第10章

类别:其他 作者:Willa Cather字数:10109更新时间:19/01/07 15:03:41
found’em。Goingtotakesomeladiesdowninthecarto—morrow。\" Giddyscowled。HedidnotdisputetheproprietyofRay’smeasures,ifthereweretobeladiesonboard,buthefeltinjured。\"Isupposeyou’llexpectmetobehavelikeaY。M。C。A。secretary,\"hegrowled。\"Ican’tdomyworkandserveteaatthesametime。\" \"Noneedtohaveatea—party,\"saidRaywithdeter— minedcheerfulness。\"Mrs。Kronborgwillbringthelunch,anditwillbeadarnedgoodone。\" Giddyloungedagainstthecar,holdinghiscigarbetweentwothickfingers。\"ThenIguessshe’llgetit,\"heobservedknowingly。\"Idon’tthinkyourmusicalfriendismuchonthegrub—box。Hastokeepherhandswhitetotickletheivories。\"GiddyhadnothingagainstThea,buthefeltcantankerousandwantedtogetariseoutofKennedy。 \"Everymantohisownjob,\"Rayrepliedagreeably,pullinghiswhiteshirtonoverhishead。 Giddyemittedsmokedisdainfully。\"Isupposeso。Themanthatgetsherwillhavetowearanapronandbakethepancakes。Well,somemenliketomessaboutthekitchen。\" Hepaused,butRaywasintentongettingintohisclothesasquicklyaspossible。Giddythoughthecouldgoalittlefurther。\"Ofcourse,Idon’tdisputeyourrighttohaulwomeninthiscarifyouwantto;butpersonally,sofarasI’mconcerned,I’dagooddealratherdrinkacanoftoma— toesanddowithoutthewomenANDtheirlunch。Iwasnevermuchenslavedtohard—boiledeggs,anyhow。\" \"You’lleat’emto—morrow,allthesame。\"Ray’stonehadasteelyglitterashejumpedoutofthecar,andGiddystoodasidetolethimpass。HeknewthatKennedy’snextreplywouldbedeliveredbyhand。HehadonceseenRay beatupanastyfellowforinsultingaMexicanwomanwhohelpedaboutthegrub—carintheworktrain,andhisfistshadworkedliketwosteelhammers。Giddywasn’tlookingfortrouble。 Ateighto’clockthenextmorningRaygreetedhisladiesandhelpedthemintothecar。Giddyhadputonacleanshirtandyellowpig—skinglovesandwaswhistlinghisbest。HeconsideredKennedyaflukeasaladies’man,andiftherewastobeaparty,thehonorshadtobedonebysomeonewhowasn’tablacksmithatsmall—talk。 Giddyhad,asRaysarcasticallyadmitted,\"alocalrepu— tationasajollier,\"andhewasfluentingallantspeechesofanottoo—veilednature。HeinsistedthatTheashouldtakehisseatinthecupola,oppositeRay’s,whereshecouldlookoutoverthecountry。Theatoldhim,assheclamberedup,thatshecaredagooddealmoreaboutridinginthatseatthanaboutgoingtoDenver。Raywasneversocompanionableandeasyaswhenhesatchattinginthelookoutofhislittlehouseonwheels。Goodstoriescametohim,andinterestingrecollections。Theahadagreatrespectforthereportshehadtowriteout,andforthetelegramsthatwerehandedtohimatstations;foralltheknowledgeandexperienceitmusttaketorunafreighttrain。 Giddy,downinthecar,inthepausesofhiswork,madehimselfagreeabletoMrs。Kronborg。 \"It’sagreatresttobewheremyfamilycan’tgetatme,Mr。Giddy,\"shetoldhim。\"IthoughtyouandRaymighthavesomehouseworkhereformetolookafter,butI couldn’timproveanyonthiscar。\" \"Oh,weliketokeepherneat,\"returnedGiddyglibly,winkingupatRay’sexpressiveback。\"Ifyouwanttoseeacleanice—box,lookatthisone。