友情提示:如果本网页打开太慢或显示不完整,请尝试鼠标右键“刷新”本网页!阅读过程发现任何错误请告诉我们,谢谢!! 报告错误
九色书籍 返回本书目录 我的书架 我的书签 TXT全本下载 进入书吧 加入书签

lin mclean-第8章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!




clearness。



The throat and lips of Mr。 McLean moved; and a sulky sound came forth

that I recognized to be meant for the word 〃War。〃 Then he rolled over so

that his face was away from me; and put an arm over his eyes。



〃I don't mean country in the sense of United States;〃 said I。 〃I mean

this country here; and Bear Creek; andwell; the ranches southward for

fifty miles; say。 Important to this section。〃



〃Mosquitoes'll be due in about three weeks;〃 said Lin。 〃Yu' might leave a

man rest till then。〃



〃I want your opinion;〃 said I。



〃Oh; misery! Well; a raise in the price of steers。〃



〃No。〃



〃Yu' said yu' wanted my opinion;〃 said Lin。 〃Seems like yu' merely figure

on givin' me yours。〃



〃Very well;〃 said I。 〃Very well; then。〃



I took up a copy of the Cheyenne Sun。 It was five weeks old; and I soon

perceived that I had read it three weeks ago; but I read it again for

some minutes now。



〃I expect a railroad would be more important;〃 said Mr。 McLean;

persuasively; from the floor。



〃Than a rise in steers?〃 said I; occupied with the Cheyenne Sun。 〃Oh yes。

Yes; a railroad certainly would。〃



〃It's got to be money; anyhow;〃 stated Lin; thoroughly wakened。 〃Money in

some shape。〃



〃How little you understand the real wants of the country!〃 said I; coming

to the point。 〃It's a girl。〃



Mr。 McLean lay quite still on the floor。



〃A girl;〃 I repeated。 〃A new girl coming to this starved country。〃



The cow…puncher took a long; gradual stretch and began to smile。 〃Well;〃

said he; 〃yu' caught meif that's much to do when a man is half…witted

with dinner and sleep。〃 He closed his eyes again and lay with a specious

expression of indifference。 But that sort of thing is a solitary

entertainment; and palls。 〃Starved;〃 he presently muttered。 〃We are kind

o' starved that way I'll admit。 More dollars than girls to the square

mile。 And to think of all of us nice; healthy; youngbet yu' I know who

she is!〃 he triumphantly cried。 He had sat up and levelled a finger at me

with the throw…down jerk of a marksman。 〃Sidney; Nebraska。〃



I nodded。 This was not the lady's namehe could not recall her namebut

his geography of her was accurate。



One day in February my friend; Mrs。 Taylor over on Bear Creek; had

received a letterno common event for her。 Therefore; during several

days she had all callers read it just as naturally as she had them all

see the new baby; and baby and letter had both been brought out for me。

The letter was signed;



                      〃Ever your afectionite frend。

                           〃Katie Peck;



and was not easy to read; here and there。 But you could piece out the

drift of it; and there was Mrs。 Taylor by your side; eager to help you

when you stumbled。 Miss Peck wrote that she was overworked in Sidney;

Nebraska; and needed a holiday。 When the weather grew warm she should

like to come to Bear Creek and be like old times。 〃Like to come and be

like old times〃 filled Mrs。 Taylor with sentiment and the cow…punchers

with expectation。 But it is a long way from February to warm weather on

Bear Creek; and even cow…punchers will forget about a new girl if she

does not come。 For several weeks I had not heard Miss Peck mentioned; and

old girls had to do。 Yesterday; however; when I paid a visit to Miss

Molly Wood (the Bear Creek schoolmistress); I found her keeping in order

the cabin and the children of the Taylors; while they were gone

forty…five miles to the stage station to meet their guest。



〃Well;〃 said Lin; judicially; 〃Miss Wood is a lady。〃



〃Yes;〃 said I; with deep gravity。 For I was thinking of an occasion when

Mr。 McLean had discovered that truth somewhat abruptly。



Lin thoughtfully continued。 〃She isshe'sshe'swhat are you laughin'

at?〃



〃Oh; nothing。 You don't see quite so much of Miss Wood as you used to; do

you?〃



〃Huh! So that's got around。 Well; o' course I'd ought t've knowed better;

