登陆注册
20010300000021

第21章 Mr.Pryor's Door(3)

"Well,if the rest of them will hurry up and marry off,so the expenses won't be so heavy,maybe I can.""How many of you are there?"he asked.

"Only twelve,"I said.

He looked down the road at our house.

"Do you mean to tell me you have twelve children there?"he inquired.

"Oh no!"I answered."Some of the big boys have gone into business in the cities around,and some of the girls are married.

Mother says she has only to show her girls in the cities to have them snapped up like hot cakes.""I fancy that is the truth,"he said."I've passed the one who rides the little black pony and she is a picture.A fine,healthy,sensible-appearing young woman!""I don't think she's as pretty as your girl,"I said.

"Perhaps I don't either,"he replied,smiling at me.

Then he mounted his horse.

"I don't remember that I ever have passed that house,"he said,"without hearing some one singing.Does it go on all the time?""Yes,unless mother is sick."

"And what is it all about?"

"Oh just joy!Gladness that we are alive,that we have things to do that we like,and praising the Lord.""Umph!"said Mr.Pryor.

"It's just letting out what our hearts are full of,"I told him.

"Don't you know that song:

"`Tis the old time religion And you cannot keep it still?'"He shook his head.

"It's an awful nice song,"I explained."After it sings about all the other things religion is good for,there is one line that says:`IT'S GOOD FOR THOSE IN TROUBLE.'"I looked at him straight and hard,but he only turned white and seemed sick.

"So?"said Mr.Pryor."Well,thank you for the most interesting morning I've had this side England.I should be delighted if you would come and hunt lions in my woods with me some time.""Oh,do you open the door to children?"

"Certainly we open the door to children,"he said,and as I live,he looked so sad I couldn't help thinking he was sorry to close it against any one.A mystery is the dreadfulest thing.

"Then if children don't matter,maybe I can come lion-hunting some time with the Princess,after she has made the visit at our house she said she would.""Indeed!I hadn't been informed that my daughter contemplated visiting your house,"he said."When was it arranged?""My mother invited her last Sunday."

I didn't like the way he said:"O-o-o-h!"Some way it seemed insulting to my mother.

"She did it to please me,"I said."There was a Fairy Princess told me the other day that your girl felt like a stranger,and that to be a stranger was the hardest thing in all the world.

She sat a little way from the others,and she looked so lonely.

I pulled my mother's sleeve and led her to your girl and made them shake hands,and then mother HAD to ask her to come to dinner with us.She always invites every one she meets coming down the aisle;she couldn't help asking your girl,too.She said she was expected at home,but she'd come some day and get acquainted.She needn't if you object.My mother only asked her because she thought she was lonely,and maybe she wanted to come."He sat there staring straight ahead and he seemed to grow whiter,and older,and colder every minute.

"Possibly she is lonely,"he said at last."This isn't much like the life she left.Perhaps she does feel herself a stranger.It was very kind of your mother to invite her.If she wants to come,I shall make no objections.""No,but my father will,"I said.

He straightened up as if something had hit him.

"Why will he object?"

"On account of what you said about God at our house,"I told him.

"And then,too,father's people were from England,and he says real Englishmen have their doors wide open,and welcome people who offer friendliness."Mr.Pryor hit his horse an awful blow.It reared and went racing up the road until I thought it was running away.I could see I had made him angry enough to burst.Mother always tells me not to repeat things;but I'm not smart enough to know what to say,so I don't see what is left but to tell what mother,or father,or Laddie says when grown people ask me questions.

I went home,but every one was too busy even to look at me,so I took Bobby under my arm,hunted father,and told him all about the morning.I wondered what he would think.I never found out.

He wouldn't say anything,so Bobby and I went across the lane,and climbed the gate into the orchard to see if Hezekiah were there and wanted to fight.He hadn't time to fight Bobby because he was busy chasing every wild jay from our orchard.By the time he got that done,he was tired,so he came hopping along on branches above us as Bobby and I went down the west fence beside the lane.

If I had been compelled to choose the side of our orchard I liked best,I don't know which I would have selected.The west side--that is,the one behind the dooryard--was running over with interesting things.Two gates opened into it,one from near each corner of the yard.Between these there was quite a wide level space,where mother fed the big chickens and kept the hens in coops with little ones.She had to have them close enough that the big hawks were afraid to come to earth,or they would take more chickens than they could pay for,by cleaning rabbits,snakes,and mice from the fields.Then came a double row of prize peach trees;rare fruit that mother canned to take to county fairs.One bore big,white freestones,and around the seed they were pink as a rose.One was a white cling,and one was yellow.There was a yellow freestone as big as a young sun,and as golden,and the queerest of all was a cling purple as a beet.