Yes,Kennedyalwayscarriesfreshcreamtoeatonhisoatmeal。I’mnotparticu— lar。Thetincow’sgoodenoughforme。\" \"Mostofyouboyssmokesomuchthatallvictualstastealiketoyou,\"saidMrs。Kronborg。\"I’vegotnoreligiousscruplesagainstsmoking,butIcouldn’ttakeasmuchinterestcookingforamanthatusedtobacco。Iguessit’sallrightforbachelorswhohavetoeatround。\" Mrs。Kronborgtookoffherhatandveilandmadeher— selfcomfortable。Sheseldomhadanopportunitytobeidle,andsheenjoyedit。Shecouldsitforhoursandwatchthesage—hensflyupandthejack—rabbitsdartawayfromthetrack,withoutbeingbored。Sheworeatanbombazinedress,madeveryplainly,andcarriedaroomy,worn,mother—of—the—familyhandbag。 RayKennedyalwaysinsistedthatMrs。Kronborgwas\"afine—lookinglady,\"butthiswasnotthecommonopin— ioninMoonstone。RayhadlivedlongenoughamongtheMexicanstodislikefussiness,tofeelthattherewassome— thingmoreattractiveineaseofmannerthaninabsent— mindedconcernabouthairpinsanddabsoflace。Hehadlearnedtothinkthatthewayawomanstood,moved,satinherchair,lookedatyou,wasmoreimportantthantheabsenceofwrinklesfromherskirt。Rayhad,indeed,suchunusualperceptionsinsomedirections,thatonecouldnothelpwonderingwhathewouldhavebeenifhehadever,ashesaid,had\"halfachance。\" Hewasright;Mrs。Kronborgwasafine—lookingwoman。 Shewasshortandsquare,butherheadwasarealhead,notamerejerkyterminationofthebody。Ithadsomeindividualityapartfromhatsandhairpins。Herhair,Moonstonewomenadmitted,wouldhavebeenverypretty\"onanybodyelse。\"Frizzybangswerewornthen,butMrs。Kronborgalwaysdressedherhairinthesameway,partedinthemiddle,brushedsmoothlybackfromherlow,whiteforehead,pinnedlooselyonthebackofherheadintwothickbraids。Itwasgrowinggrayaboutthetemples,butafterthemannerofyellowhairitseemedonlytohavegrownpalerthere,andhadtakenonacolor likethatofEnglishprimroses。Hereyeswereclearanduntroubled;herfacesmoothandcalm,and,asRaysaid,\"strong。\" TheaandRay,upinthesunnycupola,werelaughingandtalking。Raygotgreatpleasureoutofseeingherfacethereinthelittleboxwherehesooftenimaginedit。Theywerecrossingaplateauwheregreatredsandstoneboulderslayabout,mostofthemmuchwideratthetopthanatthebase,sothattheylookedlikegreattoadstools。 \"Thesandhasbeenblowingagainstthemforagoodmanyhundredyears,\"Rayexplained,directingThea’seyeswithhisglovedhand。\"Youseethesandblowslow,beingsoheavy,andcutsthemoutunderneath。Windandsandareprettyhigh—classarchitects。That’stheprincipleofmostoftheCliff—DwellerremainsdownatCanyondeChelly。Thesandstormshaddugoutbigdepressionsinthefaceofacliff,andtheIndiansbuilttheirhousesbackinthatdepression。\" \"Youtoldmethatbefore,Ray,andofcourseyouknow。 Butthegeographysaystheirhouseswerecutoutofthefaceofthelivingrock,andIlikethatbetter。\" Raysniffed。\"Whatnonsensedoesgetprinted!It’senoughtogiveamandisrespectforlearning。HowcouldthemIndianscuthousesoutofthelivingrock,whentheyknewnothingabouttheartofforgingmetals?\"Rayleanedbackinhischair,swunghisfoot,andlookedthought— fulandhappy。