登陆注册
20040200000123

第123章 XXXV. WITH MALICE AFORETHOUGHT(3)

She pushed it from her. She would not brook such sacrifice on his part. Were they not going to her mother in four weeks? If her family had warmly accepted him--but they had not; and in any case, it had gone too far, it was too late. She told her lover that she would not hear him, that if he said any more she would gallop into town separately from him. And for his sake she would hide deep from him this loneliness of hers, and the hurt that he had given her in refusing to share with her his trouble with Trampas, when others must know of it.

Accordingly, they descended the hill slowly together, lingering to spin out these last miles long. Many rides had taught their horses to go side by side, and so they went now: the girl sweet and thoughtful in her sedate gray habit; and the man in his leathern chaps and cartridge belt and flannel shirt, looking gravely into the distance with the level gaze of the frontier.

Having read his sweetheart's mind very plainly, the lover now broke his dearest custom. It was his code never to speak ill of any man to any woman. Men's quarrels were not for women's ears.

In his scheme, good women were to know only a fragment of men's lives. He had lived many outlaw years, and his wide knowledge of evil made innocence doubly precious to him. But to-day he must depart from his code, having read her mind well. He would speak evil of one man to one woman, because his reticence had hurt her--and was she not far from her mother, and very lonely, do what he could? She should know the story of his quarrel in language as light and casual as he could veil it with.

He made an oblique start. He did not say to her: "I'll tell you about this. You saw me get ready for Trampas because I have been ready for him any time these five years." He began far off from the point with that rooted caution of his--that caution which is shared by the primal savage and the perfected diplomat.

"There's cert'nly a right smart o' difference between men and women," he observed.

"You're quite sure?" she retorted.

"Ain't it fortunate?--that there's both, I mean."

"I don't know about fortunate. Machinery could probably do all the heavy work for us without your help.

"And who'd invent the machinery?"

She laughed. "We shouldn't need the huge, noisy things you do.

Our world would be a gentle one."

"Oh, my gracious!"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, my gracious! Get along, Monte! A gentle world all full of ladies!"

"Do you call men gentle?" inquired Molly.

"Now it's a funny thing about that. Have yu' ever noticed a joke about fathers-in-law? There's just as many fathers- as mothers-in-law; but which side are your jokes?"

Molly was not vanquished. "That's because the men write the comic papers," said she.

"Hear that, Monte? The men write 'em. Well, if the ladies wrote a comic paper, I expect that might be gentle."

She gave up this battle in mirth; and he resumed:- "But don't you really reckon it's uncommon to meet a father-in-law flouncin' around the house? As for gentle--Once I had to sleep in a room next a ladies' temperance meetin'. Oh, heavens! Well, I couldn't change my room, and the hotel man, he apologized to me next mawnin'. Said it didn't surprise him the husbands drank some."

Here the Virginian broke down over his own fantastic inventions, and gave a joyous chuckle in company with his sweetheart. "Yes, there's a big heap o' difference between men and women," he said.

"Take that fello' and myself, now."

"Trampas?" said Molly, quickly serious. She looked along the road ahead, and discerned the figure of Trampas still visible on its way to town.

The Virginian did not wish her to be serious--more than could be helped. "Why, yes," he replied, with a waving gesture at Trampas.

"Take him and me. He don't think much o' me! How could he? And I expect he'll never. But yu' saw just now how it was between us.

We were not a bit like a temperance meetin'."

She could not help laughing at the twist he gave to his voice.

And she felt happiness warming her; for in the Virginian's tone about Trampas was something now that no longer excluded her. Thus he began his gradual recital, in a cadence always easy, and more and more musical with the native accent of the South. With the light turn he gave it, its pure ugliness melted into charm.

"No, he don't think anything of me. Once a man in the John Day Valley didn't think much, and by Canada de Oro I met another. It will always be so here and there, but Trampas beats 'em all. For the others have always expressed themselves--got shut of their poor opinion in the open air.

"Yu' see, I had to explain myself to Trampas a right smart while ago, long before ever I laid my eyes on yu'. It was just nothing at all. A little matter of cyards in the days when I was apt to spend my money and my holidays pretty headlong. My gracious, what nonsensical times I have had! But I was apt to win at cyards, 'specially poker. And Trampas, he met me one night, and I expect he must have thought I looked kind o' young. So he hated losin' his money to such a young-lookin' men, and he took his way of sayin' as much. I had to explain myself to him plainly, so that he learned right away my age had got its growth.

"Well, I expect he hated that worse, having to receive my explanation with folks lookin' on at us publicly that-a-way, and him without further ideas occurrin' to him at the moment. That's what started his poor opinion of me, not havin' ideas at the moment. And so the boys resumed their cyards.

