第 75 节
作者:寻找山吹      更新:2021-02-27 02:13      字数:9322
  Greenhalge appeared to be one of those hopeless individuals without a
  spark of party loyalty; he merely continued to smile; and to suggest that
  the district attorney prosecute。  Mr。 Gregory temporized; and presently
  left the city on a vacation。  A day or two after his second visit to the
  district attorney's office Mr。 Greenhalge had a call from the city
  auditor and the purchasing agent; who talked about their families;which
  was very painful。  It was also intimated to Mr。 Greenhalge by others who
  accosted him that he was just the man for mayor。  He smiled; and modestly
  belittled his qualifications。。。。
  Suddenly; one fine morning; a part of the evidence Krebs had gathered
  appeared in the columns of the Mail and State; a new and enterprising
  newspaper for which the growth and prosperity of our city were
  responsible; the sort of 〃revelations〃 that stirred to amazement and
  wrath innocent citizens of nearly every city in our country: politics and
  〃graft〃 infesting our entire educational system; teachers and janitors
  levied upon; prices that took the breath away paid to favoured firms for
  supplies; specifications so worded that reasonable bids were barred。  The
  respectable firm of Ellery and Knowles was involved。  In spite of our
  horror; we were Americans and saw the humour of the situation; and
  laughed at the caricature in the Mail and State representing a scholar
  holding up a pencil and a legend under it; 〃No; it's not gold; but it
  ought to be。〃
  Here I must enter into a little secret history。  Any affair that
  threatened the integrity of Mr。 Jason's organization was of serious
  moment to the gentlemen of the financial world who found that
  organization invaluable and who were also concerned about the fair name
  of their community; a conference in the Boyne Club decided that the city
  officials were being persecuted; and entitled therefore to 〃the very best
  of counsel;〃in this instance; Mr。 Hugh Paret。  It was also thought wise
  by Mr。 Dickinson; Mr。 Gorse; and Mr。 Grierson; and by Mr。 Paret himself
  that he should not appear in the matter; an aspiring young attorney; Mr。
  Arbuthnot; was retained to conduct the case in public。  Thus capital came
  to the assistance of Mr。 Jason; a fund was raised; and I was given carte
  blanche to defend the miserable city auditor and purchasing agent; both
  of whom elicited my sympathy; for they were stout men; and rapidly losing
  weight。  Our first care was to create a delay in the trial of the case in
  order to give the public excitement a chance to die down。  For the public
  is proverbially unable to fix its attention for long on one object;
  continually demanding the distraction that our newspapers make it their
  business to supply。  Fortunately; a murder was committed in one of our
  suburbs; creating a mystery that filled the 〃extras〃 for some weeks; and
  this was opportunely followed by the embezzlement of a considerable sum
  by the cashier of one of our state banks。  Public interest was divided
  between baseball and the tracking of this criminal to New Zealand。
  Our resentment was directed; not so much against Commissioner Greenhalge
  as against Krebs。  It is curious how keen is the instinct of men like
  Grierson; Dickinson; Tallant and Scherer for the really dangerous
  opponent。  Who the deuce was this man Krebs?  Well; I could supply them
  with some information: they doubtless recalled the Galligan; case; and
  Miller Gorse; who forgot nothing; also remembered his opposition in the
  legislature to House Bill 709。  He had continued to be the obscure legal
  champion of 〃oppressed〃 labour; but how he had managed to keep body and
  soul together I knew not。  I had encountered him occasionally in court
  corridors or on the street; he did not seem to change much; nor did he
  appear in our brief and perfunctory conversations to bear any resentment
  against me for the part I had taken in the Galligan affair。  I avoided
  him when it was possible。。。。  I had to admit that he had done a
  remarkably good piece of work in collecting Greenhalge's evidence; and
  how the; erring city officials were to be rescued became a matter of
  serious concern。  Gregory; the district attorney; was in an abject funk;
  in any case a mediocre lawyer; after the indictment he was no help at
  all。  I had to do all the work; and after we had selected the particular
  〃Railroad〃 judge before whom the case was to be tried; I talked it over
  with him。  His name was Notting; he understood perfectly what was
  required of him; and that he was for the moment the chief bulwark on
  which depended the logical interests of capital and sane government for