Hewasinoneofhisfavoritefieldsofspecu— lation,andnothinggavehimmorepleasurethantalkingthesethingsoverwithTheaKronborg。\"I’lltellyou,Thee,ifthoseoldfellowshadlearnedtoworkmetalsonce,yourancientEgyptiansandAssyrianswouldn’thavebeatthemverymuch。Whatevertheydiddo,theydidwell。 Theirmasonry’sstandingthereto—day,thecornersastrueastheDenverCapitol。Theywerecleveratmostevery— thingbutmetals;andthatonefailurekeptthemfromgettingacross。Itwasthequicksandthatswallowed’em up,asarace。Iguesscivilizationproperbeganwhenmenmasteredmetals。\" Raywasnotvainabouthisbookishphrases。Hedidnotusethemtoshowoff,butbecausetheyseemedtohimmoreadequatethancolloquialspeech。Hefeltstronglyaboutthesethings,andgropedforwords,ashesaid,\"toexpresshimself。\"HehadthelamentableAmericanbeliefthat\"expression\"isobligatory。Hestillcarriedinhistrunk,amongtheunrelatedpossessionsofarailroadman,anote— bookonthetitle—pageofwhichwaswritten\"ImpressionsonFirstViewingtheGrandCanyon,RayH。Kennedy。\" Thepagesofthatbookwerelikeabattlefield;thelaboringauthorhadfallenbackfrommetaphoraftermetaphor,abandonedpositionafterposition。Hewouldhaveadmit— tedthattheartofforgingmetalswasnothingtothistreach— erousbusinessofrecordingimpressions,inwhichthematerialyouweresofullofvanishedmysteriouslyunderyourstrivinghand。\"Escapingsteam!\"hehadsaidtohim— self,thelasttimehetriedtoreadthatnotebook。 Theadidn’tmindRay’stravel—lectureexpressions。Shedodgedthem,unconsciously,asshedidherfather’spro— fessionalpalaver。ThelightinRay’spale—blueeyesandthefeelinginhisvoicemorethanmadeupforthestiff— nessofhislanguage。 \"WeretheCliff—Dwellersreallycleverwiththeirhands,Ray,ordoyoualwayshavetomakeallowanceandsay,’ThatwasprettygoodforanIndian’?\"sheasked。 RaywentdownintothecartogivesomeinstructionstoGiddy。\"Well,\"hesaidwhenhereturned,\"abouttheaborigines:onceortwiceI’vebeenwithsomefellowswhowerecrackingburialmounds。Alwaysfeltalittleashamedofit,butwedidpulloutsomeremarkablethings。Wegotsomepotteryoutwhole;seemedprettyfinetome。Iguesstheirwomenweretheirartists。Wefoundlotsofoldshoesandsandalsmadeoutofyuccafiber,neatandstrong;andfeatherblankets,too。\" \"Featherblankets?Younevertoldmeaboutthem。\" \"Didn’tI?Theoldfellows——orthesquaws——woveaclosenettingofyuccafiber,andthentiedonlittlebunchesofdownfeathers,overlapping,justthewayfeathersgrowonabird。Someofthemwerefeatheredonbothsides。 Youcan’tgetanythingwarmerthanthat,now,canyou? ——orprettier。WhatIlikeaboutthoseoldaboriginesis,thattheygotalltheirideasfromnature。\" Thealaughed。\"Thatmeansyou’regoingtosaysome— thingaboutgirls’wearingcorsets。ButsomeofyourIn— diansflattenedtheirbabies’heads,andthat’sworsethanwearingcorsets。\" \"GivemeanIndiangirl’sfigureforbeauty,\"Rayin— sisted。\"Andagirlwithavoicelikeyoursoughttohaveplentyoflung—action。Butyouknowmysentimentsonthatsubject。Iwasgoingtotellyouaboutthehandsomestthingweeverlootedoutofthoseburialmounds。Itwasonawoman,too,Iregrettosay。