登陆注册
20041900000010

第10章 CHAPTER Five(2)

Shall I ever forget the hour when I first overhauled these books? I do not allude especially to Baxter's Saints' Rest, which is far from being a lively work for the young, but to the Arabian Nights, and particularly Robinson Crusoe. The thrill that ran into my fingers' ends then has not run out yet. Many a time did I steal up to this nest of a room, and, taking the dog's-eared volume from its shelf, glide off into an enchanted realm, where there were no lessons to get and no boys to smash my kite. In a lidless trunk in the garret I subsequently unearthed another motley collection of novels and romances, embracing the adventures of Baron Trenck, Jack Sheppard, Don Quixote, Gil Blas, and Charlotte Temple-all of which I fed upon like a bookworm.

I never come across a copy of any of those works without feeling a certain tenderness for the yellow-haired little rascal who used to lean above the magic pages hour after hour, religiously believing every word he read, and no more doubting the reality of Sindbad the Sailor, or the Knight of the Sorrowful Countenance, than he did the existence of his own grandfather.

Against the wall at the foot of the bed hung a single-barrel shot-gun-placed there by Grandfather Nutter, who knew what a boy loved, if ever a grandfather did. As the trigger of the gun had been accidentally twisted off, it was not, perhaps, the most dangerous weapon that could be placed in the hands of youth. In this maimed condition its "bump of destructiveness" was much less than that of my small brass pocket-pistol, which I at once proceeded to suspend from one of the nails supporting the fowling-piece, for my vagaries concerning the red man had been entirely dispelled.

Having introduced the reader to the Nutter House, a presentation to the Nutter family naturally follows. The family consisted of my grandfather; his sister, Miss Abigail Nutter; and Kitty Collins, the maid-of-all-work.

Grandfather Nutter was a hale, cheery old gentleman, as straight and as bald as an arrow. He had been a sailor in early life; that is to say, at the age of ten years he fled from the multiplication-table, and ran away to sea. A single voyage satisfied him. There never was but one of our family who didn't run away to sea, and this one died at his birth. My grandfather had also been a soldier-a captain of militia in 1812. If I owe the British nation anything, I owe thanks to that particular British soldier who put a musket-ball into the fleshy part of Captain Nutter's leg, causing that noble warrior a slight permanent limp, but offsetting the injury by furnishing him with the material for a story which the old gentleman was never weary of telling and I never weary of listening to. The story, in brief, was as follows.

At the breaking out of the war, an English frigate lay for several days off the coast near Rivermouth. A strong fort defended the harbor, and a regiment of minute-men, scattered at various points along-shore, stood ready to repel the boats, should the enemy try to effect a landing. Captain Nutter had charge of a slight earthwork just outside the mouth of the river. Late one thick night the sound of oars was heard; the sentinel tried to fire off his gun at half-cock, and couldn't, when Captain Nutter sprung upon the parapet in the pitch darkness, and shouted, "Boat ahoyl" A musket-shot immediately embedded itself in the calf of his leg. The Captain tumbled into the fort and the boat, which had probably come in search of water, pulled back to the frigate.

This was my grandfather's only exploit during the war. That his prompt and bold conduct was instrumental in teaching the enemy the hopelessness of attempting to conquer such a people was among the firm beliefs of my boyhood.

At the time I came to Rivermouth my grandfather had retired from active pursuits, and was living at ease on his money, invested principally in shipping. He bad been a widower many years; a maiden sister, the aforesaid Miss Abigail, managing his household. Miss Abigail also managed her brother, and her brother's servant, and the visitor at her brother's gate-not in a tyrannical spirit, but from a philanthropic desire to be useful to everybody. In person she was tall and angular; she had a gray complexion, gray eyes, gray eyebrows, and generally wore a gray dress. Her strongest weak point was a belief in the efficacy of "hot-drops" as a cure for all known diseases.

If there were ever two people who seemed to dislike each other, Miss Abigail and Kitty Collins were those people. If ever two people really loved each other, Miss Abigail and Kitty Collins were those people also. They were always either skirmishing or having a cup of tea lovingly together.

Miss Abigail was very fond of me, and so was Kitty; and in the course of their disagreements each let me into the private history of the other.

