gs.earthabides-第72节

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il　Fool's　Day　and　Halloween　with　great　enthusiasm　and　with　much　of　the　traditional　ceremony；　although　they　had　had　to　learn　such　things　from　their　fathers　and　mothers。　Also　six　weeks　after　the　winter　solstice；　they　talked　about　Ground…squirrel　Day　and　whether　the　squirrel　could　see　his　shadow；　for　there　were　no　ground…hogs　in　this　area　and　they　had　substituted　the　ground…squirrel　instead。　Yet　all　these　were　nothing；　pared　with　their　own　great　festival　when　they　cut　the　number　in　the　rock　and　named　the　year。　
　　Now　Ish　began　to　hear　the　children　discussing　the　matter　and　speculating　upon　what　the　name　would　be。　The　younger　ones　were　saying　that　it　should　be　called　the　Year　of　the　Bow　and　Arrow。　But　the　slightly　older　ones；　who　could　remember　more　vividly　the　whole　year；　said　that　rather　it　should　be　called　the　Year　of　the　Journey。　But　those　who　were　still　older　thought　of　other　things　also；　and　often　they　grew　quiet　and　seemed　embarrassed；　and　Ish　knew　that　they　were　thinking　of　Charlie　and　of　all　the　other　deaths。　Ish　himself　thought　first　of　all　about　Joey；　and　then　of　all　the　changes　of　attitude　which　he　himself　had　had　to　make　during　the　year。　
　　Then　finally；　as　they　looked　out　one　evening；　they　saw　that　the　sun　set　in　the　same　place　or　perhaps　a　little　to　the　north　from　where　it　had　set　the　night　before；　and　the　older　ones　said；　to　the　great　excitement　of　the　children；　that　tomorrow　would　be　the　day。　
　　So　again；　at　the　end　of　the　twenty…second　year；　they　gathered　at　the　rock；　and　Ish　with　his　harnmer　and　cold…chisel　cut　22　into　the　surface　of　the　rock　just　below　21。　They　were　all　there　at　the　rock；　because　the　day　was　fair；　and　warm　for　winter；　and　the　mothers　had　brought　even　the　youngest　babies。　Then　after　the　numeral　had　been　cut；　all　those　who　were　old　enough　to　talk　called　out　Happy　New　Year　as　it　had　been　in　the　Old　Times；　and　as　it　was　still　at　this　time。　
　　But　when　Ish　asked；　following　the　ritual　set　in　the　last　years；　what　should　be　the　name　of　the　year；　there　came　only　sudden　silence。　
　　At　last　the　one　to　speak　was　Ezra；　the　good　helper；　who　knew　the　ways　of　men：　
　　〃Too　much　has　happened　this　year；　and　whatever　name　we　give　the　year　will　have　a　bad　sound　to　us。　People　find　fort　in　numbers；　and　no　bad　thoughts。　Let　us　give　this　year　no　name；　but　remember　it　only　as　the　Year　22。〃　
　　Here　ends　Part　II。　The　second　inter…chapter　called　Quick　Years　follows；　without　time…interval。　
　　
　　Quick　Years
　　Once　again　the　years　flowed　quickly；　and　now　no　longer　he　struggled　and　threshed；　but　instead；　floated　easily　with　the　current。　
　　In　these　years　they　grew　a　little　corn；　not　much；　but　enough　to　harvest　a　small　crop　and　to　keep　the　seeds　alive。　Every　autumn…as　if　the　falling　of　the　first　rain　gave　a　signal…the　children　played　with　bows　and　arrows　for　a　while　before　they　tired　of　the　game。　Now　and　then　all　the　adults　drew　together　to　a　conference；　like　a　town…meeting；　and　what　was　decided　there；　each　one　knew；　was　binding　upon　them　all。　