Shewaspreservedasperfectasanymummythatevercameoutofthepyramids。Shehadabigstringofturquoisesaroundherneck,andshewaswrappedinafox—furcloak,linedwithlittleyellowfeathersthatmusthavecomeoffwildcanaries。Canyoubeatthat,now?ThefellowthatclaimeditsoldittoaBostonmanforahundredandfiftydollars。\" Thealookedathimadmiringly。\"Oh,Ray,anddidn’tyougetanythingoffher,torememberherby,even?Shemusthavebeenaprincess。\" Raytookawalletfromthepocketofthecoatthatwashangingbesidehim,anddrewfromitalittlelumpwrappedinworntissuepaper。Inamomentastone,softandblueasarobin’segg,layinthehardpalmofhishand。Itwasaturquoise,rubbedsmoothintheIndianfinish,whichissomuchmorebeautifulthantheincongruoushighpolishthewhitemangivesthattenderstone。\"Igotthisfromhernecklace。Seetheholewherethestringwentthrough? YouknowhowtheIndiansdrillthem?Workthedrillwith theirteeth。Youlikeit,don’tyou?They’rejustrightforyou。BlueandyellowaretheSwedishcolors。\"Raylookedintentlyatherhead,bentoverhishand,andthengavehiswholeattentiontothetrack。 \"I’lltellyou,Thee,\"hebeganafterapause,\"I’mgoingtoformacampingpartyoneofthesedaysandpersuadeyourPADREtotakeyouandyourmotherdowntothatcoun— try,andwe’llliveintherockhouses——they’reascomfort— ableascanbe——andstartthecookfiresupin’emonceagain。I’llgointotheburialmoundsandgetyoumorekeepsakesthananygirleverhadbefore。\"Rayhadplannedsuchanexpeditionforhisweddingjourney,anditmadehisheartthumptoseehowThea’seyeskindledwhenhetalkedaboutit。\"I’velearnedmoredownthereaboutwhatmakeshistory,\"hewenton,\"thaninallthebooksI’veeverread。Whenyousitinthesunandletyourheelshangoutofadoorwaythatdropsathousandfeet,ideascometoyou。Youbegintofeelwhatthehumanracehasbeenupagainstfromthebeginning。There’ssomethingmightyelevatingaboutthoseoldhabitations。Youfeellikeit’suptoyoutodoyourbest,onaccountofthosefellowshavingitsohard。Youfeellikeyouowedthemsomething。\" AtWassiwappa,RaygotinstructionstosidetrackuntilThirty—sixwentby。Afterreadingthemessage,heturnedtohisguests。\"I’mafraidthiswillholdusupabouttwohours,Mrs。Kronborg,andwewon’tgetintoDenvertillnearmidnight。\" \"Thatwon’ttroubleme,\"saidMrs。Kronborgcontent— edly。\"TheyknowmeattheY。W。C。A。,andthey’llletmeinanytimeofnight。Icametoseethecountry,nottomaketime。I’vealwayswantedtogetoutatthiswhiteplaceandlookaround,andnowI’llhaveachance。Whatmakesitsowhite?\" \"Somekindofchalkyrock。\"RaysprangtothegroundandgaveMrs。Kronborghishand。\"YoucangetsoilofanycolorinColorado;matchmostanyribbon。\" WhileRaywasgettinghistrainontoasidetrack,Mrs。 Kronborgstrolledofftoexaminethepost—officeandsta— tionhouse;these,withthewatertank,madeupthetown。 Thestationagent\"batched\"andraisedchickens。HeranouttomeetMrs。Kronborg,clutchedatherfeverishly,andbegantellingheratoncehowlonelyhewasandwhatbadluckhewashavingwithhispoultry。Shewenttohischickenyardwithhim,andprescribedforgapes。 Wassiwappaseemedadrearyplaceenoughtopeoplewholookedforverdure,abrilliantplacetopeoplewholikedcolor。