登陆注册
14823800000026

第26章

Grandma Bisnette came from Canada to work for the Browers. She was a big, cheerful woman, with a dialect, an amiable disposition and a swarthy, wrinkled face. She had a loose front tooth that occupied all the leisure of her tongue. When she sat at her knitting this big tooth clicked incessantly. On every stitch her tongue went in and out across it' and I, standing often by her knees, regarded the process with great curiosity.

The reader may gather much from these frank and informing words of Grandma Bisnette. 'When I los' my man, Mon Dieu! I have two son. An' when I come across I bring him with me. Abe he rough; but den he no bad man.'

Abe was the butcher of the neighbourhood - that red-handed, stony-hearted, necessary man whom the Yankee farmer in that north country hires to do the cruel things that have to be done. He wore ragged, dirty clothes and had a voice like a steam whistle.

His rough, black hair fell low and mingled with his scanty beard.

His hands were stained too often with the blood of some creature we loved. I always crept under the bed in Mrs Brower's room when Abe came - he was such a terror to me with his bloody work and noisy oaths. Such men were the curse of the cleanly homes in that country. There was much to shock the ears and eyes of children in the life of the farm. It was a fashion among the help to decorate their speech with profanity for the mere sound of it' and the foul mouthings of low-minded men spread like a pestilence in the fields.

Abe came always with an old bay horse and a rickety buckboard.

His one foot on the dash, as he rode, gave the picture a dare-devil finish. The lash of his bull-whip sang around him, and his great voice sent its blasts of noise ahead. When we heard a fearful yell and rumble in the distance, we knew Abe was coming.

'Abe he come,' said Grandma Bisnette. 'Mon Dieu! he make de leetle rock fly.'

It was like the coming of a locomotive with roar of wheel and whistle. In my childhood, as soon as I saw the cloud of dust, I put for the bed and from its friendly cover would peek out' often, but never venture far until the man of blood had gone.

To us children he was a marvel of wickedness. There were those who told how he had stood in the storm one night and dared the Almighty to send the lightning upon him.

The dog Fred had grown so old and infirm that one day they sent for Abe to come and put an end to his misery. Every man on the farm loved the old dog and not one of them would raise a hand to kill him. Hope and I heard what Abe was coming to do, and when the men had gone to the fields, that summer morning, we lifted Fred into the little wagon m which he had once drawn me and starting back of the barn stole away with him through the deep grass of the meadow until we came out upon the highroad far below. We had planned to take him to school and make him a nest in the woodshed where he could share our luncheon and be out of the way of peril. After a good deal of difficulty and heavy pulling we got to the road at last. The old dog, now blind and helpless, sat contentedly in the wagon while its wheels creaked and groaned beneath him. We had gone but a short way in the road when we heard the red bridge roar under rushing wheels and the familiar yell of Abe.

'We'd better run,' said Hope, ' 'er we'll git swore at.'

I looked about me in a panic for some place to hide the party, but Abe was coming fast and there was only time to pick up clubs and stand our ground.

'Here!' the man shouted as he pulled up along side of us, 'where ye goin' with that dog?'

'Go 'way,' I answered, between anger and tears, lifting my club in a threatening manner.

He laughed then - a loud guffaw that rang in the near woods.

'What'll ye give me,' he asked leaning forward, his elbows on his knees, 'What'll ye give me if I don't kill him?'

I thought a moment. Then I put my hand in my pocket and presently took out my jack-knife - that treasure Uncle Eb had bought for me - and looked at it fondly.

Then I offered it to him.

Again he laughed loudly.

'Anything else?' he demanded while Hope sat hugging the old dog that was licking her hands.

'Got forty cents that I saved for the fair,' said I promptly.

Abe backed his horse and turned in the road.

'Wall boy,' he said, 'Tell 'em I've gone home.'

Then his great voice shouted, 'g'lang' the lash of his whip sang in the air and off he went.

We were first to arrive at the schoolhouse, that morning, and when the other children came we had Fred on a comfortable bed of grass in a corner of the woodshed. What with all the worry of that day I said my lessons poorly and went home with a load on my heart. Tomorrow would be Saturday; how were we to get food and water to the dog? They asked at home if we had seen old Fred and we both declared we had not - the first lie that ever laid its burden on my conscience. We both saved all our bread and butter and doughnuts next day, but we had so many chores to do it was impossible to go to the schoolhouse with them. So we agreed to steal away that night when all were asleep and take the food from its hiding place.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 王俊凯:四叶成海你在不在

