登陆注册
15679600000073

第73章 MADAME BO-PEEP, OF THE RANCHES(4)

Through its middle, dividing its six rooms in half, extended a broad, arched passageway, picturesque with flowering cactus and hanging red earthern jars.A "gallery," low and broad, encircled the building.Vines climbed about it, and the adjacent ground was, for a space, covered with transplanted grass and shrubs.A little lake, long and narrow, glimmered in the sun at the rear.Further away stood the shacks of the Mexican workers, the corrals, wool sheds and shearing pens.To the right lay the low hills, splattered with dark patches of chaparral; to the left the unbounded green prairie blending against the blue heavens.

"It's a home, Teddy," said Octavia, breathlessly;that's what it is -- it's a home."

"Not so bad for a sheep ranch," admitted Teddy, with excusable pride."I've been tinkering on it at odd times."A Mexican youth sprang from somewhere in the grass, and took charge of the creams.The mistress and the manager entered the house.

"Here's Mrs.MacIntyre," said Teddy, as a placid, neat, elderly lady came out upon the gallery to meet them."Mrs.Mac, here's the boss.Very likely she will be wanting a hunk of ham and a dish of beans after her drive."Mrs.MacIntyre, the housekeeper, as much a fixture on the place as the lake or the live-oaks, received the imputation of the ranch's resources of refreshment with mild indignation, and was about to give it utterance when Octavia spoke.

"Oh, Mrs.MacIntyre, don't apologize for Teddy.

Yes, I call him Teddy.So does every one whom he hasn't duped into taking him seriously.You see, we used to cut paper dolls and play jackstraws together ages ago.No one minds what he says.""No," said Teddy, "no one minds what he says, just so he doesn't do it again."Octavia cast one of those subtle, sidelong glances toward him from beneath her lowered eyelids -- a glance that Teddy used to describe as an upper-cut.But there was nothing in his ingenuous, weather-tanned face to warrant a suspicion that he was making an allusion --nothing.Beyond a doubt, thought Octavia, he had forgotten.

"Mr.Westlake likes his fun," said Mrs.Maclntyre, as she conducted Octavia to her rooms."But," she added, loyally, "people around here usually pay attention to what he says when he talks in earnest.I don't know what would have become of this place without him."Two rooms at the east end of the house had been arranged for the occupancy of the ranch's mistress.When she entered them a slight dismay seized her at their bare appearance and the scantiness of their furniture; but she quickly reflected that the climate was a semi-tropical one, and was moved to appreciation of the well-conceived efforts to conform to it.The sashes had already been removed from the big windows, and white curtains waved in the Gulf breeze that streamed through the wide jalousies.

The bare floor was amply strewn with cool rugs; the chairs were inviting, deep, dreamy willows; the walls were papered with a light, cheerful olive.One whole side of her sitting room was covered with books on smooth, unpainted pine shelves.She flew to these at once.Before her was a well-selected library.She caught glimpses of titles of volumes of fiction and travel not yet seasoned from the dampness of the press.

Presently, recollecting that she was now in a wilderness given over to mutton, centipedes and privations, the incongruity of these luxuries struck her, and, with intuitive feminine suspicion, she began turning to the fly-leaves of volume after volume.Upon each one was inscribed in fluent characters the name of Theodore Westlake, Jr.

Octavia, fatigued by her long journey, retired early that night.Lying upon her white, cool bed, she rested deliciously, but sleep coquetted long with her.She listened to faint noises whose strangeness kept her faculties on the alert -- the fractious yelping of the coyotes, the ceaseless, low symphony of the wind, the distant booming of the frogs about the lake, the lamentation of a concertina in the Mexicans' quarters.There were many conflicting feelings in her heart -- thankfulness and rebellion, peace and disquietude, loneliness and a sense of protecting care, happiness and an old, haunting pain.

She did what any other woman would have done --sought relief in a wholesome tide of unreasonable tears, and her last words, murmured to herself before slumber, capitulating, came softly to woo her, were "He has forgotten."The manager of the Rancho de las Sombras was no dilettante.He was a "hustler." He was generally up, mounted, and away of mornings before the rest of the household were awake, making the rounds of the flocks and camps.This was the duty of the majordomo, a stately old Mexican with a princely air and manner, but Teddy seemed to have a great deal of confidence in his own eyesight.Except in the busy seasons, he nearly always returned to the ranch to breakfast at eight o'clock, with Octavia and Mrs.Maclntyre, at the little table set in the central hallway, bringing with him a tonic and breezy cheerfulness full of the health and flavour of the prairies.

A few days after Octavia's arrival he made her get out one of her riding skirts, and curtail it to a shortness demanded by the chaparral brakes.

