The Best Short Stories of 1918 Part 50

"'Be frank,' I urged. 'Do you mean that the Archduke's life is threatened?'

"'It is known,' he replied, 'that the governor has received warning letters. The Archduke is advised not to appear here on our holiday. One understands, moreover, that the Austrian secret police concur in this advice. Which shows that the filthy beasts are not so stupid as they might be.'

"'a.s.sure me, Gavrilo,' Mara broke in, 'that your _comitajia_ has nought to do with this threat!'

"'Long ago,' he answered 'I promised you that while you love me I will not actively partic.i.p.ate in anything violent. You may be sure, Maro, _mila_, that I shall keep my word.'

"'You keep your word always,' she replied, 'but these threats disturb me and I gain comfort from your rea.s.surances.'

"Gavrilo walked slowly over and looked into the bird cage.

"'You are certain, then, that you do requite my affection?' he asked her over his shoulder.

"'You are well aware,' she said, 'that I wors.h.i.+p you.'

"'Would that I were as well aware of it,' he returned, 'as that I am nothing to be wors.h.i.+ped.' Then after a pause he added: 'If you do love me, why not release this poor bird? See how wretchedly it huddles. Its eyes are becoming dull. It will surely die. How can we Serbs talk of freedom for ourselves, yet hold this wild creature prisoner? And of all birds, a _kos_-the bird of Kossovo! Permit me to open the door of the cage, Maro. Let us celebrate the Serbian holiday by liberating the poor _kos_. _Shvabe_ cannot prevent that, with all their edicts.'

"Mara looked black.

"'The holiday is not yet here!' said she.

"'When the day comes,' he answered, 'the _kos_ will be dead.'

"'I wish it were already dead!' she exclaimed petulantly. 'I wish I had never seen the accursed thing. It has brought me only sorrow!'

"'Then,' I interjected, 'why not let it fly away?'

"'I have told you both,' she answered angrily. 'This means more to me than the life or death of a bird. It is a symbol. I have the feeling that if it were to fly away all my will power would fly with it.'

"'And to me also,' returned the boy solemnly, 'this means more than the life or death of a bird. And likewise to me the _kos_ is a symbol. It should be so to every Serb. Think of Kossovo! This is a bird linked with our racial aspirations. If we free this one, we may, perhaps, ourselves deserve freedom. Otherwise, what do we deserve? Do we merit more than we ourselves give?'

"Having witnessed Mara's agitation when she first told me of their differences over the bird, I would now have stopped Gavrilo could I have signaled him, but he was engaged in putting some green leaves through the door of the cage. As he finished speaking, Mara rose, dropped her sewing upon the ground, and bursting into tears ran into the house.

"'Maro, _mila_!' Gavrilo cried, attempting to catch her; but the door slammed in his face.

"He was white as he turned to me. 'Tell me,' he cried in a tone childlike and baffled, 'can anyone understand the ways of woman? As men grow older do they understand better, or is it always like this?'

"Deeply concerned about them as I was, the navete of this question forced a smile from me.

"'You must ask some man older than I,' I answered.

"'Perhaps we are not intended to understand them,' he said reflectively.

'No doubt the Lord made them as they are so that we should forever be enthralled by them, as by any other enigma beyond comprehension. I enjoy lying on my back at night, to gaze up at the stars and think profoundly of eternity whirling about us, and the infinity of s.p.a.ce, but I a.s.sure you, when my lovely Mara becomes agitated those phenomena of nature seem, by contrast, trifling matters. I believe that if one could but understand Mara, one could understand the riddles of the ages.'

"I left Gavrilo in the garden. At dinner that night he was not with us.

I did not see him again until next evening, when I came upon him whispering with three young men upon the stairs. As I pa.s.sed them they became silent, nor did I like the nervous smile with which Gavrilo greeted me. On the day following I saw him go into a _kafana_ with the same youths. I think he also saw me, and from the haste with which he moved into the little cafe I gathered the impression that he was avoiding me.

"On the day before the maneuvers I cornered him after luncheon. Clearly he was keyed to a highly nervous tension.

"'Gavrilo,' I said, 'do not tell me anything you do not wish to. I have no desire to pry into your affairs. But I beg you to remember Mara and your promise to her, and not to become entangled in any rash escapade.'

"For a moment he stood looking at me without answering. It was as though he was carefully formulating a reply. Then he said:

"'I _have_ remembered. I have positively refused to partic.i.p.ate in certain matters in which I have been pressed to become active. At this moment that is all that I am enabled to say.'

"'It is all I desire to know,' I said. 'Tell me, what of Mara?'

"'All is well between us,' he returned, 'so long as one mentions not the bird.'

"Later I found them together in the garden. Mara was, as usual, sewing.

While I sat and talked with her, Gavrilo started picking fresh leaves to put into the bird cage. Mara, who had been telling me how, upon the morrow, the Serbs were to leave their shutters closed all day, so that they should not see the Austrians, ceased to speak as Gavrilo began gathering the leaves, and watched him narrowly for a moment.

"'Gavrilo,' she said, 'please put no more leaves into the cage.'

"'Why not?'

"'Because it is not well for him. He has been pecking at the leaves and I think they poison him.'

"'No,' said Gavrilo.

"'Yes,' she insisted. 'He appears miserable to-day.'

"'But naturally!' returned the youth. 'That is not new. He is dying. See how he is huddled with closed eyes in the corner of the cage.' As he spoke he plucked another leaf.

"Mara's expression became ominous.

"'If he should die,' she said in a quavering voice, 'it will be because of the leaves which you have given him!'

"'Impossible,' Gavrilo replied. 'Does not a bird live among the leaves?'

"'I tell you,' she exclaimed, 'I have asked the old bird man about it.

He says some leaves are good and some are not. He is coming this evening to see the _kos_ and give it medicine in its water.'

"I was relieved when Gavrilo pressed the point no farther but dropped the fresh leaves on the ground. Feeling that a situation had been narrowly averted, I thought best to leave them together.

"That evening, as I was walking toward the hotel from the square at the center of the town, I saw him coming out of the _kafana_ with several of the youths I had come to recognize as his friends. He joined me and we walked along together. At Mara's garden gate he halted, saying: 'Let us enter and see the poor bird.'

"'No, Gavrilo,' I said warningly. 'It is not the bird we go to see, but Mara.'

"'So be it,' he replied. 'Let us then visit Mara.'

"Mara was not in the garden. Gavrilo called her name. She answered from the house, and a moment later came out to meet us.

"As she emerged I saw her glance at the bird cage. Then she gave a startled cry.

"'Look!' she wailed. 'The _kos_ is dead!'

"It was true; there lay the bird upon its back among the dry leaves at the bottom of the cage.