　　〃These　things　at　least！〃　Ish　thought。　〃These　things　at　least；　I　have　assured　for　the　future。〃　Yet　in　the　meetings；　more　and　more　with　every　year；　those　who　spoke　and　took　action　were　young　men。　Ish；　to　be　sure；　presided。　He　sat　facing　all　the　others；　and　those　wishing　to　speak　rose　and　addressed　him　respectfully。　He　sat　there；　holding　his　hammer　or　balancing　it　beside　him。　When　argument　between　two　of　the　young　men　became　too　heated；　Ish　pounded　with　the　hammer；　and　the　young　men　were　suddenly　quiet　and　deferential。　But　if　he　himself　spoke；　though　they　listened　intently；　often　they　paid　no　attention　to　his　ideas　afterward。　
　　So　the　years　flowed…The　Year　23　〃Of　the　Mad　Wolf；〃　the　Year　24　〃Of　the　Blackberries；〃　the　Year　25　〃Of　the　Long　Rain。〃　
　　Then　came　the　Year　26；　and　old　George　was　with　them　no　more。　He　had　been　painting　on　a　ladder。　Whether　his　heart　stopped　and　he　fell；　or　whether　he　fell　accidentally　and　killed　himself　by　falling；　no　one　ever　knew。　But　he　was　gone；　and　after　his　death　the　roofs　were　never　in　such　good　repair；　and　the　trim　was　never　painted。　Maurine　lived　on；　for　a　while；　in　the　neat　house　where　the　pink…fringed　bridge…lamps　would　not　light　and　the　console　radio　would　not　play　and　the　scarves　were　crumpled　on　the　tables。　But　she　too　was　old；　and　she　died　before　the　year　was　out。　So　they　called　it　the　Year　when　George　and　Maurine　Died。　
　　And　still　they　ran　on…27；　28；　29；　30。　It　was　hard　to　remember　now　the　names；　and　how　they　came。　Was　the　Good…Corn　Year；　before　the　Red…Sunset　Year；　and　did　that　e　after　the　Year　When　Evie　Died？　
　　Poor　Evie！　They　buried　her　next　to　the　others；　and　in　her　grave　at　least　she　was　no　different。　All　those　years　she　had　lived　with　them；　and　whether　she　had　been　happy　no　one　knew；　and　whether　they　had　done　well　to　keep　her　living。　Only　once　in　all　those　years　had　she　mattered　much；　and　yet　for　that　little　time；　when　Charlie　had　e；　she　had　seemed　very　important。　Now　that　she　was　gone；　the　young　people　scarcely　missed　her；　nevertheless　the　older　ones　remembered　that　her　going　marked　still　another　broken　link　with　the　Old　Times。　
　　With　Evie　gone；　only　five　of　the　original　ones　remained。　Jean　and　Ish　were　the　youngest　of　these　five；　and　age　showed　least　in　them；　although　Ish　limped　more　and　more　from　his　old　wound。　Molly　plained　of　vague　illnesses　and　wept　often。　Ezra　coughed　with　his　dry　cough。　Even　Em　walked　with　a　less　sure　and　regal　grace。　Yet　actually　they　all　enjoyed　amazingly　good　health　for　people　of　their　years；　and　their　various　decrepitudes　sprang　chiefly　from　approaching　old　age。　
　　The　Year　34…that　was　an　important　one！　They　had　known　for　some　time　that　there　was　another　but　smaller　group　of　people　living　across　north　of　the　Bay；　but　in　this　year　the　surprise　was　that　the　other　people　sent　a　messenger　with　the　proposal　of　a　union。　Ish　made　the　young　man　keep　distance；　for　he　wanted　no　repetition　of　that　business　of　Charlie。　Having　got　all　the　information　he　could　from　the　messenger；　he　called　a　meeting。　