  their defence; also; his re…election was at stake。  It was indicated to
  newspapers (such as the Mail and State) showing a desire to keep up
  public interest in the affair that their advertising matter might
  decrease; Mr。 Sherrill's great department store; for instance; did not
  approve of this sort of agitation。  Certain stationers; booksellers and
  other business men had got 〃cold feet;〃 as Mr。 Jason put it; the prospect
  of bankruptcy suddenly looming ahead of them;since the Corn National
  Bank held certain paper。。。。
  In short; when the case did come to trial; it 〃blew up;〃 as one of our
  ward leaders dynamically expressed it。  Several important witnesses were
  mysteriously lacking; and two or three school…teachers had suddenly
  decidedto take a trip to Europe。  The district attorney was ill; and
  assigned the prosecution to a mild assistant; while a sceptical jury
  composed largely of gentlemen who had the business interests of the
  community; and of themselves; at heart returned a verdict of 〃not
  guilty。〃  This was the signal for severely dignified editorials in Mr。
  Tallant's and other conservative newspapers; hinting that it might be
  well in the future for all well…meaning but misguided reformers to think
  twice before subjecting the city to the cost of such trials; and
  uselessly attempting to inflame public opinion and upset legitimate
  business。  The Era expressed the opinion that no city in the United
  States was 〃more efficiently and economically governed than our own。〃
  〃Irregularities〃 might well occur in every large organization; and it
  would better have become Mr。 Greenhalge if; instead of hiring an unknown
  lawyer thirsting for notoriety to cook up charges; he had called the
  attention of the proper officials to the matter; etc。; etc。  The Pilot
  alone; which relied on sensation for its circulation; kept hammering away
  for a time with veiled accusations。  But our citizens had become
  weary。。。。
  As a topic; however; this effective suppression of reform was referred to
  with some delicacy by my friends and myself。  Our interference had been
  necessary and therefore justified; but we were not particularly proud of
  it; and our triumph had a temporarily sobering effect。  It was about this
  time; if I remember correctly; that Mr。 Dickinson gave the beautiful
  stained…glass window to the church。。。。
  Months passed。  One day; having occasion to go over to the Boyne Iron
  Works to get information at first hand from certain officials; and having
  finished my business; I boarded a South Side electric car standing at the
  terminal。  Just before it started Krebs came down the aisle of the car
  and took the seat in front of me。
  〃Well;〃 I said; 〃how are you?〃  He turned in surprise; and thrust his
  big; bony hand across the back of the seat。  〃Come and sit here。〃  He
  came。  〃Do you ever get back to Cambridge in these days?〃 I asked
  cordially。
  〃Not since I graduated from newspaper work in Boston。  That's a good many
  years ago。  By the way; our old landlady died this year。〃
  〃Do you mean?〃  〃Granite Face;〃 I was about to say。  I had forgotten
  her name; but that homesick scene when Tom and I stood before our open
  trunks; when Krebs had paid us a visit; came back to me。  〃You've kept in
  touch with her?〃 I asked; in surprise。
  〃Well;〃 said Krebs; 〃she was one of the few friends I had at Cambridge。
  I had a letter from the daughter last week。  She's done very well; and is
  an instructor in biology in one of the western universities。〃
  I was silent a moment。
  〃And you;you never married; did you?〃 I inquired; somewhat
  irrelevantly。
  His semi…humorous gesture seemed to deny that such a luxury was for him。
  The conversation dragged a little; I began to feel the curiosity he
  invariably inspired。  What was his life?  What were his beliefs?  And I
  was possessed by a certain militancy; a desire to 〃smoke him out。〃  I did
  not stop to reflect that mine was in reality a defensive rather than an
  aggressive attitude。
  〃Do you live down here; in this part of the city?〃 I asked。
  No; he boarded in Fowler Street。  I knew it as in a district given over
  to the small houses of working…men。
  〃I suppose you are still a socialist。〃
  〃I suppose I am;〃 he admitted; and added; 〃at any rate; that is as near
  as you can get to it。〃
  〃Isn't it fairly definite?〃
  〃Fairly; if my notions are taken in general as the antithesis of what you
  fellows believe。〃
  〃The abolition of property; for instance。〃
  〃The abolition of too much property。〃
  〃What do you mean by 'too much'?〃
  〃When it ceases to be real to a man; when it represents more than his
  need; w