human
Lizzie's all right, Henry--don't worry about Lizzie. Again he laughed a gentle, deep-voiced chuckle, and held up his hand in the moonlight. A brown scab was lined across the back of the hand and as Henry saw it Van Dorn spoke:
gpt
Present from Lizzie--little pussy. Again he chuckled and added,
human
Nearly made the horse run away, too. Anyway, he laughed pleasantly,
gpt
Tom, he cried,
human
If she wants Jared she can have him. I'm not holding her, interrupted the youth.
gpt
And anyway, he exclaimed,
human
Well, you heard what I said and I didn't smile when I said it.
gpt
Henry, he cried in his gay, deep voice with the exuberance of youth ringing in it,
human
Shocked, aren't you, Henry?
gpt
No, Tom. Maybe you can make it go, but I couldn't.
human
Well, I can. Watch me, he cried arrogantly.
gpt
Henry, I want the advantage of my strength in this world and I'm not going to go puling around, golden-ruling and bending my back to give the weak and worthless a ride. Let 'em walk. Let 'em fall. Let 'em rot for all I care. I'm not afraid of their God. There is no God. There is nature. Up to the place where man puts on trousers it's a battle of thews and teeth. And nature never intended pants to mark the line where she changes the order of things. And the servile, weakling, groveling, charitable, cowardly philosophy of Christ--it doesn't fool me, Henry. I'm a pagan and I want the advantage of all the force, all the power, that nature gave me, to live life as a dangerous, exhilarating experience. I shall live life to the full--live it hard--live it beautifully, but live it! live it! Henry, live it like a gentleman and not like an understrapper and bootlicker! I intend to command, not obey! Rule, not serve! I shall take and not give--not give save as it pleases me to have my hand licked now and then! As for Lizzie and Jared, young Mr. Van Dorn waved a gay hand,
human
But, Tom, remonstrated Henry as he looked at the ground,
gpt
Ah, Henry, Van Dorn laughed gayly,
human
I'm not going to hurt Lizzie. She's good fun: that's all. And now look here, Mr. Preacher--you come moralizing around me about what I'm doing to some one else, which after all is not my business but hers; and I'm right here to tell you, what you're doing to yourself, and that's your business and no one's else. You're drinking too much. People are talking about it. Quit it! Whisky never won a jury. In the Morse case you loaded up for your speech and I beat you because in all your agonizing about the wrong to old man Müller and his 'pretty brown-eyed daughter' as you called her, you forgot slick and clean the flaw in Morse's deed.
gpt
I suppose you're right, Tom. But I was feeling kind of off that day, mother'd been sick the night before and--
human
And so you filled up with a lot of bad whisky and driveled and wept and stumbled through the case and I beat you. I tell you, Henry, I keep myself fit. I have no time to look after others. My job is myself and you'll find that unless you look after yourself no one else will, at least whisky won't. If I find girling is beating me in my law cases I quit girling. But it doesn't. Lord, man, the more I know of human nature, the more I pick over the souls of these country girls and blow open the petals of their pretty hearts, the wiser I am.
gpt
But the girls, Tom--the girls--
human
Ah, I don't hurt 'em and they like it. And so long as your whisky hamestrings you and my girls give me what I need in my business--don't talk to me.
gpt
Aren't you going to your room?
human
Why, it's only eleven o'clock, answered Van Dorn. To the inquiring silence Van Dorn called,
gpt
I'm going down to see Lizzie.
human
That's all right. I said I'd be down to-night and she'll wait.
gpt
Well-- said Fenn. But Van Dorn cut him short with
human
Now, Henry, I can take care of myself. Lizzie can take care of herself--and you're the only one of us who, as I see it, needs careful nursing!