"SOUR GRAPES"
A few hours later, just in the cool edge of the late afternoon, John
found himself eagerly looking over some new daguerreotypes of various
of his friends in the shop of Marcena Cannon, the photographer, on
Main Street. He was so busily engaged that he did not notice the
slight noisy wrangle of some drunken men on the street until he saw a
group of them darken the small doorway of the tiny shop. As his glance
caught the fact that they were soldiers, he withdrew into the shadow
and waited for developments. He was unwilling to embroil himself with
these men, and yet he had caught sight of the dissolute face of Captain
Sherwood in the crowd, and John remained to watch.
"Hello, Mr. Cannon," cried the tipsy captain, "we want our pictures
taken. Can you take the picture of a gentleman as well as the ugly mugs
of these d--d Mormons?"
The face of the photographer was drawn into a sneer of contempt for the
insult thus offered himself and his associates, but he only said:
"Men in my profession must be as willing to try their hands at painting
a fool as they are to take the likeness of an honest man. Are there any
honest men in your party who want to pose before my camera?"
For answer the captain only leered about the shop, pausing unsteadily
before first one picture and then another; finally he caught sight
of a large daguerreotype of President Brigham Young, done by the
enterprising pioneer photographer Marcena Cannon. Steadying himself in
front of this picture, Sherwood raised his pistol, and shot through it,
the bullet embedding itself in the wall behind. His marksmanship was
so unsteady that only the corner of the canvas was riddled; but the
soldiers surrounded their captain at once, fearing that his overt act
might precipitate some trouble. Sherwood yelled out as his shot rang
into the dim silence of the room:
"That's the way I'd serve the old scoundrel if I could get him in the
same place."
Instantly the room filled with street-loungers, although the sound was
no unusual one in those unhappy Salt Lake days. As the smoke cleared
away, Captain Sherwood found himself looking down the muzzle of John
Stevens' own revolver, while a cool, grating voice hissed in his ear:
"Git out, vermin."
The soldier, sobered by his own folly, found his small squad of men
were vastly outnumbered by the civilian police who now crowded into the
tiny room, and without further parley he assumed a braggart air, and
swaggered out of the place.
"'He who runs away'," quoth Charlie Rose, who was at John's elbow by
this time, "'may live to fight another day.' But then again he may not.
You can't sometimes always tell. Little Captain Sherwood may reach the
place of his own seeking sooner than he anticipates."
The incident only served the better to reveal the unprincipled
character of a man whom already poor John hated with a righteous vigor.
As the drunken captain, now somewhat sobered by his recent escapade,
clanked noisily down Main Street, followed by his squad, he saw
Diantha, clad in her usual comely habit, coming toward him. Instantly
alert to any possible results of this chance encounter, Captain
Sherwood straightened himself, and endeavored to assume his usual
elegant swagger. But if he had removed the traces of his recent debauch
from his walk, it still lingered in the dusky flame which burned in
cheeks and chin, and above all there still glittered in the dusk of
his leering eyes that signal of danger which thrills every weak human
creature who beholds that black flag. Captain Sherwood sober had much
to recommend him to polite society--but Captain Sherwood drunk betrayed
the devil within him. Drunk or sober, he was the acme of grace, and
it was with customary lightness that he swept off his blue cap and
carrying it to his heart he bowed low with exaggerated politeness to
the frightened girl, now opposite him.
With small trace of the raging fear within her, the girl turned her
head proudly away, and with a slight motion of mingled fear and disgust
she drew her skirts aside as if to avoid possible contact, and walked
coldly on, leaving a short, dismayed silence behind her, as the men
watched with common interest this second rout of their dissolute
companion and superior officer.
"You won't speak to me?" the captain muttered thickly to himself;
"well, my tragedy queen, I know somebody who will."
To his men he only gave the word of command and the party were soon
astride of their horses and riding rapidly into the south.
It was Diantha's first experience with such evil forces; and after she
was well out of sight she flew to her home, with her heart clamoring
at her throat for swift release. Flinging herself down upon her knees
she buried her face in her pillow as she sobbed out her broken prayers
to that living Father whose tender protection she had never before
sought with such abject humility. After her heart had ceased to pound
in her neck, she scolded herself for a stupid coward of a girl--to be
frightened in broad daylight, and on Main Street, where there were
plenty of good men to protect her in case of real danger. Fright
has no reason, has only eyes to see and ears to hear the nameless
possibilities which sweep the spirit out into formless space. Presently
the still small voice of reason reached her consciousness, and as
thought settled quietly down upon its throne in her troubled soul, the
question flashed along her mind: "Why is that man hanging around Great
Salt Lake City so often of late?" Then--"Ellen?" was questioned and
answered in a second illuminating thrill of pain.
Without another moment's hesitation, Diantha sprang up, bathed her
face, and the fear that had oppressed her for her own safety was
transferred to her friend.
