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I
ONE DOES NOT ALWAYS EAT WHAT IS ON THE TABLE
By the light of a tallow candle which had been placed on one end of
a rough table a man was reading something written in a book. It was
an old account book, greatly worn; and the writing was not,
apparently, very legible, for the man sometimes held the page close
to the flame of the candle to get a stronger light on it. The shadow
of the book would then throw into obscurity a half of the room,
darkening a number of faces and figures; for besides the reader,
eight other men were present. Seven of them sat against the rough
log walls, silent, motionless, and the room being small, not very
far from the table. By extending an arm any one of them could have
touched the eighth man, who lay on the table, face upward, partly
covered by a sheet, his arms at his sides. He was dead.
The man with the book was not reading aloud, and no one spoke; all
seemed to be waiting for something to occur; the dead man only was
without expectation. From the blank darkness outside came in,
through the aperture that served for a window, all the ever
unfamiliar noises of night in the wilderness—the long nameless note
of a distant coyote; the stilly pulsing thrill of tireless insects
in trees; strange cries of night birds, so different from those of
the birds of day; the drone of great blundering beetles, and all
that mysterious chorus of small sounds that seem always to have been
but half heard when they have suddenly ceased, as if conscious of an
indiscretion. But nothing of all this was noted in that company; its
members were not overmuch addicted to idle interest in matters of no
practical importance; that was obvious in every line of their rugged
faces—obvious even in the dim light of the single candle. They were
evidently men of the vicinity—farmers and woodsmen.
The person reading was a trifle different; one would have said of
him that he was of the world, worldly, albeit there was that in his
attire which attested a certain fellowship with the organisms of his
environment. His coat would hardly have passed muster in San
Francisco; his foot-gear was not of urban origin, and the hat that
lay by him on the floor (he was the only one uncovered) was such
that if one had considered it as an article of mere personal
adornment he would have missed its meaning. In countenance the man
was rather prepossessing, with just a hint of sternness; though that
he may have assumed or cultivated, as appropriate to one in
authority. For he was a coroner. It was by virtue of his office that
he had possession of the book in which he was reading; it had been
found among the dead man's effects—in his cabin, where the inquest
was now taking place.
When the coroner had finished reading he put the book into his
breast pocket. At that moment the door was pushed open and a young
man entered. He, clearly, was not of mountain birth and breeding: he
was clad as those who dwell in cities. His clothing was dusty,
however, as from travel. He had, in fact, been riding hard to attend
the inquest.
The coroner nodded; no one else greeted him.
"We have waited for you," said the coroner. "It is necessary to have
done with this business to-night."
The young man smiled. "I am sorry to have kept you," he said. "I
went away, not to evade your summons, but to post to my newspaper an
account of what I suppose I am called back to relate."
The coroner smiled.
"The account that you posted to your newspaper," he said, "differs,
probably, from that which you will give here under oath."
"That," replied the other, rather hotly and with a visible flush,
"is as you please. I used manifold paper and have a copy of
what I sent. It was not written as news, for it is incredible, but
as fiction. It may go as a part of my testimony under oath."
"But you say it is incredible."
"That is nothing to you, sir, if I also swear that it is true."
The coroner was silent for a time, his eyes upon the floor. The men
about the sides of the cabin talked in whispers, but seldom withdrew
their gaze from the face of the corpse. Presently the coroner lifted
his eyes and said: "We will resume the inquest."
The men removed their hats. The witness was sworn.
"What is your name?" the coroner asked.
"William Harker."
"Age?"
"Twenty-seven."
"You knew the deceased, Hugh Morgan?"
"Yes."
"You were with him when he died?"
"Near him."
"How did that happen—your presence, I mean?"
"I was visiting him at this place to shoot and fish. A part of my
purpose, however, was to study him and his odd, solitary way of
life. He seemed a good model for a character in fiction. I sometimes
write stories."
"I sometimes read them."
"Thank you."
"Stories in general—not yours."
Some of the jurors laughed. Against a somber background humor shows
high lights. Soldiers in the intervals of battle laugh easily, and a
jest in the death chamber conquers by surprise.
"Relate the circumstances of this man's death," said the coroner.
"You may use any notes or memoranda that you please."
The witness understood. Pulling a manuscript from his breast pocket
he held it near the candle and turning the leaves until he found the
passage that he wanted began to read.
Click Here for
Part II
The Damned Thing
A Classic Horror Story
by
Ambrose Bierce |
