第20章

类别:其他 作者:Gene Stratton-Porter字数:10792更新时间:18/12/13 16:09:15
\"Idonot!Ihaven\'tanidea!Ineverdreamedshewouldgoawaywhenshehadhiminherhand!Ishouldnothavedoneit!\" \"Hesaiditwassomethingyousaidtoherthatmadehergo。\" \"Thatmaybe,butitdoesn\'tprovethatIknowwhereshewent。\" Hendersonlookedacrossthewaterandsufferedkeenly。AtlastheturnedtoEdithandlaidafirm,stronghandoverhers。 \"Edith,\"hesaid,\"doyourealizehowseriousthisis?\" \"IsupposeIdo。\" \"DoyouwantasfineafellowasPhilipdrivenanyfurther? Ifheleavesthathospitalnow,andgoesouttotheexposureandanxietyofasearchforher,therewillbeatragedythatnoafterregretscanavert。Edith,whatdidyousaytoMissComstockthatmadeherrunawayfromPhil?\" Thegirlturnedherfacefromhimandsatstill,butthemangrippingherhandsandwaitinginagonycouldseethatshewasshakenbythejoltingoftheheartinherbreast。 \"Edith,whatdidyousay?\" \"Whatdifferencecanitmake?\" \"Itmightfurnishsomecluetoheraction。\" \"Itcouldnotpossibly。\" \"Philthinksso。Hehasthoughtsountilhisbrainiswornenoughtogiveway。Tellme,Edith!\" \"ItoldherPhilwasmine!Thatifhewereawayfromheranhourandbackinmypresence,hewouldbetomeashealwayshasbeen。\" \"Edith,didyoubelievethat?\" \"Iwouldhavestakedmylife,mysoulonit!\" \"Doyoubelieveitnow?\" Therewasnoanswer。Hendersontookherotherhandandholdingbothofthemfirmlyhesaidsoftly:\"Don\'tmindme,dear。Idon\'tcount!I\'mjustoldHart!Youcantellmeanything。Doyoustillbelievethat?\" Thebeautifulheadbarelymovedinnegation。 Hendersongatheredbothherhandsinoneofhisandstretchedanarmacrosshershoulderstotheposttosupporther。 Shedraggedherhandsfromhimandtwistedthemtogether。 \"Oh,Hart!\"shecried。\"Itisn\'tfair!Thereisalimit!Ihavesufferedmyshare。Can\'tyousee? Can\'tyouunderstand?\" \"Yes,\"hepanted。\"Yes,mygirl!Tellmejustthisonethingyet,andI\'llcheerfullykillanyonewhoannoysyoufurther。Tellme,Edith!\" Thensheliftedherbig,dull,pain-filledeyestohisandcried:\"No!Idonotbelieveitnow!Iknowitisnottrue! Ikilledhisloveforme。Itisdeadandgoneforever。 Nothingwillreviveit!Nothinginallthisworld。 Andthatisnotall。Ididnotknowhowtotouchthedepthsofhisnature。Ineverdevelopedinhimthosethingshewasmadetoenjoy。Headmiredme。Hewasproudtobewithme。Hethought,andIthought,thatheworshippedme;butIknownowthatheneverdidcareformeashecaresforher。Never!Icanseeit!Iplannedtoleadsociety,tomakehishomeaplacesoughtformybeautyandpopularity。Sheplanstoadvancehispoliticalambitions,tomakehimcomfortablephysically,tostimulatehisintellect,tobearhimabroodofred-facedchildren。 Helikesherandherplansasheneverdidmeandmine。 Oh,mysoul!Now,areyousatisfied?\" Shedroppedbackagainsthisarmexhausted。 Hendersonheldherandlearnedwhatsufferingtrulymeans。Hefannedherwithhishat,rubbedhercoldhandsandmurmuredbroken,incoherentthings。 Byandbyslowtearsslippedfromunderherclosedlids,butwhensheopenedthemhereyesweredullandhard。 \"Whataragoneiswhenthelastsecretofthesoulistornoutandlaidbare!