　　Ish　sat　with　his　hammer；　for　it　was　a　time　of　great　state。　There　was　a　hot　argument。　Reinforcing　the　fear　of　disease　was　a　prejudice　against　strangers　and　all　their　strange　ways。　On　the　other　hand；　a　kind　of　fascination　in　the　very　strangeness　batted　the　prejudice。　Besides；　there　was　the　strong　desire　to　strengthen　the　numbers　of　The　Tribe；　and　particularly　to　obtain　wives。　For；　in　late　years；　fewer　girls　than　boys　had　been　born　and　some　of　the　young　men　had　nowhere　to　look。　To　Ish　also　there　was　the　argument　that　the　in…breeding　of　The　Tribe　might　be　dangerous；　for　now　blood…relationship　was　universal　and　everyone　had　to　marry　his　cousin。　
　　But　Ish　himself；　along　with　Ezra；　opposed　the　union。　In　overwhelming　fear　of　disease；　and　Jack　and　Ralph　and　Roger；　the　oldest　of　the　younger　men；　remembered　the　Year　22；　and　supported　Ish　and　Ezra。　But　the　still　younger　men；　especially　the　unmarried　ones；　clamored　for　the　union；　and　Ish　could　see　that　the　thought　of　the　girls　of　that　other　tribe　excited　them。　
　　Then　Em　spoke。　Her　hair　was　wholly　gray　now；　but　her　calm　voice　held　them。　〃I　have　said　it　before；〃　she　said。　〃Life　is　not　lived　by　denying　life。　Our　sons　and　grandsons　will　need　wives。　Perhaps　death　will　e　also；　but　that　too　we　must　face。〃　
　　Not　so　much　by　what　she　said　as　by　the　spirit　that　flowed　out　from　her；　they　all　had　courage。　They　voted　without　dissent　to　admit　the　others。　
　　This　time　luck　was　with　them；　for　the　only　epidemic　was　that　The　Others　contracted　measles；　and　soon　were　well　again。　
　　After　that　time　there　was　always　a　division　within　The　Tribe；　as　of　two　clans…The　First　Ones　and　The　Others。　When　they　intermarried；　the　children　were　of　their　father's　clan；　although　Ish　had　wondered　whether　mother…lineage　might　not　prevail；　as　with　many　primitive　people。　But　the　old　tradition　of　the　Americans　was　too　strong。　
　　Then　in　the　next　year　Ish　realized　more　than　ever　that　Em　walked　no　longer　with　that　regal　grace；　suddenly　when　he　looked　at　her；　he　saw　strange　lines　in　her　face；　not　the　lines　of　old　age；　but　the　lines　of　pain。　Behind　the　darkness　of　the　cheeks　there　was　not　the　glow　of　red　but　an　ashy　gray。　Deep　within　him　he　felt　chill　and　fear；　and　he　knew　that　this　also　had　e　close　to　its　end。　
　　Sometimes；　in　those　grim　months　that　followed；　he　thought　to　himself；　〃This　may　be　merely　appendicitis；　The　pain　is　in　that　place。　Why　can　I　not　operate？　I　can　read　the　books。　I　could　find　out　how　it　is　done。　One　of　the　boys　could　manage　the　ether。　At　worst；　I　would　only　end　the　pain。〃　
　　But　always　he　realized　that　it　could　not　be…for　his　hands　were　no　longer　young　and　sure；　and　his　courage　too　perhaps　had　grown　weak；　so　that　he　dared　not　draw　the　knife…edge　across　the　side　of　her　whom　he　loved。　So　he　knew　that　Em　must　face　the　future　alone。　
　　Before　long；　too；　he　knew　that　this　was　not　appendicitis。　As　the　sun　swung　southward　again；　she　weakened　and　walked　no　more。　He　hunted　in　the　ruinous　drug　stores；　and　found　powders　and　syrups；　so　that　at　least　she　suffered　little。　After　she　had　taken　the　medicine；　she　would　sleep　or　lie　quietly；　smiling。　Then　after　a　while；　when　the　pain　again　began　to　make　her　toss；　he　would　think：　〃Perhaps　I　should　make　th