With some misgivings she donned this and the pair of buckskin leggings he prescribed in addition, and, mounted upon a dancing pony, rode with him to view her posses-sions.He showed her everything -- the flocks of ewes, muttons and grazing lambs, the dipping vats, the shearing pens, the uncouth merino rams in their little pasture, the water-tanks I prepared against the summer drought --giving account of his stewardship with a boyish enthus-siasm that never flagged.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 重生千金魔女:大人我错了

    重生千金魔女:大人我错了

    风云突起,恶魔重生。前世被敬重的继母和疼爱的妹妹害得家破人亡,最终选择自焚结束生命。凤凰涅槃,浴火重生。却不想招惹了他。“大人,夫人杀了曹副局长。”秘书战战兢兢地站在一旁。“嗯。”合上文件起身离开。“大人你去哪里?”“回家烧水,等夫人沐浴更衣。”他是妖王,却甘愿为她一个人下厨房还有……上床。
  • 无边阴黯

    无边阴黯

    整座城市,都在无限的轮回!挣扎的灵魂,始终在挣扎着!所以......打破这个轮回的枷锁,让仲裁者,都消失吧!打破这座城市的封印,让观察者,都去死吧!人类,才应该是主宰!
  • 电竞之传奇教练

    电竞之传奇教练

    操作不行?我们来加加体力。运气不行?脸黑暴击打不出来?抽不出SSR?我们来加加魅力。对大局观的掌握不行?记牌记不住?我们来加加智力。在孟清看来,即使你是个傻子或瘸子。只要跟着我,我也能让其登上世界冠军的宝座。
  • 凶猛海盗甜娇妻

    凶猛海盗甜娇妻

    神马?暗恋多年的老师,竟然是横行索马里的海盗?而且,还带着她一路去浪!开挂的人生不需要解释!
  • 发个微信泡仙女

    发个微信泡仙女

    当林凡的手机能够连通天庭后,他发现自己的世界一下子就充满了色彩。下载个千里眼app,看看千里之外的楼里女孩换衣服;下载个食神app,美味佳肴信手拈来
  • 冥王追:废材公主倾天下

    冥王追:废材公主倾天下

    噗,本应该好好当她的血樱宫主,该干嘛干嘛,却为了闺蜜掉进珠穆朗玛的裂缝,穿到异世大陆成了血樱公主?不是吧?堂堂一介族公主,却在森林中误食毒菇死亡?要不要那么奇葩?因为体为多了一种元素而被称为废柴?多了个元素也不是她的错对吧?最可气的还不是这些,气死人的是一穿越过来竟然被腹黑的冥王给坑了?坑了还不算什么,但你刚刚坑完却又反过来说对她一见钟情?这是几个意思?本想把一个怪物引到她身上,结果却被她那古灵精怪的性格给吸引住了,于是,堂堂冷血冥王正式地展开了对她的追求……当奇葩、冷血的杀手遇上腹黑、傲娇的赖皮狗将会有怎样的追妻剧情?敬请期待!糖果建了个群哦!欢迎加入!群号码:574100602!(QQ)
  • 侍女与红警

    侍女与红警

    一个在侯府的卑微女子获得了一辆红警三基地车,看她是如何从下人一步步成为一方霸主。
  • 我的口袋里装着目标

    我的口袋里装着目标

    我呢出身在一个平凡的家庭!但我收获很友情!收获了爱情!实现了梦想!每个人都应该有个梦想!而不是平平凡凡的过一辈子!
  • 麻雀千金你别逃

    麻雀千金你别逃

    她,慕容思橙,早上刚分手,晚上却在VIP面具恋人之夜无意得罪四位性格各异的少爷,“恭喜你成为我的VIP恋人”。这是他们同时说的话,碍于游戏规则,他们不敢撕下她的面具;她不把他们放心上,他们为了寻她踏破铁鞋,却不知要找的人就在身边。她,慕容思橙本是只麻雀,因为妈妈二婚,进入了豪门,化身麻雀千金,成了冰冷少爷皇甫轩的妹妹;接着成了花心少爷上官然的女朋友;然后又成了可爱萌呆少爷凌哲瑞的未婚妻?再后来关于她的身世,什么?她的身世和温柔的南宫澈又有什么关系?她认识他们,也知道他们在VIP面具恋人之夜被自己耍了,她可不想那么早见阎王,巧合,是天注定?还是另有所谋?当真相发现之后,他们之间会有怎样的转变?
  • 网游之天唐

    网游之天唐

    方正,人如其名,方方正正,传统而死板,眼里容不得半粒沙子。身为职业网游玩家的他,入驻第一大网游天唐后,因缘巧合间成了天唐第一大公会会长。却因为利益牵扯与仇人的陷害而惨遭毒手。如果生命可以重来一次,你会做出什么样的选择?重生后的方正,变得八面玲珑,一切,只因为他想守护好身边想要守护的东西,并且拿到原本属于他的一切!