\"shecried。 Hendersonthrusthishandkerchiefintoherfingersandwhispered,\"Edith,theboathasbeencreepingup。 It\'sveryclose。Maybesomeofourcrowdareonit。 Hadn\'twebetterslipawayfromherebeforeitlands?\" \"IfIcanwalk,\"shesaid。\"Oh,Iamsodeadtired,Hart! \"Yes,dear,\"saidHendersonsoothingly。\"Justtrytopassthelandingbeforetheboatanchors。IfIonlydaredcarryyou!\" Theystruggledthroughthewaitingmasses,butdirectlyoppositethelandingtherewasabackwardmovementinthehappy,laughingcrowd,thegang-plankcamedownwithaslam,andpeoplebeganhurryingfromtheboat。 Crowdedagainstthefishhouseonthedock,Hendersoncouldonlyadvanceafewstepsatatime。HewasstrainingeverynervetoprotectandassistEdith。Hesawnooneherecognizednearthem,soheslippedhisarmacrossherbacktohelpsupporther。Hefeltherstiffenagainsthimandcatchherbreath。Atthesameinstant,theclearest,sweetestmalevoiceheeverhadheardcalled: \"Becarefulthere,littlemen!\" Hendersonsentaswiftglancetowardtheboat。TerenceO\'Morehadsteppedfromthegang-plank,leadingalittledaughter,solikehim,itwascomical。Therefollowedapicturenoteasytodescribe。TheAngelinthefullflowerofherbeauty,richlydressed,alaughonhercameoface,thesettingsunglintingonhergoldhair,escortedbyhereldestson,whoheldherhandtightlyandcarefullywatchedhersteps。NextcameElnora,dressedwithequalrichness,atrifletallerandslenderer,almostthesametypeofcolouring,butwithdifferenteyesandhair,faciallinesandexpression。ShewasledbythesecondO\'Moreboywhoconvulsedthecrowdbysaying:\"Tareful,Elnora! Don\'t\'oobe\'teppin\'indewater!\" Peoplesurgedaroundthem,purposelyclosingthemin。 \"Whatlovelywomen!Whoarethey?It\'stheO\'Mores。 Thelightestoneishiswife。Isthathersister? No,itishis!TheysayhehasatitleinEngland。\" Whispersranfastandaudible。Asthecrowdpressedaroundthepartyanopeningwasleftbesidethefishsheds。 Edithrandownthedock。Hendersonsprangafterher,catchingherarmandassistinghertothestreet。 \"Uptheshore!Thisway!\"shepanted。\"Everyonewillgotodinnerthefirstthingtheydo。\" Theyleftthestreetandstartedaroundthebeach,butEdithwasbreathlessfromrunning,whiletheyieldingsandmadedifficultwalking。 \"Helpme!\"shecried,clingingtoHenderson。Heputhisarmaroundher,almostcarryingherfromsightintoalittlecovewalledbyhighrocksattheback,whiletherewasacleanfloorofwhitesand,andlogswashedfromthelakeforseats。Hefoundoneofthesewithabackrest,andhurryingdowntothewaterhesoakedhishandkerchiefandcarriedittoher。Shepasseditacrossherlips,overhereyes,andthenpressedthepalmsofherhandsuponit。Hendersonremovedtheheavyhat,fannedherwithhis,andwetthehandkerchiefagain。 \"Hart,whatmakesyou?\"shesaidwearily。\"Mymotherdoesn\'tcare。Shesaysthisisgoodforme。Doyouthinkthisisgoodforme,Hart?\" \"Edith,youknowIwouldgivemylifeifIcouldsaveyouthis,\"hesaid,andcouldnotspeakfurther。 Sheleanedagainsthim,closedhereyesandlaysilentsolongthemanfellintopanic。 \"Edith,youarenotunconscious?\"hewhispered,touchingher。 \"No。justresting。Pleasedon\'tleaveme。\" Heheldhercarefully,gentlyfanningher。Shewassufferingalmostmorethaneitherofthemcouldendure。 \"Iwishyouhadyourboat,\"shesaidatlast。\"Iwanttosailwiththewindinmyface。\" \"Thereisnowind。Icanbringmymotoraroundinafewminutes。\" \"Thengetit。\" \"Lieonthesand。Ican\'phonefromthefirstbooth。 Itwon\'ttakebutalittlewhile。\" Edithlayonthewhitesand,andHendersoncoveredherfacewithherhat。Thenherantothenearestboothandtalkedimperatively。Presentlyhewasbackbringingahotdrinkthatwasstimulating。Shortlythemotorranclosetothebeachandstopped。Henderson\'sservantbroughtarow-boatashoreandtookthemtothelaunch。 Itwasfilledwithcushionsandwraps。Hendersonmadeacouchandsoon,warmlycovered,Edithspedoutoverthewaterinsearchofpeace。 Hourafterhourtheboatranupanddowntheshore。 Themoonaroseandthenightairgrewverychilly。 HendersonputonanovercoatandpiledmorecoversonEdith。 \"Youmusttakemehome,\"shesaidatlast。\"Thefolkswillbeuneasy。\" Hewascompelledtotakehertothecottagewiththebattlestillraging。Hewentbackearlythenextmorning,butalreadyshehadwanderedoutovertheisland。 InstinctivelyHendersonfeltthattheshorewouldattracther。 TherewassomethinginthetumultofroughlittleHuron\'swavesthatcalledtohim。Itwastherehefoundher,crouchingsoclosethewaterthefoamwasdampeningherskirts。 \"MayIstay?\"heasked。 \"Ihavebeenhopingyouwouldcome,\"sheanswered。 \"It\'sbadenoughwhenyouarehere,butitisalittleeasierthanbearingitalone。\" \"ThankGodforthat!\"saidHendersonsittingbesideher。\"ShallItalktoyou?\" Sheshookherhead。Sotheysatbythehour。Atlastshespoke:\"Ofcourse,youknowthereissomethingI havegottodo,Hart!\" \"Youhavenot!\"criedHenderson,violently。 \"That\'sallnonsense!Givemejustonewordofpermission。Thatisallthatisrequiredofyou。\" \"`Required?\'Yougrant,then,thatthereissomething`required?\'\" \"Oneword。Nothingmore。\" \"Didyoueverknowonewordcouldbesobig,soblack,sodesperatelybitter?Oh,Hart!\" \"No。\" \"Butyouknowitnow,Hart!\" \"Yes。\" \"Andstillyousaythatitis`required?\'\" Hendersonsufferedunspeakably。Atlasthesaid:\"Ifyouhadseenandheardhim,Edith,you,too,wouldfeelthatitis`required。\'Remember——\" \"No!No!No!\"shecried。\"Don\'taskmetoremembereventheleastofmyprideandfolly。Letmeforget!\" Shesatsilentforalongtime。 \"Willyougowithme?\"shewhispered。 \"Ofcourse。\" Atlastshearose。 \"Imightaswellgiveupandhaveitover,\"shefaltered。 ThatwasthefirsttimeinherlifethatEdithCarreverhadproposedtogiveupanythingshewanted。 \"Helpme,Hart!\" Hendersonstartedaroundthebeachassistingherallhecould。 Finallyhestopped。 \"Edith,thereisnosenseinthis!Youaretootiredtogo。 Youknowyoucantrustme。Youwaitinanyoftheselovelyplacesandsendme。Youwillbesafe,andI\'llrun。 Onewordisallthatisnecessary。\" \"ButI\'vegottosaythatwordmyself,Hart!\" \"Thenwriteit,andletmecarryit。