登陆注册
15454400000074

第74章 OUR ARCHERY CLUB(2)

Pepton first hung his bow in the hall, but after he had arranged it symmetrically upon two long nails (bound with green worsted, lest they should scratch the bow through its woollen cover), he reflected that the front door would frequently be open, and that damp drafts must often go through the hall. He was sorry to give up this place for his bow, for it was convenient and appropriate, and for an instant he thought that it might remain, if the front door could be kept shut, and visitors admitted through a little side door which the family generally used, and which was almost as convenient as the other--except, indeed, on wash-days, when a wet sheet or some article of wearing apparel was apt to be hung in front of it. But although wash-day occurred but once a week, and although it was comparatively easy, after a little practice, to bob under a high-propped sheet, Pepton's heart was too kind to allow his mind to dwell upon this plan. So he drew the nails from the wall of the hall, and put them up in various places about the house. His own room had to be aired a great deal in all weathers, and so that would not do at all. The wall above the kitchen fireplace would be a good location, for the chimney was nearly always warm. But Pepton could not bring himself to keep his bow in the kitchen. There would be nothing esthetic about such a disposition of it, and, besides, the girl might be tempted to string and bend it. The old ladies really did not want it in the parlor, for its length and its green baize cover would make it an encroaching and unbecoming neighbor to the little engravings and the big samplers, the picture-frames of acorns and pine-cones, the fancifully patterned ornaments of clean wheat straw, and all the quaint adornments which had hung upon those walls for so many years. But they did not say so. If it had been necessary, to make room for the bow, they would have taken down the pencilled profiles of their grandfather, their grandmother, and their father when a little boy, which hung in a row over the mantelpiece.

However, Pepton did not ask this sacrifice. In the summer evenings the parlor windows must be open. The dining-room was really very little used in the evening, except when Miss Maria had stockings to darn, and then she always sat in that apartment, and of course she had the windows open. But Miss Maria was very willing to bring her work into the parlor,--it was foolish, anyway, to have a feeling about darning stockings before chance company,--and then the dining-room could be kept shut up after tea. So into the wall of that neat little room Pepton drove his worsted-covered nails, and on them carefully laid his bow. All the next day Miss Martha and Miss Maria went about the house, covering the nail-holes he had made with bits of wall-paper, carefully snipped out to fit the patterns, and pasted on so neatly that no one would have suspected they were there.

One afternoon, as I was passing the old ladies' house, saw, or thought I saw, two men carrying in a coffin. I was struck with alarm.

"What!" I thought. "Can either of those good women-- Or can Pepton--"Without a moment's hesitation, I rushed in behind the men.

There, at the foot of the stairs, directing them, stood Pepton.

Then it was not he! I seized him sympathetically by the hand.

"Which?" I faltered. "Which? Who is that coffin for?""Coffin!" cried Pepton. "Why, my dear fellow, that is not a coffin. That is my ascham.""Ascham?" I exclaimed. "What is that?"

"Come and look at it," he said, when the men had set it on end against the wall. "It is an upright closet or receptacle for an archer's armament. Here is a place to stand the bow, here are supports for the arrows and quivers, here are shelves and hooks, on which to lay or hang everything the merry man can need. You see, moreover, that it is lined with green plush, that the door fits tightly, so that it can stand anywhere, and there need be no fear of drafts or dampness affecting my bow. Isn't it a perfect thing? You ought to get one."I admitted the perfection, but agreed no further. I had not the income of my good Pepton.

Pepton was, indeed, most wonderfully well equipped; and yet, little did those dear old ladies think, when they carefully dusted and reverentially gazed at the bunches of arrows, the arm-bracers, the gloves, the grease-pots, and all the rest of the paraphernalia of archery, as it hung around Pepton's room, or when they afterwards allowed a particular friend to peep at it, all arranged so orderly within the ascham, or when they looked with sympathetic, loving admiration on the beautiful polished bow, when it was taken out of its bag--little did they think, Isay, that Pepton was the very poorest shot in the club. In all the surface of the much-perforated targets of the club, there was scarcely a hole that he could put his hand upon his heart and say he made.

Indeed, I think it was the truth that Pepton was born not to be an archer. There were young fellows in the club who shot with bows that cost no more than Pepton's tassels, but who could stand up and whang arrows into the targets all the afternoon, if they could get a chance; and there were ladies who made hits five times out of six; and there were also all the grades of archers common to any club. But there was no one but himself in Pepton's grade. He stood alone, and it was never any trouble to add up his score.

Yet he was not discouraged. He practised every day except Sundays, and indeed he was the only person in the club who practised at night. When he told me about this, I was a little surprised.