    王俊凯:四叶成海你在不在

    你是天上最亮的星星,我愿一路追随着你的脚步,做一个追星星的夸父。
  • 凤栖梧桐,一妾无妻

    凤栖梧桐,一妾无妻

    慕容熙以女子之身,背负男子之名。担起整个家族的命运。她以为等弟弟长大便可放下肩上重担,谁知最后竟落得以男子之身嫁人为妾。她想,如若她是男子该多好。新婚之夜他说;"我知你是无奈,但我心中已有她人,妻位我给不了你。我对男子并无感觉”她说;“即你心中已有她人,我便是你男妾吧,至于你对男子并无感觉之事,你若需要,我并无权反抗。你若无需,吾不是自贱之人。歇了吧”六王爷望着走向床榻如玉之人,满心都是怜惜,唯独没有爱。或是感知了身后的人。她轻叹“在商吾为王,唯我独尊。在你床榻为妾,也当随遇而安。”
  • 豪门惊情:惹怒,暗夜契约妻!

    豪门惊情:惹怒,暗夜契约妻!

    “五十万……五十万我卖给你五年!”她强忍着屈辱回答道。“好,五十万我买你五年!”五年后,当他冷漠的将她赶出去,迎来了他当作圣女爱护的女人站在她面前时,她笑了,笑了一脸的泪水。
  • 卿魅无双之绝爱倾城

    卿魅无双之绝爱倾城

    她,是权倾朝野,手握国之过半兵力的护龙司主。十岁承父位,十二岁平内乱、肃政敌,十四岁抵抗倭寇,提“云璃”二字,无不令人闻风丧胆。他,先帝之幺子,有着清辉朗月、天下第一的容貌,备受其父宠爱,却在其兄登位后变成身衰体弱的八王爷。初遇那年,他十岁,她十二岁,她为他解了围,求得皇上下旨赐婚。从此,举国上下无人不知无人不晓,身衰体弱的八王爷是一个叫云璃的男人。而那,也变成了他终身的耻辱。她爱他护他助他十年,再见,他赫赫战功,却带回了一个倾国倾城的女子,从此,她为他付出的一切便只换回了一句:长姐如母,弟必恭之。(本文纯属虚构,请勿模仿。)
  • 尘海宿将

    尘海宿将

    明洋本是普通小生。在未来一天,帝尊和半神的一次大战,导致了虚空裂缝,灵力倒灌。偶然的机遇赐给了他逆天成神的机会。看明洋如何斗天、斗地,成就王座,修成真皇,力压界主,普度圣人,战败帝尊,成神灵,始万祖。
  • 为什么爱情那么天真

    为什么爱情那么天真

    里面讲述了梦幻城堡里的公主的生活。三位公主的之后遇到三位王子和他们成为好朋友。然后梦幻城堡受到困难最后三位公主和三位王子拯救了梦幻城堡。好看的赞一下哦
  • 地球的脸庞:地貌(地理知识知道点)

    地球的脸庞:地貌(地理知识知道点)

    地球是太空中惟一不需太空探测船即可认识的星体,但是直到20世纪我们才真正勾勒出地球的全貌。地球是太阳系八大行星之一,按离太阳由近及远的次序是第三颗,位于水星和金星之后;在八大行星中大小排行是第四。在浩瀚的宇宙中,地球就像是广阔原野上的一粒灰尘,但是它的形成和发展却经历了十分漫长的过程。地球还是目前人类所知道的惟一一个存在生命体的星球。也是太阳系中直径、质量和密度最大的类地行星。
  • 九域神尊

    九域神尊

    一树一枝叶,一花一世界手持一只菊,调笑亿兆石三千无上道,奈我贪还尘九域无穷境,踏灭方至尊~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~如蝼蚁般弱小的唐小龙,偶得无上功决,从此逆天崛起,让三千破灭,万界臣服。且看少年唐小龙,如何演绎一部荡气回肠的成神史。
  • 我的盗墓实录

    我的盗墓实录

    一个学生,一个专门盗墓的学生,一个个神奇的墓,他用的是脑子在盗墓!让他一生不在平庸无奇!一个神秘墓主人的墓地中得到一个布袋,里面的东西从而牵扯出一堆又一堆的谜题,让叶逍遥一一的破解吧!
  • 开启传送门

    开启传送门

    克拉玛萨陷落了,人类遭遇空前浩劫,当战鼓响起,帝国士兵手握宝剑,在圣光的沐浴下,面对死亡亦无所畏惧。然而在绝对的力量面前,一切都变得那么不堪一击,圣光即将熄灭,不再永恒,阿贝尔亲王忧心如焚,决定召唤异世强者,可他是否能拯救帝国?这依旧是个迷。