Themessageisnotgoingtoprovewhowenttotheofficeandsentit。\" \"Thatisquitetrue,\"shesaid,droppingwearily,butshemadenomovementtotakethepenandpaperheoffered。 \"Hart,youwriteit,\"shesaidatlast。 Hendersonturnedawayhisface。Hegrippedthepen,whilehisbreathsuckedbetweenhisdryteeth。 \"Certainly!\"hesaidwhenhecouldspeak。\"Mackinac,August27,1908。PhilipAmmon,LakeShoreHospital,Chicago。\" HepausedwithsuspendedpenandglancedatEdith。Herwhitelipswereworking,butnosoundcame。\"MissComstockiswiththeTerenceO\'Mores,onMackinacIsland,\"promptedHenderson。 Edithnodded。 \"Signed,Henderson,\"continuedthebigman。 Edithshookherhead。 \"Say,`Sheiswellandhappy,\'andsign,EdithCarr!\" shepanted。 \"Notonyourlife!\"flashedHenderson。 \"Fortheloveofmercy,Hart,don\'tmakethisanyharder! ItistheleastIcando,andittakeseveryounceofstrengthinmetodoit。\" \"Willyouwaitformehere?\"heasked。 Shenodded,and,pullinghishatloweroverhiseyes,Hendersonranaroundtheshore。Inlessthananhourhewasback。HehelpedheralittlefarthertowheretheDevil\'sKitchenlaycutintotherocks;itfurnishedplacestorest,andcoolwater。Beforelonghismancamewiththeboat。Fromittheyspreadblanketsonthesandforher,andmadechafing-dishtea。Shetriedtorefuseit,butthefragranceovercameherforshedrankravenously。 ThenHendersoncookedseveraldishesandspreadanappetizinglunch。Shewasyoung,strong,andalmostfamishedforfood。Shewasforcedtoeat。Thatmadeherfeelmuchbetter。ThenHendersonhelpedherintotheboatandranitthroughshadycovesoftheshore,wheretherewererefreshingbreezes。Whenshefellasleepthegirldidnotknow,butthemandid。Sadlyinneedofresthimself,heranthatboatforfivehoursthroughquietbays,awayfromnoisyparties,andwheretheshadewascoolanddeep。Whensheawokehetookherhome,andastheywentsheknewthatshehadbeenmistaken。Shewouldnotdie。Herheartwasnotevenbroken。Shehadsufferedhorribly;shewouldsuffermore;buteventuallythepainmustwearout。Intoherheadcreptafewlinesofanoldopera: \"Heartsdonotbreak,theystingandache,Foroldlove\'ssake,butdonotdie,AswitnesseththelivingI。\" ThateveningtheyweresailingdowntheStraitsbeforeastiffbreezeandHendersonwasbusywiththetillerwhenshesaidtohim:\"Hart,Iwantyoutodosomethingmoreforme。\" \"Youhaveonlytotellme,\"hesaid。 \"HaveIonlytotellyou,Hart?\"sheaskedsoftly。 \"Haven\'tyoulearnedthatyet,Edith?\" \"Iwantyoutogoaway。\" \"Verywell,\"hesaidquietly,buthisfacewhitenedvisibly。 \"Yousaythatasifyouhadbeenexpectingit。\" \"Ihave。Iknewfromthebeginningthatwhenthiswasoveryouwoulddislikemeforhavingseenyousuffer。 IhavegrownmyGethsemaneinafullrealizationofwhatwascoming,butIcouldnotleaveyou,Edith,solongasitseemedtomethatIwasservingyou。DoesitmakeanydifferencetoyouwhereIgo?\" \"Iwantyouwhereyouwillbeloved,andgoodcaretakenofyou。\" \"Thankyou!\"saidHenderson,smilinggrimly。\"Haveyouanyideawheresuchaspotmightbefound?\" \"ItshouldbewithyoursisteratLosAngeles。Shealwayshasseemedveryfondofyou。\" \"Thatisquitetrue,\"saidHenderson,hiseyesbrighteningalittle。