"I'd most forgot about it. But Trampas's mem'ry is one of his strong points. Next thing--oh, it's a good while later--he gets to losin' flesh because Judge Henry gave me charge of him and some other punchers taking cattle--"

"That's not next," interrupted the girl.

"Not? Why--"

"Don't you remember?" she said, timid, yet eager. "Don't you?"

"Blamed if I do!"

"The first time we met?"

"Yes; my mem'ry keeps that--like I keep this." And he brought from his pocket her own handkerchief, the token he had picked up at a river's brink when he had carried her from an overturned stage.

同类推荐
  • 佛说须达经

    佛说须达经

    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。
  • 笔阵图

    笔阵图

    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。
  • Prayers Written At Vailima

    Prayers Written At Vailima

    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。
  • The Japanese Twins

    The Japanese Twins

    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。
  • 阳羡茗壶系

    阳羡茗壶系

    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
  • Twelfth Night

    Twelfth Night

    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。
  • 妖妃逆袭之宠你别逃

    妖妃逆袭之宠你别逃

    一朝重生,本是一名现代的的天才神医却不料穿越到白家不受宠的庶女——白沫筱。在这异世里,风起云涌,她成长蜕变。在成长道路突然有一个身影闯进她的视线,不知从何时起迷失自己,在他有力的怀抱沉沦。他是她伟大的后盾,也是她心中的归宿
  • 校霸狂

    校霸狂

    校霸狂所讲述的是学校霸王的争斗故事,进而引发了情与爱、事业的三大板块。故事主要涉及的主人公有甜美可爱的小兰、自以为是的莫十一、憨厚老实的大胖、飞扬跋扈的富二代阿东、和沉默寡言但充满报复的小北.故事围绕他们讲述初中、高中、大学到事业巅峰的完整故事。
  • 你不知道的海洋秘密

    你不知道的海洋秘密

    神秘的百慕大、金字塔,神奇的恐龙世界,千奇百怪的动植物,还有遥远的太空及外星人,以及历史上数不清的传奇人物和故事,对孩子来说,都有着莫大的吸引力。根据调查研究表明,中、小学生对历史知识、生物知识、未解之谜等特别感兴趣,而探究这方面的知识,有利于孩子增加阅读量,加强知识的储备,更重要的是孩子能主动寻找问题的答案,对小学生思维的训练和潜能开发起着重要的影响。
  • 嫁衣乱红

    嫁衣乱红

    乱红,一个卑微的绝色宫女,戴着丑女的面具,与命运不断抗争。本以为小心翼翼便可置身事外,却不由自主一步一步走向风口浪尖。本想功成身退远走江湖,偏偏朝堂风云色变,不容她视若无睹……
  • 传奇领主纪

    传奇领主纪

    兵者,诡道也!将者,诡谋也!王者,诡心也!俗话说上兵伐谋,且看穿越异界的杨修如何带着一个坑爹的游戏系统,铁血沙场征战四方!为枭雄者,当视人命如草芥!
  • 太古大陆

    太古大陆

    一代天才,背负血海深仇,纵横大陆,无人能及。手持诛仙剑,脚踏狱火麒麟,终成一代传说!
  • Meteorite

    Meteorite

    黑手党之国——海利伯拉特,隶属于其西南方海域的学院岛诺尔齐斯。表面上宁静祥和的这个地方,却是整个黑手党之国危险级别也是安全级别最高的岛屿,数个势力庞大的黑手党以及海利伯拉特的机密暗杀部队据点便安设在此,除此之外诺尔齐斯还潜伏着销声匿迹数千年的血族。不仅如此,正式拥有诺尔齐斯户口的人们还有着习得占星术、封魔诀等各种能力的几率。在天现红月之时,这座学院岛最原本的持有者们——血族,悄然复苏。
  • 凤惊天:吃定腹黑帝王

    凤惊天:吃定腹黑帝王

    寻找宝物的主人?!这简直是不可能的任务,她真的有能力战胜天界,人界,鬼界之间的战争吗?!层层阴谋之下,她或许只是一个可悲的牺牲品!齐御天,冷酷,残虐,有着鹰枭一般的利眸,野兽一般的残酷凌厉,是战无不胜的战神,他与她的相遇,是命中的注定,更是上天精心策划的算计。他早已注定必须深陷在她疯狂如同烈焰一般的温柔中,不可自拔!蓝影,一个天界最腹黑的天神,有着狼一般精密的算计,更有着连神都不可探测的智慧。他们相识千年,相知了千年,这样切不断的孽缘,就算痛彻心扉,他依旧要继续!她终于揭开层层任务下的真相,最终这只是一场上天精心下的设计?!--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 腹黑公子傲娇妻

    腹黑公子傲娇妻

    百年一度的飞鹤节大试开典礼上,他仰望着千里花台上幻蝶般的高贵身影,说了一句震惊世界的话,似喃喃自语,又似是对爱人最美丽的宣言。然后,他成功了……