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lin mclean-第28章

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never been quite sure whatperhaps reversion to the native animal

absorbed in his meat; perhaps a little from every guest's uneasiness lest

he drink his coffee wrong or stumble in the accepted uses of the fork。

Indeed; a diffident; uncleansed youth nearest Miss Buckner presently

wiped his mouth upon the cloth; and Mr。 McLean; knowing better than that;

eyed him for this conduct in the presence of a lady。 The lively strength

of the butter must; I think; have reached all in the room; at any rate;

the table…cloth lad; troubled by Mr。 McLean's eye; now relieved the

general silence by observing; chattily:



〃Say; friends; that butter ain't in no trance。〃



〃If it's too rich for you;〃 croaked the enraged proprietor; 〃use

axle…dope。〃



The company continued gravely feeding; while I struggled to preserve the

decorum of sadness; and Miss Buckner's face was also unsteady。 But

sternness mantled in the countenance of Mr。 McLean; until the harmless

boy; embarrassed to pieces; offered the untasted smelling…dish to Lin; to

me; helped himself; and finally thrust the plate at the girl; saying; in

his Texas idiom;



〃Have butter。〃



He spoke in the shell voice of adolescence; and on 〃butter〃 cracked an

octave up into the treble。 Miss Buckner was speechless; and could only

shake her head at the plate。



Mr。 McLean; however; thought she was offended。 〃She wouldn't choose for

none;〃 he said to the youth; with appalling calm。 〃Thank yu' most to

death。〃



〃I guess;〃 fluted poor Texas; in a dove falsetto; 〃it would go slicker

rubbed outside than swallered。〃



At this Miss Buckner broke from the table and fled out of the house。



〃You don't seem to know anything;〃 observed Mr。 McLean。 〃What toy…shop

did you escape from?〃



〃Wind him up! Wind him up!〃 said the proprietor; sticking his head in

from the kitchen。



〃Ah; what's the matter with this outfit?〃 screamed the boy; furiously。

〃Can't yu' leave a man eat? Can't yu' leave him be? You make me sick!〃

And he flounced out with his young boots。



All the while the company fed on unmoved。 Presently one remarked;



〃Who's hiring him?〃



〃The C。 Y。 outfit;〃 said another。



〃Half…circle L。;〃 a third corrected。



〃I seen one like him onced;〃 said the first; taking his hat from beneath

his chair。 〃Up in the Black Hills he was。 Eighteen seventy…nine。 Gosh!〃

And he wandered out upon his business。 One by one the others also

silently dispersed。



Upon going out; Lin and I found the boy pacing up and down; eagerly in

talk with Miss Buckner。 She had made friends with him; and he was now

smoothed down and deeply absorbed; being led by her to tell her about

himself。 But on Lin's approach his face clouded; and he made off for the

corrals; displaying a sullen back; while I was presenting Mr。 McLean to

the lady。



Overtaken by his cow…puncher shyness; Lin was greeting her with ungainly

ceremony; when she began at once; 〃You'll excuse me; but I just had to

have my laugh。〃



〃That's all right; m'm;〃 said he; 〃don't mention it。〃



〃For that boy; you know〃



〃I'll fix him; m'm。 He'll not insult yu' no more。 I'll speak to him。〃



〃Now; please don't! Whywhyyou were every bit as bad!〃 Miss Buckner

pealed out; joyously。 〃It was the two of you。 Oh dear!〃



Mr。 McLean looked crestfallen。 〃I had noI didn't go to〃



〃Why; there was no harm! To see him mean so well and you mean so well;

andI know I ought to behave better!〃



〃No; yu' oughtn't!〃 said Lin; with sudden ardor; and then; in a voice of

deprecation; 〃You'll think us plumb ignorant。〃



〃You know enough to be kind to folks;〃 said she。



〃We'd like to。〃



〃It's the only thing makes the world go round!〃 she declared; with an

emotion that I had heard in her tone once or twice already。 But she

caught herself up; and said gayly to me; 〃And where's that house you were

going to build for a lone girl to sleep in?〃



〃I'm afraid the foundations aren't laid yet;〃 said I。



〃Now you gentlemen needn't bother about me。〃



〃We'll have to; m'm。 You ain't used to Separ。〃



〃Oh; I am notenderfoot; don't you call them?〃 She whipped out her

pistol; and held it at the cow…puncher; laughing。



This would have given no pleasure to me; but over Lin's features went a

glow of delight; and he stood gazing at the pointed weapon and the girl

behind it。 〃My!〃 he said; at length; almost in a whisper; 〃she's got the

drop on me!〃



〃I reckon I'd be afraid to shoot that one of yours;〃 said Miss Buckner。

〃But this hits a target real good and straight at fifteen yards。〃 And she

handed it to him for inspection。



He received it; hugely grinning; and turned it over and over。 〃My!〃 he

murmured again。 〃Why; shucks!〃 He looked at Miss Buckner with stark

rapture; caressing the polished revolver at the same time with a fond;

