　too　much　for　them　and　telegraphed　his

father　to　come　and　take　the　wild　man　away。　Also；　when　the

father　arrived　to　take　him　away；　the　cowmen　allowed　that　they

would　vastly　prefer　chumming　with　howling　cannibals；　gibbering

lunatics；　cavorting　gorillas；　grizzly　bears；　and　man…eating

tigers　than　with　this　particular　Young　college　product　with

hair　parted　in　the　middle。



There　was　one　exception　to　the　lack　of　memory　of　the　life　of

his　early　self；　and　that　was　language。　By　some　quirk　of

atavism；　a　certain　portion　of　that　early　self's　language　had

come　down　to　him　as　a　racial　memory。　In　moments　of　happiness；

exaltation；　or　battle；　he　was　prone　to　burst　out　in　wild

barbaric　songs　or　chants。　It　was　by　this　means　that　he　located

in　time　and　space　that　strayed　half　of　him　who　should　have　been

dead　and　dust　for　thousands　of　years。　He　sang；　once；　and

deliberately；　several　of　the　ancient　chants　in　the　presence　of

Professor　Wertz；　who　gave　courses　in　old　Saxon　and　who　was　a

philogist　of　repute　and　passion。　At　the　first　one；　the

professor　pricked　up　his　ears　and　demanded　to　know　what　mongrel

tongue　or　hog…German　it　was。　When　the　second　chant　was

rendered；　the　professor　was　highly　excited。　James　Ward　then

concluded　the　performance　by　giving　a　song　that　always

irresistibly　rushed　to　his　lips　when　he　was　engaged　in　fierce

struggling　or　fighting。　Then　it　was　that　Professor　Wertz

proclaimed　it　no　hog…German；　but　early　German；　or　early　Teuton；

of　a　date　that　must　far　precede　anything　that　had　ever　been

discovered　and　handed　down　by　the　scholars。　So　early　was　it

that　it　was　beyond　him；　yet　it　was　filled　with　haunting

reminiscences　of　word…forms　he　knew　and　which　his　trained

intuition　told　him　were　true　and　real。　He　demanded　the　source

of　the　songs；　and　asked　to　borrow　the　precious　book　that

contained　them。　Also；　he　demanded　to　know　why　young　Ward　had

always　posed　as　being　profoundly　ignorant　of　the　German

language。　And　Ward　could　neither　explain　his　ignorance　nor　lend

the　book。　Whereupon；　after　pleadings　and　entreaties　that

extended　through　weeks；　Professor　Wert　took　a　dislike　to　the

young　man；　believed　him　a　liar；　and　classified　him　as　a　man　of

monstrous　selfishness　for　not　giving　him　a　glimpse　of　this

wonderful　screed　that　was　older　than　the　oldest　any　philologist

had　ever　known　or　dreamed。



But　little　good　did　it　do　this　much…mixed　young　man　to　know

that　half　of　him　was　late　American　and　the　other　half　early

Teuton。　Nevertheless；　the　late　American　in　him　was　no　weakling；

and　he　（if　he　were　a　he　and　had　a　shred　of　existence　outside　of

these　two）　compelled　an　adjustment　or　compromise　between　his

one　self　that　was　a　nightprowling　savage　that　kept　his　other

self　sleepy　of　mornings；　and　that　other　self　that　was　cultured

and　refined　and　that　wanted　to　be　normal　and　live　and　love　and

prosecute　business　like　other　people。　The　afternoons　and　early

evenings　he　gave　to　the　one；　the　nights　to　the　other；　the

forenoons　and　parts　of　the　nights　were　devoted　to　sleep　for　the

twain。　But　in　the　mornings　he　slept　in　bed　like　a　civilized

man。　In　the　night　time　he　slept　like　a　wild　animal；　as　he　had

slept　Dave　Slotter　stepped　on　him　in　the　woods。



Persuading　his　father　to　advance　the　capital；　he　went　into

business　and　keen　and　successful　business　he　made　of　it；

devoting　his　afternoons　whole…souled　to　it；　while　his　partner

devoted　the　mornings。　The　early　evenings　he　spent　socially；

but；　as　the　hour　grew　to　nine　or　ten；　an　irresistible

restlessness　overcame　him　and　he　disappeared　from　the　haunts　of

men　until　the　next　afternoon。　Friends　and　acquaintances　thought

that　he　spent　much　of　his　time　in　sport。　And　they　were　right；

though　they　never　would　have　dreamed　of　the　nature