Besidethestationhousetherewasablue—grassplot,protectedbyaredplankfence,andsixfly—bittenbox—eldertrees,notmuchlargerthanbushes,werekeptalivebyfrequenthosingsfromthewaterplug。Overthewindowssomedustymorning—gloryvinesweretrainedonstrings。 Allthecountryaboutwasbrokenupintolowchalkyhills,whichweresointenselywhite,andspottedsoevenlywithsage,thattheylookedlikewhiteleopardscrouching。Whitedustpowderedeverything,andthelightwassointensethatthestationagentusuallyworeblueglasses。Behindthestationtherewasawatercourse,whichroaredinfloodtime,andabasininthesoftwhiterockwhereapoolofalkaliwaterflashedinthesunlikeamirror。Theagentlookedalmostassickashischickens,andMrs。Kronborgatonceinvitedhimtolunchwithherparty。Hehad,heconfessed,adistasteforhisowncooking,andlivedmainlyonsodacrackersandcannedbeef。Helaughedapologetic— allywhenMrs。Kronborgsaidsheguessedshe’dlookaboutforashadyplacetoeatlunch。 Shewalkedupthetracktothewatertank,andthere,inthenarrowshadowscastbytheuprightsonwhichthetankstood,shefoundtwotramps。Theysatupandstaredather,heavywithsleep。Whensheaskedthemwheretheyweregoing,theytoldher\"tothecoast。\"Theyrestedbydayandtraveledbynight;walkedthetiesunlesstheycouldstealaride,theysaid;addingthat\"these Westernroadsweregettingstrict。\"Theirfaceswereblistered,theireyesblood—shot,andtheirshoeslookedfitonlyforthetrashpile。 \"Isupposeyou’rehungry?\"Mrs。Kronborgasked。\"I supposeyoubothdrink?\"shewentonthoughtfully,notcensoriously。 Thehuskierofthetwohoboes,abushy,beardedfellow,rolledhiseyesandsaid,\"Iwonder?\"Buttheother,whowasoldandspare,withasharpnoseandwateryeyes,sighed。\"Somehasoneaffliction,someanother,\"hesaid。 Mrs。Kronborgreflected。\"Well,\"shesaidatlast,\"youcan’tgetliquorhere,anyway。Iamgoingtoaskyoutovacate,becauseIwanttohavealittlepicnicunderthistankforthefreightcrewthatbroughtmealong。IwishI hadlunchenoughtoprovideyou,butIain’t。Thestationagentsayshegetshisprovisionsoverthereatthepost— officestore,andifyouarehungryyoucangetsomecannedstuffthere。\"Sheopenedherhandbagandgaveeachofthetrampsahalf—dollar。 Theoldmanwipedhiseyeswithhisforefinger。\"Thank’ee,ma’am。Acanoftomatterswilltasteprettygoodtome。 Iwasn’talwayswalkin’ties;IhadagoodjobinCleve— landbefore——\" Thehairytrampturnedonhimfiercely。\"Aw,shutuponthat,grandpaw!Ain’tyougotnogratitude?Whatdoyouwanttohandtheladythatfur?\" Theoldmanhunghisheadandturnedaway。Ashewentoff,hiscomradelookedafterhimandsaidtoMrs。 Kronborg:\"It’strue,whathesays。Hehadajobinthecarshops;buthehadbadluck。\"Theybothlimpedawaytowardthestore,andMrs。Kronborgsighed。Shewasnotafraidoftramps。Shealwaystalkedtothem,andneverturnedoneaway。Shehatedtothinkhowmanyofthemtherewere,crawlingalongthetracksoverthatvastcoun— try。 HerreflectionswerecutshortbyRayandGiddyand Thea,whocamebringingthelunchboxandwaterbottles。 Althoughtherewasnotshadowenoughtoaccommodateallthepartyatonce,theairunderthetankwasdistinctlycoolerthanthesurroundingair,andthedripmadeapleas— antsoundinthatbreathlessnoon。