Page:Captain Craig; a book of poems.djvu/24

10 And with a calm Socratic patronage, At once half sombre and half humorous, The Captain reverently twirled his thumbs And fixed his eyes on something far away; Then, with a gradual gaze, conclusive, shrewd, And at the moment unendurable For sheer beneficence, he looked at me.— "But the brass band?" I said, not quite at ease With altruism yet.—He made a kind Of reminiscent little inward noise, Midway between a chuckle and a laugh, And that was all his answer: not a word Of explanation or suggestion came From those tight-smiling lips. And when I left, I wondered, as I trod the creaking snow And had the world-wide air to breathe again,— Though I had seen the tremor of his mouth And honored the endurance of his hand— Whether or not, securely closeted Up there in the stived haven of his den, The man sat laughing at me; and I felt My teeth grind hard together with a quaint Revulsion—as I think back on it now— Not only for my Captain, but as well For every smug-faced failure on God's earth— Albeit I could swear, at the same time, That there were tears in the old fellow's eyes.