\"Iwillgotoher。WhenshallIstart?\" \"Atonce。\" Hendersonbegantotackforthelanding,buthishandsshookuntilhescarcelycouldmanagetheboat。EdithCarrsatwatchinghimindifferently,butherheartwasthrobbingpainfully。\"Whyistheresomuchsufferingintheworld?\"shekeptwhisperingtoherself。InsideherdoorHendersontookherbytheshouldersalmostroughly。 \"Forhowlongisthis,Edith,andhowareyougoingtosaygood-byetome?\" Sheraisedtired,pain-filledeyestohis。 \"Idon\'tknowforhowlongitis,\"shesaid。\"Itseemsnowasifithadbeenasloweternity。IwishtomysoulthatGodwouldbemercifultomeandmakesomething`snap\'inmyheart,astheredidinPhil\'s,thatwouldgivemerest。Idon\'tknowforhowlong,butI\'mperfectlyshamelesswithyou,Hart。IfpeaceevercomesandIwantyou,Iwon\'twaitforyoutofinditoutyourself,I\'llcable,Marconigraph,anything。AsforhowIsaygood-bye;anywayyouplease,Idon\'tcareintheleastwhathappenstome。\" Hendersonstudiedherintently。 \"Inthatcase,wewillshakehands,\"hesaid。\"Good-bye,Edith。 Don\'tforgetthateveryhourIamthinkingofyouandhopingallgoodthingswillcometoyousoon。\" CHAPTERXXV WHEREINPHILIPFINDSELNORA,ANDEDITHCARROFFERSAYELLOWEMPEROR Oh,Ineedmyownviolin,\"criedElnora。\"Thisonemaybeathousandtimesmoreexpensive,andmucholderthanmine;butitwasn\'tinspiredandtaughttosingbyamanwhoknewhow。Itdoesn\'tknow`beans,\'asmotherwouldsay,abouttheLimberlost。\" TheguestsintheO\'Moremusic-roomlaughedappreciatively。 \"Whydon\'tyouwriteyourmothertocomeforavisitandbringyours?\"suggestedFreckles。 \"Ididthatthreedaysago,\"acknowledgedElnora。 \"Iamhalfexpectingheronthenoonboat。Thatisonereasonwhythisviolingrowsworseeveryminute。 Thereisnothingatallthematterwithme。\" \"Splendid!\"criedtheAngel。\"I\'vebeggedandbeggedhertodoit。Iknowhowanxiousthesemothersbecome。 Whendidyousend?Whatmadeyou?Whydidn\'tyoutellme?\" \"`When?\'Threedaysago。`Whatmademe?\'You。`Whydidn\'tItellyou?\'BecauseIcan\'tbesureintheleastthatshewillcome。Motheristhemostindividualperson。Sheneverdoeswhateveryoneexpectsshewill。 Shemaynotcome,andIdidn\'twantyoutobedisappointed。\" \"HowdidImakeyou?\"askedtheAngel。 \"LovingAlice。Itmademerealizethatifyoucaredforyourgirllikethat,withMr。O\'Moreandthreeotherchildren,possiblymymother,withnoone,mightliketoseeme。IknowIwanttoseeher,andyouhadtoldmetosooften,Ijustsentforher。Oh,Idohopeshecomes! Iwanthertoseethislovelyplace。\" \"IhavebeenwonderingwhatyouthoughtofMackinac,\" saidFreckles。 \"Oh,itisaperfectpicture,allofit!Ishouldliketohangitonthewall,soIcouldseeitwheneverIwantedto; butitisn\'treal,ofcourse;it\'snothingbutapicture。\" \"Thesepeoplewon\'tagreewithyou,\"smiledFreckles。 \"Thatisn\'tnecessary,\"retortedElnora。\"Theyknowthis,andtheyloveit;butyouandIareacquaintedwithsomethingdifferent。TheLimberlostislife。Hereitisacarefullykeptpark。Youmotor,sail,andgolf,allsosecureandfine。