Thestationagentateasifhehadneverbeenfedbefore,apologizingeverytimehetookanotherpieceoffriedchicken。Giddywasuna— bashedbeforethedevilledeggsofwhichhehadspokensoscornfullylastnight。Afterlunchthemenlittheirpipesandlaybackagainsttheuprightsthatsupportedthetank。 \"Thisisthesunnysideofrailroading,allright,\"Giddydrawledluxuriously。 \"Youfellowsgrumbletoomuch,\"saidMrs。Kronborgasshecorkedthepicklejar。\"Yourjobhasitsdrawbacks,butitdon’ttieyoudown。Ofcoursethere’stherisk;butIbelieveaman’swatchedover,andhecan’tbehurtontherailroadoranywhereelseifit’sintendedheshouldn’tbe。\" Giddylaughed。\"ThenthetrainsmustbeoperatedbyfellowstheLordhasitinfor,Mrs。Kronborg。Theyfigureitoutthatarailroadman’sonlyduetolastelevenyears; thenit’shisturntobesmashed。\" \"That’sadarkProvidence,Idon’tdeny,\"Mrs。Kron— borgadmitted。\"Butthere’slotsofthingsinlifethat’shardtounderstand。\" \"Iguess!\"murmuredGiddy,lookingoffatthespottedwhitehills。 Raysmokedinsilence,watchingTheaandhermotherclearawaythelunch。HewasthinkingthatMrs。Kron— borghadinherfacethesameseriouslookthatTheahad; onlyherswascalmandsatisfied,andThea’swasintenseandquestioning。Butinbothitwasalargekindoflook,thatwasnotallthetimebeingbrokenupandconvulsedbytrivialthings。TheybothcarriedtheirheadslikeIndianwomen,withakindofnobleunconsciousness。Hegotsotiredofwomenwhowerealwaysnoddingandjerking; apologizing,deprecating,coaxing,insinuatingwiththeirheads。 WhenRay’spartysetoffagainthatafternoonthesunbeatfiercelyintothecupola,andTheacurledupinoneoftheseatsatthebackofthecarandhadanap。 Astheshorttwilightcameon,Giddytookaturninthecupola,andRaycamedownandsatwithTheaontherearplatformofthecabooseandwatchedthedarknesscomeinsoftwavesovertheplain。TheywerenowaboutthirtymilesfromDenver,andthemountainslookedverynear。 Thegreattoothedwallbehindwhichthesunhadgonedownnowseparatedintofourdistinctranges,onebehindtheother。Theywereaverypaleblue,acolorscarcelystrongerthanwoodsmoke,andthesunsethadleftbrightstreaksinthesnow—filledgorges。Intheclear,yellow— streakedskythestarswerecomingout,flickeringlikenewlylightedlamps,growingsteadierandmoregoldenastheskydarkenedandthelandbeneaththemfellintocom— pleteshadow。Itwasacool,restfuldarknessthatwasnotblackorforbidding,butsomehowopenandfree;thenightofhighplainswherethereisnomoistnessormisti— nessintheatmosphere。 Raylithispipe。\"Inevergettiredofthemoldstars,Thee。Imiss’emupinWashingtonandOregonwhereit’smisty。Like’embestdowninMotherMexico,wheretheyhaveeverythingtheirownway。I’mnotforanycountrywherethestarsaredim。\"Raypausedanddrewonhispipe。\"Idon’tknowasIeverreallynoticed’emmuchtillthatfirstyearIherdedsheepupinWyoming。Thatwastheyeartheblizzardcaughtme。\" \"Andyoulostallyoursheep,didn’tyou,Ray?\"Theaspokesympathetically。\"Wasthemanwhoownedthemniceaboutit?\" \"Yes,hewasagoodloser。ButIdidn’tgetoveritforalongwhile。Sheeparesodamnedresigned。