Two Little Savages
Page 6
IV
The Book
But the greatest event of Yan's then early life now took place. Hisschool readers told him about Wilson and Audubon, the first and lastAmerican naturalists. Yan wondered why no other great prophet hadarisen. But one day the papers announced that at length he hadappeared. A work on the Birds of Canada, by ..., had come at last,price one dollar.
Money never before seemed so precious, necessary and noble a thing."Oh! if I only had a dollar." He set to work to save and scrape. Hewon marbles in game, swopped marbles for tops, tops for jack-knives asthe various games came around with strange and rigid periodicity. Thejack-knives in turn were converted into rabbits, the rabbits into cashof small denominations. He carried wood for strange householders;he scraped and scraped and saved the scrapings; and got, after somemonths, as high as ninety cents. But there was a dread fatalityabout that last dime. No one seemed to have any more odd jobs; hiscommercial luck deserted him. He was burnt up with craving for thatbook. None of his people took interest enough in him to advance thecash even at the ruinous interest (two or three times cent per cent)that he was willing to bind himself for. Six weeks passed before heachieved that last dime, and he never felt conscience-clear about itafterward.
He and Alner had to cut the kitchen wood. Each had his dailyallotment, as well as other chores. Yan's was always done faithfully,but the other evaded his work in every way. He was a notorious littlefop. The paternal poverty did not permit his toilet extravagance tosoar above one paper collar per week, but in his pocket he carried apiece of ink eraser with which he was careful to keep the paper collarup to standard. Yan cared nothing about dress--indeed, was inclined tobe slovenly. So the eldest brother, meaning to turn Alner's weaknessto account, offered a prize of a twenty-five-cent necktie of thewinner's own choice to the one who did his chores best for a month.For the first week Alner and Yan kept even, then Alner wearied, inspite of the dazzling prize. The pace was too hot. Yan kept on hisusual way and was duly awarded the twenty-five cents to be spent on anecktie. But in the store a bright thought came tempting him. Fifteencents was as much as any one should spend on a necktie--that's sure;the other ten would get the book. And thus the last dime was added tothe pile. Then, bursting with joy and with the pride of a capitalist,he went to the book-shop and asked for the coveted volume.
He was tense with long-pent feeling. He expected to have thebookseller say that the price had gone up to one thousand dollars, andthat all were sold. But he did not. He turned silently, drew the bookout of a pile of them, hesitated and said, "Green or red cover?"
"Green," said Yan, not yet believing. The book-man looked inside, thenlaid it down, saying in a cold, business tone, "Ninety cents."
"Ninety cents," gasped Yan. Oh! if only he had known the ways ofbooksellers or the workings of cash discounts. For six weeks hadhe been barred this happy land--had suffered starvation; he hadmisappropriated funds, he had fractured his conscience and all toraise that ten cents--that unnecessary dime.
He read that book reverentially all the way home. It did not give himwhat he wanted, but that doubtless was his own fault. He pored overit, studied it, loved it, never doubting that now he had the key toall the wonders and mysteries of Nature. It was five years beforehe fully found out that the text was the most worthless trash everfoisted on a torpid public. Nevertheless, the book held some usefulthings; first, a list of the bird names; second, some thirty viletravesties of Audubon and Wilson's bird portraits.
These were the birds thus maligned:
Duck Hawk Rose-breasted GrosbeakSparrow Hawk BobolinkWhite-headed Eagle Meadow LarkGreat Horned Owl BluejaySnowy Owl Ruffed GrouseRed-headed Woodpecker Great Blue HeronGolden-winged Woodpecker BitternBarn-swallow Wilson's SnipeWhip-poor-will Long-biller CurlewNight Hawk Purple GallinuleBelted Kingfisher Canada GooseKingbird Wood DuckWoodthrush Hooded MerganserCatbird Double-crested CormorantWhite-bellied Nuthatch Arctic TernBrown Creeper Great Northern DiverBohemian Chatterer Stormy PetrelGreat Northern Shrike Arctic PuffinShore Lark Black Guillemot
"He already knew the Downy Woodpecker"]
But badly as they were presented, the pictures were yet information,and were entered in his memory as lasting accessions to his store oftruth about the Wild Things.
Of course, he already knew some few birds whose names are familiarto every schoolboy: the Robin, Bluebird, Kingbird, Wild Canary,Woodpecker, Barn-swallow, Wren, Chickadee, Wild Pigeon, Humming-bird,Pewee, so that his list was steadily increased.