unconscious thumb。 〃You hold it just as steady as I could;〃 he said with

pride; and added; insinuatingly; 〃I could learn yu' the professional drop

in a morning。 This here is a little dandy gun。〃



〃You'd not trade; though;〃 said she; 〃for all your flattery。〃



〃Will yu' trade?〃 pounced Lin。 〃Won't yu'?〃



〃Now; Mr。 McLean; I am afraid you're thoughtless。 How could a girl like

me ever hold that awful 。45 Colt steady?〃



〃She knows the brands; too!〃 cried Lin; in ecstasy。 〃See here;〃 he

remarked to me with a manner that smacked of command; 〃we're losing time

right now。 You go and tell the agent to hustle and fix his room up for a

lady; and I'll bring her along。〃



I found the agent willing; of course; to sleep on the floor of the

office。 The toy station was also his home。 The front compartment held the

ticket and telegraph and mail and express chattels; and the railing; and

room for the public to stand; through a door you then passed to the

sitting; dining; and sleeping box; and through another to a cooking…stove

in a pigeon…hole。 Here flourished the agent and his lungs; and here the

company's strict orders bade him sleep in charge; so I helped him put his

room to rights。 But we need not have hurried ourselves。 Mr。 McLean was so

long in bringing the lady that I went out and found him walking and

talking with her; while fifty yards away skulked poor Texas; alone。 This

boy's name was; like himself; of the somewhat unexpected order; being

Manassas Donohoe。



As I came towards the new friends they did not appear to be joking; and

on seeing me Miss Buckner said to Lin; 〃Did he know?〃



Lin hesitated。



〃You did know!〃 she exclaimed; but lost her resentment at once; and

continued; very quietly and with a friendly tone; 〃I reckon you don't

like to have to tell folks bad news。〃



It was I that now hesitated。



〃Not to a strange girl; anyway!〃 said she。 〃Well; now I have good news to

tell you。 You would not have given me any shock if you had said you knew

about poor Nate; for that's the reasonOf course those things can't be

secrets! Why; he's only twenty; sir! How should he know about this world?

He hadn't learned the first little thing when he left home five years

ago。 And I am twenty…threeold enough to be Nate's grandmother; he's

that young and thoughtless。 He couldn't ever realize bad companions when

they came around。 See that!〃 She showed me a paper; taking it out like a

precious thing; as indeed it was; for it was a pardon signed by Governor

Barker。 〃And the Governor has let me carry it to Nate myself。 He won't

know a thing about it till I tell him。 The Governor was real kind; and we

will never forget him。 I reckon Nate must have a mustache by now?〃 said

she to Lin。



〃Yes;〃 Lin answered; gruffly; looking away from her; 〃he has got a

mustache all right。〃



〃He'll be glad to see you;〃 said I; for something to say。



〃Of course he will! How many hours did you say we will be?〃 she asked

Lin; turning from me again; for Mr。 McLean had not been losing time。 It

was plain that between these two had arisen a freemasonry from which I

was already shut out。 Her woman's heart had answered his right impulse to

tell her about her brother; and I had been found wanting!



So now she listened over again to the hours of stage jolting that 〃we〃

had before us; and that lay between her and Nate。 〃We would be four

herself; Lin; myself; and the boy Billy。 Was Billy the one at supper? Oh

no; just Billy Lusk; of Laramie。 〃He's a kid I'm taking up the country;〃

Lin explained。 〃Ain't you most tuckered out?〃



〃Oh; me!〃 she confessed; with a laugh and a sigh。



There again! She had put aside my solicitude lightly; but was willing Lin

should know her fatigue。 Yet; fatigue and all; she would not sleep in the

agent's room。 At sight of it and the close quarters she drew back into

the outer office; so prompted by that inner; unsuspected strictness she

had shown me before。



〃Come out!〃 she cried; laughing。 〃Indeed; I thank you。 But I can't have

you sleep on this hard floor out here。 No politeness; now! Thank you eve
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