ButwhatIlikeistheexcitementofchoosingapathcarefully,inthefearthatthequagmiremayreachoutandsuckmedown;togointotheswampnaked-handedandwrestfromittreasuresthatbringmebooksandclothing,andIlikeenoughofafightforthingsthatIalwaysrememberhowIgotthem。Ievenenjoyseeingacannyoldvultureeyeingmeasifitweresaying: `Warethestingoftherattler,lestIpickyourbonesasI didoldLimber\'s。\'Ilikesufficientdangertoputanedgeonlife。Thisissotame。Ishouldhaveloveditwhenallthehomeswerecabins,andwatchersforthestealthyIndiancanoespatrolledtheshores。Youwaituntilmothercomes,andifmyviolinisn\'tangrywithmeforleavingit,to-nightweshallsingyoutheSongoftheLimberlost。Youshallhearthebiggoldbeesoverthered,yellow,andpurpleflowers,birdsong,windtalk,andthewhispersofSleepySnakeCreek,asitgoespastyou。 Youwillknow!\"ElnoraturnedtoFreckles。 Henodded。\"Whobetter?\"heasked。\"Thisissecurewhilethechildrenaresosmall,butwhentheygrowlarger,wearegoingfarthernorth,intorealforest,wheretheycanlearnself-relianceanddevelopbackbone。\" Elnoralaidawaytheviolin。\"Comealong,children,\" shesaid。\"Wemustgetatthatbackbonebusinessatonce。 Let\'sracetotheplayhouse。\" WiththebroodatherheelsElnoraran,andforanhourlivelysoundsstolefromtheremainingspotofforestontheIsland,whichlaybesidetheO\'Morecottage。ThenTerrywenttotheplayroomtobringAliceherdoll。Hecameracingback,draggingitbyoneleg,andcrying: \"There\'scompany!Someonehascomethatmammaandpapaarejusttearingdownthehouseover。Isawthroughthewindow。\" \"Itcouldnotbemymother,yet,\"musedElnora。\"Herboatisnotdueuntiltwelve。Terry,giveAlicethatdoll——\" \"It\'saman-person,andIdon\'tknowhim,butmyfatherisshakinghishandrightstraightalong,andmymotherisrunningforahotdrinkandacushion。It\'sakindofasickperson,buttheyaregoingtomakehimwellrightaway,anyonecanseethat。Thisisthebestplace。 I\'llgotellhimtocomelieonthepineneedlesinthesunandwatchthesailsgoby。Thatwillfixhim!\" \"Watchsailsgoby,\"chantedLittleBrother。\"\'Afixhim! Elnorafixhim,won\'tyou?\" \"Idon\'tknowaboutthat,\"answeredElnora。\"Whatsortofpersonishe,Terry?\" \"Abeautifulwhiteperson;butmyfatherisgoingto`colourhimup,\'Iheardhimsayso。He\'sjustoutofthehospital,andheisabadperson,\'causeheranawayfromthedoctorsandmadethemawfulangry。Butfatherandmotheraregoingtodoctorhimbetter。Ididn\'tknowtheycouldmakesickpeoplewell。\" \"\'Eydoanyfing!\"boastedLittleBrother。 BeforeElnoramissedher,Alice,whohadgonetoinvestigate,cameflyingacrosstheshadowsandthroughthesunshinewavingapaper。ShethurstitintoElnora\'shand。 \"Thereisaman-person——astranger-person!\"sheshouted。 \"Butheknowsyou!Hesentyouthat!Youaretobethedoctor!Hesaidso!Oh,dohurry!Ilikehimheaps!\" ElnorareadEdithCarr\'stelegramtoPhilipAmmonandunderstoodthathehadbeenill,thatshehadbeenlocatedbyEdithwhohadnotifiedhim。Insodoingshehadacknowledgeddefeat。AtlastPhilipwasfree。 Elnoralookedupwitharadiantface。 \"Ilikehim`heaps\'myself!\"shecried。