同类推荐
  • 山水训

    山水训

    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。
  • 护身命经之一

    护身命经之一

    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。
  • 太玄经

    太玄经

    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。
  • 玉箓资度午朝仪

    玉箓资度午朝仪

    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。
  • RUTH

    RUTH

    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。
热门推荐
  • 独霸后宫:史上最丑皇妃

    独霸后宫:史上最丑皇妃

    苏慕辰奉启帝之命上天山寻找能长生不老的天山雪莲,却被当地族人当成外来入侵者,打成重伤,就在奄奄一息时遇到了云素素,云素素将他救回王宫里,这段时间的呵护照料让苏慕辰喜欢上了这个开朗活泼的女孩,但他没有忘记自己的任务,伤好之后,就去和突厥王告知自己此行的目的,天山雪莲在西域一带是神母的象征,更是突厥的至宝,怎肯轻易相送,便和晋朝谈了个条件,如晋朝十年之内不攻打西域各国,突厥王愿意把自己心爱的女儿云素素嫁给太子做侧妃,天山雪莲则作为嫁妆一同奉送。两人这时都已芳心暗许,可谁也不愿开口面对自己的感情,直到云素素出嫁当天,苏慕辰闯入洞房,对她说,你等我三年,三年后,我一定带你走。
  • 亿万金主:复仇千金

    亿万金主:复仇千金

    这次回来,苏瑾绝对要弄清楚当年母亲的死亡,而且还要给曾经虐待她的后妈狠狠的甩一巴掌,同父异母妹妹代替她那么多年,也该把她拉下来了,这场复仇游戏才刚刚开始。
  • 覆水年华

    覆水年华

    故事发生在一群渺小平凡但却特别的大学生们之间。你在青春的旅程中一定爱过这么一个人,他让你刻骨铭心,无法忘却。莫沉是本书的一个主线人物,爱与被爱,放弃与接受,她的人生就像是一个倾斜的天平,努力摆正,努力维持。而我们都在这偌大的世界里渺小地成长着,也许长成茂盛的姿态去迎接风雨,又或是长成平凡的模样去踏实前行。不论是友情或是爱情,成长的道路总是崎岖不平的,拥有青春光环的同时,也必定要经受挫折,背叛,疼痛,离别,但是就算前方困难重重,就算荆棘丛生,你总会找到一个为自己量身定做的方向,坚定不移地走下去。这才是青春的模样。
  • 低碳工业:让污染远离我们的生活

    低碳工业:让污染远离我们的生活

    地球是我们共同的家园,白云蓝天,雾霭流岚、花香鸟语、蝶舞莺飞……如此美丽的环境需要我们共同的呵护。不要让小河的水总是恶臭,不要让机动车的尾气令人掩住口鼻,不要让草丛里的塑料袋不计其数……让我们牵起手,从一点一滴的小事做起,使我们的地球更美丽,更精彩。
  • 救赎与虚妄的境界线

    救赎与虚妄的境界线

    “如果你变成了一个没有心的怪物,那么你会怎么办?”“我?……大概会活下去吧。要么就这样死掉算了,毕竟是很值得珍惜的一次体验啊!”作者姬:这个是随便写的,还有偶是不定时更新的……啊哈哈!
  • 妖神魅惑天下

    妖神魅惑天下

    第一次见她,她正被同族追杀,血污的身子匍匐在她的脚边求他救她。第一次让他惊讶的是,年少的她用稚嫩的肩膀背着他走了十几里,不曾喊过一次苦。他做梦也没想到,有一天她会当着所有人的面,大声宣告,她喜欢他,即使那样会被赶出山门。他是对不起她的,赶她出山门,不成想激发了她体内压抑已久的妖力,体内的神力成为人人抢夺的目标,阴谋,虚假,凶残,逃跑的路不曾停歇,他能否找回她心爱的徒弟?终止这无休止的杀戮?
  • 魅力莎呆萌娜

    魅力莎呆萌娜

    魅力莎,呆萌娜是一对姐妹花。一日,她们在喝咖啡时碰到一个绝美的男子,花痴姐妹立即迷住了,根据第一次见面,嗯哼是个冰山王子哦!好,让我们这对姐妹花,争到手软!详读本书,让我们看看,魅力莎呆萌娜,谁笑到最后!
  • 爱情低能:好爱情屌丝造

    爱情低能:好爱情屌丝造

    作为臭屌丝,史坏追不到白富美梦婷婷,极度绝望后,阴差阳错地来了个一夜情。可是,更阴差阳错的是,这个像极了梦婷婷的小梦竟然是JI女……有一种病毒叫屌丝男,还有一种病毒叫高富帅。一无是处遇到十全十美,这道人生的大菜,吃下去,魂上来!你的好,我的坏,揉搓到一起,这才精彩!好好的日子不过,非得遇到屌丝男,这不是我的安排,只是老天爷的使坏……
  • 卫明

    卫明

    ”天下风云东北起,亡明西北米脂李。乾坤扭转伶仃变,将坐江宁兴帝京。“且看一代枭雄杨卫明如何平定天下风云,醉卧美人膝。
  • 盛夏之葬

    盛夏之葬

    故事是一位照顾职场失意精神病人的护士爱上了自己的病人,这爱情的火花仿佛燃亮他们俩整个人生