I suppose。 All the same; there's lots and lots of girls do like gettin'

kissed against their wishesand you know it。〃



〃But the point would rather seem to be that she〃



〃Would rather seem! Don't yu' start that professor style o' yours; or

I'llI'll talk more wickedness in worse language than ever yu've heard

me do yet。〃



〃Impossible!〃 I murmured; sweetly; and Master Lin went on。



〃As to pointthat don't need to be explained to me。 She's a lady all

right。〃 He ruminated for a moment。 〃She has about scared all the boys

off; though;〃 he continued。 〃And that's what you get by being refined;〃

he concluded; as if Providence had at length spoken in this matter。



〃She has not scared off a boy from Virginia; I notice;〃 said I。 〃He was

there yesterday afternoon again。 Ridden all the way over from Sunk Creek。

Didn't seem particularly frightened。〃



〃Oh; well; nothin' alarms himnot even refinement;〃 said Mr。 McLean;

with his grin。 〃And she'll fool your Virginian like she done the balance

of us。 You wait。 Shucks! If all the girls were that chilly; why; what

would us poor punchers do?〃



〃You have me cornered;〃 said I; and we sat in a philosophical silence;

Lin on the floor still; and I at the window。 There I looked out upon a

scene my eyes never tired of then; nor can my memory now。 Spring had

passed over it with its first; lightest steps。 The pastured levels

undulated in emerald。 Through the many…changing sage; that just this

moment of to…day was lilac; shone greens scarce a week old in the dimples

of the foot…hills; and greens new…born beneath today's sun melted among

them。 Around the doubling of the creek in the willow thickets glimmered

skeined veils of yellow and delicate crimson。 The stream poured

turbulently away from the snows of the mountains behind us。 It went

winding in many folds across the meadows into distance and smallness; and

so vanished round the great red battlement of wall beyond。 Upon this were

falling the deep hues of afternoonviolet; rose; and saffron; swimming

and meeting as if some prism had dissolved and flowed over the turrets

and crevices of the sandstone。 Far over there I saw a dot move。



〃At last!〃 said I。



Lin looked out of the window。 〃It's more than Tommy;〃 said he; at once;

and his eyes made it out before mine could。 〃It's a wagon。 That's Tommy's

bald…faced horse alongside。 He's fooling to the finish;〃 Lin severely

commented; as if; after all this delay; there should at least be a

homestretch。



Presently; however; a homestretch seemed likely to occur。 The bald…faced

horse executed some lively manoeuvres; and Tommy's voice reached us

faintly through the light spring air。 He was evidently howling the

remarkable strain of yells that the cow…punchers invented as the speech

best understood by cowsOi…ee; yah; whoop…yahye…ee; oooo…oop; oop;

oop…oop…oop…oop…yah…hee!〃 But that gives you no idea of it。 Alphabets are

worse than photographs。 It is not the lungs of every man that can produce

these effects; nor even from armies; eagles; or mules were such sounds

ever heard on earth。 The cow…puncher invented them。 And when the last

cow…puncher is laid to rest (if that; alas! have not already befallen)

the yells will be forever gone。 Singularly enough; the cattle appeared to

appreciate them。 Tommy always did them very badly; and that was plain

even at this distance。 Nor did he give us a homestretch; after all。 The

bald…faced horse made a number of evolutions and returned beside the

wagon。



〃Showin' off;〃 remarked Lin。 〃Tommy's showin' off。〃 Suspicion crossed his

face; and then certainty。 〃Why; we might have knowed that!〃 he exclaimed;

in dudgeon。 〃It's her。〃 He hastened outside for a better look; and I came

to the door myself。 〃That's what it is;〃 said he。 〃It's the girl。 Oh yes。

That's Taylor's buckskin pair he traded Balaam for。 She come by the stage

all right yesterday; yu' see; but she has been too tired to travel; yu'

see; or else; maybe; Taylor wanted to rest his buckskinsthey're

four…year…olds。 Or elseanyway; they laid over last night at Powder

River; and Tommy he has just laid over too; yu' see; holdin' the mail

back on us twenty…four hoursand that's your postmaster!〃



It was our postmaster; and this he had done; quite as the virtuously

indignant McLean surmised。 Had I taken the same interest in the new girl;

I suppose that I too should have felt virtuously indignant。



Lin and I stood outside to receive the travellers。 As their cavalcade

drew near; Mr。 McLean grew silent and watchful; his whole attention

focused upon the Taylors' vehicle。 Its approach was joyous。 Its gear made

a cheerful clanking; Taylor cracked his whip and encouragingly chirruped

to his buckskins; and Tommy's apparatus jingled musically。 For Tommy wore

upon himself and his saddle all the things you can wear in the Wild West。

Except that his hair was not long; our postmaster might have conducted a

show and minted gold by exhibiting his romantic person before the eye
返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0
未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!
温馨提示: 温看小说的同时发表评论,说出自己的看法和其它小伙伴们分享也不错哦!发表书评还可以获得积分和经验奖励,认真写原创书评 被采纳为精评可以获得大量金币、积分和经验奖励哦!