\"Comeonchildren,wewillgotellhimso。\" TerryandAliceran,butElnorahadtosuitherstepstoLittleBrother,whowasherloyalesquire,andwouldhavebeenheartbrokenoverdesertionandinsultedatbeingcarried。Hewasratherdragged,buthewasarriving,andtheemergencywasgreat,hecouldseethat。 \"She\'scoming!\"shoutedAlice。 \"She\'sgoingtobethedoctor!\"criedTerry。 \"Shelookedjustlikeshe\'dseenangelswhenshereadtheletter,\"explainedAlice。 \"Shelikesyou`heaps!\'Shesaidso!\"dancedTerry。 \"Bewaiting!Heresheis!\" ElnorahelpedLittleBrotherupthesteps,thendesertedhimandcameatarush。Thestranger-personstoodholdingouttremblingarms。 \"Areyousure,atlast,runaway?\"askedPhilipAmmon。 \"Perfectlysure!\"criedElnora。 \"Willyoumarrymenow?\" \"Thisinstant!Thatis,anytimeafterthenoonboatcomesin。\" \"Whysuchunnecessarydelay?\"demandedAmmon。 \"ItisalmostSeptember,\"explainedElnora。\"Isentformotherthreedaysago。Wemustwaituntilshecomes,andweeitherhavetosendforUncleWesleyandAuntMargaret,orgotothem。Icouldn\'tpossiblybemarriedproperlywithoutthosedearpeople。\" \"Wewillsend,\"decidedAmmon。\"Thetripwillbeatreatforthem。O\'More,wouldyougetoffamessageatonce?\" Everyonemetthenoonboat。TheywentinthemotorbecausePhilipwastooweaktowalksofar。AssoonaspeoplecouldbedistinguishedatallElnoraandPhilipsightedanerectfigure,withaheadlikeasnowdrift。 Whenthegang-plankfellthefirstpersonacrossitwasalean,red-hairedboyofeleven,carryingaviolininonehandandanenormousbouquetofyellowmarigoldsandpurpleastersintheother。HewasbeamingwithbroadsmilesuntilhesawPhilip。Thenhisexpressionchanged。 \"Aw,say!\"heexclaimedreproachfully。\"IbetyouAuntMargaretisright。Heisgoingtobeyourbeau!\" ElnorastoopedtokissBillyasshecaughthermother。 \"There,there!\"criedMrs。Comstock。\"Don\'tknockmyheadgearintomyeye。I\'mnotsureI\'vegoteitherhatorhair。Thewindblewlikebizzemcominguptheriver。\" Sheshookoutherskirts,straightenedherhat,andcameforwardtomeetPhilip,whotookherintohisarmsandkissedherrepeatedly。ThenhepassedheralongtoFrecklesandtheAngeltowhomhergreetingsweremingledwithscoldingandlaughteroverherwind-blownhair。 \"NodoubtI\'mapreciousspectacle!\"shesaidtotheAngel。 \"IsawyourpaalittlebeforeIstarted,andhesentyouanote。It\'sinmysatchel。Hesaidhewascomingupnextweek。Whatalotofpeoplethereareinthisworld! Andwhatonearthareallofthemlaughingabout? Didnoneofthemeverhearofsickness,orsorrow,ordeath?Billy,don\'tyougotoplayingIndianorchasingwoodchucksuntilyougetoutofthoseclothes。 IpromisedMargaretI\'dbringbackthatsuitgoodasnew。\" ThentheO\'MorechildrencamecrowdingtomeetElnora\'smother。 \"MerryChristmas!\"criedMrs。Comstock,gatheringthemin。\"Goteverythingrightherebutthetree,andthereseemstobeplentyofthemalittlehigherup。 Ifthiswindwouldstiffenjustenoughmoretoblowawaythepeople,soonecouldseethisplace,Ibelieveitwouldberightdecentlooking。\" \"Seehere,\"whisperedElnoratoPhilip。\"YoumustfixthiswithBilly。