同类推荐
  • GAMBARA

    GAMBARA

    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 Diary of a Nobody

    The Diary of a Nobody

    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 Soul of the Far East

    The Soul of the Far East

    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。
  • 通制条格

    通制条格

    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。
  • 太上洞神玄妙白猿真经

    太上洞神玄妙白猿真经

    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。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 方圆杀

    方圆杀

    武之极,可气动山河;棋之巅,可知晓乾坤。本书将围棋融入东方玄幻,在一个玄而又玄的世界中,上演一段波澜壮阔的少年励志奋斗史。新人需要鼓励,新书需要支持!求各位书友的点击收藏推荐!O(∩_∩)O~~书友群:173813100(欢迎喜欢本书或喜欢围棋的朋友)
  • 再见二丁目

    再见二丁目

    每个人都应该得到属于自己的一份爱,无论付出的多少。失去不代表永久,或许下一次偶遇比你任何时候都更灿烂。不管挫折有多少,你可以暂时迷失于选择,但别盲从于感觉,任何时候都应该比你爱别人更爱自己。
  • 帝君

    帝君

    落魄辰夜,携天刀重返少年时代,全凭一颗不屈的心重修武道;天刀既出,谁与争锋?落魄之后的霸气崛起,力创武道新境界掌控天地,成就一代至尊帝君!
  • 三千烟尘

    三千烟尘

    她是地狱血河中,久远以来,众生戾气执念凝聚化成的魔,法力无边,可驾驭万灵,众神皆认为她祸害苍生。他是极天之处最无欲无求的神,九霄明月,流云天高,不惹一丝尘埃。“你喜不喜欢我?”我错愕不已,我说,“您这问题好深奥!”他的脸上又是似笑非笑的,然后我便补了一句,“极天的神尊,您莫不是来对我施美人计!我还是小孩子,不懂你们大人的事情!”然后他的似笑非笑变成忍俊不禁,他的嘴动着,说的是“喜欢不喜欢我?”我说,“缘来则聚缘去则散,浮生若梦,喜欢又如何?不喜欢又如何?”
  • 夕阳下的战歌

    夕阳下的战歌

    住在偏僻农村,少见少闻的少年,一步步踏入了万年之后人与兽人、精灵、虫族、蚁群、吸血鬼共存的,绚丽纷呈而又诡异多变的现实世界,拉开了命运之神手掌中翩翩起舞的末世终结之旅……
  • 王爷,要点儿脸

    王爷,要点儿脸

    天下皇族有七姓,世间帝族仅一支。原本我家王爷是个风靡七大皇朝的美男子,同时也是公认的天下第一才子,至于说有才到什么程度,也就是“天下才有一石,曹子建独得八斗。”的这种程度吧……然而现在,虽然说我家王爷依旧才华横溢,冠绝天下,但是……真不知道为什么总有种怪怪的感觉……“王爷!你放下那是房大人家的千金!~~”“殿下!这是六皇子的未婚妻!”……当然要是说我家王爷的身世……还是不说了……总之,就是酱紫……
  • 让你的能力出类拔萃

    让你的能力出类拔萃

    有时候,你对家人、对朋友,觉得有许多话不得不说,可是说了,反而把感情伤害了,反而把事情弄糟了。于是你就引用一句中国古话,替自己解释,说什么“良药苦口,忠言逆耳”。其实,有时候良药未必苦口,忠言也未必逆耳。把良药弄成苦口,以致病人怕吃,这是医学不发达的现象;把忠言弄得逆耳,以致别人不能接受,这是说话的人对口才不加研究的结果。我们都有这样的感受,我们并不是不愿听别人的批评,也不是不能接受批评,有时,我们还真希望有人来指点指点,或者是请教别人。
  • 念无悔

    念无悔

    笑意一线间,感殇离后生。如笑间,看世间尘如莫天荒。
  • 我家山顶连接着异界天空

    我家山顶连接着异界天空

    无数空间位面的碰撞,出现了一条时空裂缝,杨帆承包的山林上空连通了异界天空。七彩的雨,奇异的生物,各种各样的无价之宝,顺着时空裂缝源源不断而来。有了这些异时空的东西,他养的鱼火了,水果口味独特,种的菜供不应求,独家秘制的杨家蚊香,彻底让蚊子消失……从此,那个落魄在家的大学生,成了村里,镇里,县里,市里,省里,直至全国有名的能人。
  • 都市之天才神相

    都市之天才神相

    一言断人生死,两语决国兴衰!神相之术,相天相地相尽一切。足不出户知晓天下事,饶是这般,天才神相少年仍然被告知,想要生存下去就必须融入到这个时代里面。当少年踏足繁华都市的那一刻,这个世界都将因他而改变。