Ellen was churning in her cool, quiet buttery. She greeted Diantha
coldly, then bade her bring a chair for herself from the kitchen.
"No, I will stand," answered Dian, too excited yet to talk calmly.
"I have had such a fright!" And she proceeded to relate her recent
experiences, not adding to nor taking from one single point; the truth
was brutal enough to this sheltered, pure-minded, unsophisticated girl.
With that awful truth she had come to warn and shield her dearest
friend.
Ellen listened with her brooding eyes fixed upon her frothing
churn-dash. When the story was fairly told, she offered no word of
comment.
"What do you think of that?" asked Dian, anxious to obtain her friend's
point of view.
"I don't think anything," Ellen said, at last.
"Why, Ellie, he was dead drunk."
"How could you tell such a thing as that?" asked Ellen, judicially.
"What do you or I know about drunken men?"
"Oh, his eyes, and his red face--and--and--everything--" stammered
Diantha, confused to be thus put at a disadvantage, and upon the
witness-stand. "And there was something so terrible about him every way
that I just shuddered when he looked into my eyes."
Still Ellen refused to discuss the matter. Dian persisted:
"You can't think what a fright I was in. If you could have just seen
him--"
The sullen listener busied herself with her churn. And at last, she sat
down to work over her butter.
"Ellie," coaxed Diantha, "what do you think about the thing, anyway?"
The weak, delicate character of the love-sick Ellen had been turned
from its own natural candid sweetness into the gall of secretive
obstinacy, by her concealed passion; and when she was thus adjured, she
simply raised her dash to clean off the remaining globes of gold, as
she said, tartly:
"If you want to know what I think about you, Dianthy Winthrop, I'll
tell you--'sour grapes'!"
Diantha was too frankly surprised for a moment to do aught but stare
stupidly at the lowered face opposite her. Then suddenly comprehending,
she said icily, her lips drawing into a sharp line across her face:
"Do you think I have made up all this story? That I am jealous? Jealous
of a vile, wicked soldier? Oh, Ellen, you surely can't think such a
terrible thing as that!"
"Would it be the first time you've been jealous of me?" asked the girl.
Dian's truthful memory received this home-thrust in silence; but she
was not thus to be thrown from her purpose.
"But, Ellen, he was drunk! Drunk, I tell you! And he is not fit to wipe
your shoes on."
"Sour grapes," muttered the scornful lips of the girl before her.
"Ellen Tyler, I came here with an honest desire to give you a friendly
warning. I don't imagine for one moment that you need it any more than
I do, or that you are not just as good and just as wise as I am--maybe
more so. But I am beginning to see things as they are: the glamor and
glory and romance which once so fascinated me is fading away, thank
God--anyway as it relates to men who drink and carouse or who do wrong.
And especially do I begin to see how unsafe we are associating with
any man outside this Church and kingdom. I have done my best to warn
you, as Aunt Clara and my brother have warned us both time and time
again. We are two orphaned girls, but God has sent us repeated warnings
through our best friends and guardians to listen and obey. We girls
may or may not come to harm when we follow our own path, but we can
never come to a good end if we disobey the counsels of those who have a
right to give us such counsel. I am going to try and heed that warning
counsel. I dare not disobey. It is bred in my very bone to give heed to
the voice of wisdom. I felt a strong impression that you needed this
warning, too, and I have given it. I think now that I shall go to Aunt
Clara and tell her exactly what I have told you."
Ellen's eyes lifted quickly. But with the subtle deceit of a weak,
inwardly-selfish soul she said, smoothly:
"Don't bother to tell Aunt Clara, Dian. You have told me, and I will
remember all you say. It might only worry Aunt Clara when there is no
need."
Only half convinced, but wholly appeased by this seeming flag of truce,
Diantha chatted with her friend awhile on indifferent things and then
went away, resolved to seek some convenient opportunity after the
Conference was well over to have a long talk with Aunt Clara.
Alas, that we wait for these laggard opportunities, instead of boldly
going out to meet them in the highway! It is well to consider well
before we do evil, but good should be done on the impulse.
The next morning, which was Sunday, Ellen was at her post in the choir,
and John hurried home from meeting at noon to make arrangements with
a friend to take his place in the evening so that he could spend that
Sunday evening visiting with Ellen.
All afternoon he gently forced his mind to dwell solely and wholly upon
the real sweetness and charm of pretty Ellen Tyler. He fancied what
a dear little wife she would make and he drew all sorts of domestic
pictures of what home with such a fond little wife would be. He knew
she was good, true, lovely, and although weak in some points, he was
sure that marriage would give her all the strength and force necessary
for her perfection as a woman and as a saint. Yes, John had decided to
marry--not Dian Winthrop, but sweet, impulsive, pretty Ellen Tyler--if
he could get her! If he could! Ah, if he only could!