Ican\'thavehistripspoiled。\" \"Now,hereiswhereIdusttherestof\'em!\"complacentlyremarkedMrs。Comstock,assheclimbedintothemotorcarforherfirstride,incompanywithPhilipandLittleBrother。 \"Ihavebeentheonetotrudgetheroadsandhopoutofthewayofthesethingsforquiteaspell。\" Shesatveryerectasthecarrolledintothebroadmainavenue,whereonlystraycoupleswerewalking。Hereyesbegantotwinkleandgleam。Suddenlysheleanedforwardandtouchedthedriverontheshoulder。 \"Youngman,\"shesaid,\"justyoutootthathornsuddenlyandshavecloseenoughafewofthosepeople,sothatI canseehowIlookwhenIleapforragweedandsnakefences。\" TheamazedchauffeurglancedquestioninglyatPhilipwhoslightlynodded。Asecondlatertherewasaquick\"honk!\"andaswerveatacorner。Amanengrossedinconversationgrabbedthewomantowhomhewastalkinganddashedforthesafetyofalawn。Thewomantrippedinherskirts,andasshefellthemancaughtanddraggedher。Bothofthemturnedredfacestothecarandberatedthedriver。Mrs。Comstocklaughedinunrestrainedenjoyment。Thenshetouchedthechauffeuragain。 \"That\'senough,\"shesaid。\"Itseemsamiterisky。\" AminutelatersheaddedtoPhilip,\"Ifonlytheyhadbeencarryingsixpoundsofbutterandtendozeneggsapiece,wouldn\'tthathavebeenjustperfect?\" BillyhadwaveredbetweenElnoraandthemotor,buthisloyallittlesoulhadbeentruetoher,sothewalktothecottagebeganwithhimatherside。LongbeforetheyarrivedthelittleO\'MoreshadcrowdedaroundandcapturedBilly,andhewasgivingthemanexpurgatedversionofMrs。Comstock\'stalesofBigFootandAdamPoe,boastingthatUncleWesleyhadbeeninthecampsofMe-shin-go-me-siaandknewWa-ca-co-nahbeforehegotreligionanddressedlikewhitemen;whilethemightyprowessofSnapasawoodchuckhunterwasdonefulljustice。WhentheyreachedthecottagePhiliptookBillyaside,showedhimtheemeraldringandgravelyaskedhispermissiontomarryElnora。Billystruggledtobejust,butitwasgoinghardwithhim,whenAlice,whokeptcloseenoughtohear,intervened。 \"Whydon\'tyouletthemgetmarried?\"sheasked。 \"Youaremuchtoosmallforher。Youwaitforme!\" Billystudiedherintently。AtlastheturnedtoAmmon。 \"Aw,well!Goon,then!\"hesaidgruffly。\"I\'llmarryAlice!\" Alicereachedherhand。\"Ifyougotthatsettledlet\'sputonourIndianclothes,calltheboys,andgototheplayhouse。\" \"Ihaven\'tgotanyIndianclothes,\"saidBillyruefully。 \"Yes,youhave,\"explainedAlice。\"Fatherboughtyousomecomingfromthedock。Youcanputthemonintheplayhouse。Theboysdo。\" Billyexaminedtheplayhousewithgleamingeyes。 Neverhadheencounteredsuchpossibilities。Hecouldseeahundredamusingthingstotry,andhecouldnotdecidewhichtodofirst。Themostimmediateattractionseemedtobeadeadpine,heldperpendicularlybyitsfellows,whileitsbarkhaddecayedandfallen,leavingabare,smoothtrunk。 \"IfwejusthadsomegreasethatwouldmakethedandiestpoletoplayFourthofJulywith!\"heshouted。 ThechildrenrememberedtheFourth。Ithadbeengreatfun。 \"Butterisgrease。Thereisplentyinthe\'frigerator,\" suggestedAlice,speedingaway。