同类推荐
  • 佛垂般涅槃略说教诫经

    佛垂般涅槃略说教诫经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 送人游蜀

    送人游蜀

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 观音菩萨传奇

    观音菩萨传奇

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 嘉义管内采访册

    嘉义管内采访册

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • The Market-Place

    The Market-Place

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 别后倾城:重逢不深爱

    别后倾城:重逢不深爱

    时隔七年,再见旧爱.她早已没了当初的心动,只想做陌生人。奈何他爱她如故,无奈之下她嫁给帝都背景强横的墨少!她以为,他们之间没有爱情,也可以相敬如宾。可是婚后的生活却将她从一个火坑拖进另一个地狱!那个喜怒难辨的男人时而待她如珠如宝,几乎让她跌入爱情的幻境。时而的暴戾狠虐,又让她筋疲力尽...七年前,她只想要一份单纯的爱情,最后得到的却是与爱情等价痛苦!七年后,她只想求一份宁静,但她却在那个男人的惩罚中失去了自己的孩子!无论是七年前还是七年后,她所求的东西从来没有眷顾过她。轮回重演,宿命是不可逆转的轨迹!只不过是换了人而已,她失去的比过去更多...既然如此,那么就别怪她纵情的放肆和痛快的报复!
  • 帝后策

    帝后策

    黎乔前脚刚预见了自己的死亡,沈慕后脚就把直接导致黎乔死亡的聂姿姿接进了府。黎乔费劲心机都改变不了未来的走向,于是破釜沉舟,决定:和离!但是,沈慕,你打死都不和离,到底是几个意思啊喂!——————————————————乱世里的离乱人,黎乔和沈慕在乱世中谋君定国,居然,就这么过了一辈子。最后的最后,黎乔站在帝都高墙上,看着这个由他们一手拥立起来的国家,笑了。沈慕在旁边握紧了她的手。既见君子,云胡,不喜?
  • 随枫长大

    随枫长大

    本书写的是一位女孩林枫的成长故事。我们一起来为这个坚强又勤奋的女孩子加油吧!
  • 萌宝小青梅:竹马邻居爱上我

    萌宝小青梅:竹马邻居爱上我

    人小鬼大的江南五岁就勾搭上了闷骚的叶忆,常常互怼,常常撕逼,却总是给你不一样的温暖。一起打手游时...叶忆:江南你跑到别人塔下是不是傻?江南:..我..认..叶忆:认不认你也傻江南:“...我们绝交..”圣诞时,江南送给叶忆一盒肾宝,叶忆气炸了,“你这么怀疑我的能力吗?要不要晚上我们试试?”随即帅气把肾宝扔了。江南面不改色,“你别扔啊,肾宝好贵的,233元呢。”叶忆:“......”【男主闷骚高冷毒舌腹黑傲娇】【温情小短篇】【请放心入坑】
  • 蓝恋过后的黑

    蓝恋过后的黑

    青春有太多意想不到的事情,不经历风雨,怎会有彩虹呢?为了未来的兴奋,现在努力起来吧!
  • 许我一生都给你

    许我一生都给你

    她是个向往平淡安逸生活的文艺女,喜欢孤独,习惯冷漠,固执而偏执,她以为自己可以一个人过完一生,直到他闯进她的世界,他从不强迫她,确逼得她一次又一次妥协,他从不给她承诺,确让她万分依赖,他是黑暗里最致命的陷阱…
  • 魔妃倾城:覆天下

    魔妃倾城:覆天下

    穿越归来,她会拼尽一切力量,守护她的挚爱!站在最高巅峰,睥睨天下!涅槃重生!——无论你在何处,我都会拼劲一切守护,誓死娇宠!
  • 索拉混境

    索拉混境

    我们生活的太阳系英文名称叫SolarSystem,正是本文中索拉的音译由来。目前大多数的人都是将视野扩展到银河系、黑洞、维度甚至整个宇宙这些非常遥远的层面。可事实上,人类的真正认知范围简直可以用小的可怜来形容。要知道,我们是去年才刚刚知道冥王星到底长什么样子。与其去看那些我们可能究其一生都不太能真正了解的概念,不如随着笔者一起来看看我们眼下生活的这个太阳系到底是一个什么“乱”法。
  • 隽永清新的时文选粹(中华阅读文库)

    隽永清新的时文选粹(中华阅读文库)

    跨越时空的长廊,思索生命的意义;走进岁月的角落,寻找快乐的源泉。一滴水里有一个海洋,任生命之舟在波光里尽情荡漾,《中华阅读文库》为您缔造心灵的海洋;一朵花里有一个春天,任青春之花在春天里肆意绽放,《中华阅读文库》为您营造时光的春天。让广大读者在优美的文章中释放,在醉人的书香中感悟,通过文章点拨和自身领会,感悟人生百态,点亮生命的希望!
  • 特种狂龙

    特种狂龙

    信守对战友的承诺,重回都市,搅动风云,令豪门巨族,江湖门派为之颤抖;拥美入怀,令美艳校花,国际巨星,商场女强人等为之倾心。一手塑造传奇,一手辣手护花,造就特种兵的巅峰人生!