Sometimes,tothisday,whenI’mdog—tired,Itrytosavethemsheep allnightlong。Itcomeskindofhardonaboywhenhefirstfindsouthowlittleheis,andhowbigeverythingelseis。\" Theamovedrestlesslytowardhimanddroppedherchinonherhand,lookingatalowstarthatseemedtorestjustontherimoftheearth。\"Idon’tseehowyoustoodit。I don’tbelieveIcould。Idon’tseehowpeoplecanstandittogetknockedout,anyhow!\"Shespokewithsuchfierce— nessthatRayglancedatherinsurprise。Shewassittingonthefloorofthecar,crouchinglikealittleanimalabouttospring。 \"Nooccasionforyoutosee,\"hesaidwarmly。\"There’llalwaysbeplentyofotherpeopletotaketheknocksforyou。\" \"That’snonsense,Ray。\"Theaspokeimpatientlyandleanedlowerstill,frowningattheredstar。\"Everybody’supagainstitforhimself,succeedsorfails——himself。\" \"Inoneway,yes,\"Rayadmitted,knockingthesparksfromhispipeoutintothesoftdarknessthatseemedtoflowlikeariverbesidethecar。\"Butwhenyoulookatitanotherway,therearealotofhalfwaypeopleinthisworldwhohelpthewinnerswin,andthefailersfail。Ifamanstumbles,there’splentyofpeopletopushhimdown。 Butifhe’slike`theyouthwhobore,’thosesamepeopleareforeordainedtohelphimalong。Theymayhateto,worsethanblazes,andtheymaydoalotofcussin’aboutit,buttheyhavetohelpthewinnersandtheycan’tdodgeit。It’sanaturallaw,likewhatkeepsthebigclockuptheregoing,littlewheelsandbig,andnomix—up。\"Ray’shandandhispipeweresuddenlyoutlinedagainstthesky。 \"Everoccurtoyou,Thee,thattheyhavetobeontimecloseenoughtoMAKETIME?TheDispatcheruptheremusthavealonghead。\"Pleasedwithhissimilitude,Raywentbacktothelookout。GoingintoDenver,hehadtokeepasharpwatch。 Giddycamedown,cheerfulattheprospectofgettingintoport,andsinginganewtopicaldittythathadcomeup fromtheSantaFebywayofLaJunta。Nobodyknowswhomakesthesesongs;theyseemtofolloweventsauto— matically。Mrs。KronborgmadeGiddysingthewholetwelveversesofthisone,andlaugheduntilshewipedhereyes。ThestorywasthatofKatieCasey,headdining— roomgirlatWinslow,Arizona,whowasunjustlydis— chargedbytheHarveyHousemanager。Hersuitor,theyardmaster,tooktheswitchmenoutonastrikeuntilshewasreinstated。FreighttrainsfromtheeastandthewestpiledupatWinslowuntiltheyardslookedlikealog—jam。 Thedivisionsuperintendent,whowasinCalifornia,hadtowireinstructionsforKatieCasey’srestorationbeforehecouldgethistrainsrunning。Giddy’ssongtoldallthiswithmuchdetail,bothtenderandtechnical,andaftereachofthedozenversescametherefrain:—— \"Oh,whowouldthinkthatKatieCaseyownedtheSantaFe? Butitreallylooksthatway,Thedispatcher’sturnin’gray,Allthecrewsisofftheirpay; ShecanholdthefreightfromAlbuquerq’toNeedlesanyday; Thedivisionsuperintendent,hecomehomefromMonterey,Justtoseeifthingswaspleasin’KatieCa——a——a——sey。\" ThealaughedwithhermotherandapplaudedGiddy。 Everythingwassokindlyandcomfortable;GiddyandRay,andtheirhospitablelittlehouse,andtheeasy—goingcountry,andthestars。Shecurledupontheseatagainwiththatwarm,sleepyfeelingofthefriendlinessoftheworld——whichnobodykeepsverylong,andwhichshewastoloseearlyandirrevocably。