登陆注册
15456000000020

第20章 CHAPTER X UNCLE JOHN(3)

The brave lad paused again, modestly. Miss Spence's expression was encouraging. Her eyes were wide with astonishment, and there may have been in them, also, the mingled beginnings of admiration and self-reproach. Penrod, warming to his work, felt safer every moment.

"And so," he continued, "I had to sit up with Aunt Clara.

She had some pretty big bruises, too, and I had to----"

"But why didn't they send for a doctor?" However, this question was only a flicker of dying incredulity.

"Oh, they didn't want any DOCTOR," exclaimed the inspired realist promptly. "They don't want anybody to HEAR about it because Uncle John might reform--and then where'd he be if everybody knew he'd been a drunkard and whipped his wife and baby daughter?"

"Oh!" said Miss Spence.

"You see, he used to be upright as anybody," he went on explanatively. "It all begun----"

"Began, Penrod."

"Yes'm. It all commenced from the first day he let those travelling men coax him into the saloon." Penrod narrated the downfall of his Uncle John at length. In detail he was nothing short of plethoric; and incident followed incident, sketched with such vividness, such abundance of colour, and such verisimilitude to a drunkard's life as a drunkard's life should be, that had Miss Spence possessed the rather chilling attributes of William J. Burns himself, the last trace of skepticism must have vanished from her mind. Besides, there are two things that will be believed of any man whatsoever, and one of them is that he has taken to drink. And in every sense it was a moving picture which, with simple but eloquent words, the virtuous Penrod set before his teacher.

His eloquence increased with what it fed on; and as with the eloquence so with self-reproach in the gentle bosom of the teacher. She cleared her throat with difficulty once or twice, during his description of his ministering night with Aunt Clara.

"And I said to her, `Why, Aunt Clara, what's the use of takin' on so about it?' And I said, `Now, Aunt Clara, all the crying in the world can't make things any better.' And then she'd just keep catchin' hold of me, and sob and kind of holler, and I'd say, `DON'T cry, Aunt Clara--PLEASE don't cry."'

Then, under the influence of some fragmentary survivals of the respectable portion of his Sunday adventures, his theme became more exalted; and, only partially misquoting a phrase from a psalm, he related how he had made it of comfort to Aunt Clara, and how he had besought her to seek Higher guidance in her trouble.

The surprising thing about a structure such as Penrod was erecting is that the taller it becomes the more ornamentation it will stand. Gifted boys have this faculty of building magnificence upon cobwebs--and Penrod was gifted. Under the spell of his really great performance, Miss Spence gazed more and more sweetly upon the prodigy of spiritual beauty and goodness before her, until at last, when Penrod came to the explanation of his "just thinking," she was forced to turn her head away.

"You mean, dear," she said gently, "that you were all worn out and hardly knew what you were saying?"

"Yes'm."

"And you were thinking about all those dreadful things so hard that you forgot where you were?"

"I was thinking," he said simply, "how to save Uncle John."

And the end of it for this mighty boy was that the teacher kissed him!

同类推荐
  • 明伦汇编人事典祸福部

    明伦汇编人事典祸福部

    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。
  • 通玄真经注

    通玄真经注

    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。
  • 幼科概论

    幼科概论

    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。
  • 支诺皋上

    支诺皋上

    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。
  • 新集浴像仪轨

    新集浴像仪轨

    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
  • 隐婚萌妻:总裁,我要离婚

    隐婚萌妻:总裁,我要离婚

    为躲避父亲安排的商业联姻,她找了一夜惊喜的对象做老公。渣姐嗤笑她找另一个穷酸鬼!父亲怒骂她找了个不三不四随便男!然而,当她遇到欺凌,穷酸鬼如天神降临,救她于危难。当旧爱纠缠不休,又是谁在他身边霸道宣称:林先生!小默是我的老婆!终于有一天,某女忍不住疑惑了:你到底什么来头,我今天好像在公司听到他们叫你总裁?某男:宝贝儿,这时候办正事要紧。某女:这么频繁,你就不怕过劳死?!某男面不改色:憋着才内伤!
  • 默蝶

    默蝶

    这世上最难对付的人是老婆,最好对付的人也是老婆。你以为很简单的事情,在老婆那里就是惊天动地。你以为很复杂的事情,在老婆那里就是一目了然。
  • 混元界之帝境

    混元界之帝境

    盘古开天,万物衍生,法道崩毁,生灵涂炭。帝境,一个封有无数英魂的空间,法道湮灭,开启一轮新纪元。远古神话王者随其附主现于世间,开启一段精彩绝伦的洪荒之旅。
  • 那些懵懂的年华

    那些懵懂的年华

    一次偶然的相遇让冷酷无情无比冷血的江晨炫对岑寂北再也无法释怀,注定她就是他今生的最爱,愿为她付出一切!而岑寂北的心却被唐哲宁深深的伤害无法从阴影中走出,而江晨炫能否感动岑寂北?
  • 本宫在此,谁敢放肆

    本宫在此,谁敢放肆

    “儿砸,父皇不当皇上了,你来当可好?”躺在乳娘怀上咬着奶嘴的太子一脸哀怨的望着父皇,父皇确定要让本太子上位?本太子的奶嘴还没咬够呢,别想抢走!“皇上,当皇上是不是有一大波美女?你们不当我当!!!”“爱妃......又来胡闹,去管好你的后宫。”“哈啊对哦,本宫也有佳丽三千,哼,不当皇上也罢。走,黄妃。”“唉,爱妃,朕的佳丽三千何时是爱妃的了?给朕回来!!!”“找呀找呀找朋友,找到一个好朋友,握握手啊行个礼,你是我的好朋友。唉~对啦,大家都是龙的传人,何要互相残杀,看你们现在笑得多开森。”“甚么?!对方主帅是天朝的皇后?和解?哪儿来的和解之说?本帅还在这里呢!”
  • 不做灰姑娘:爱恨两难

    不做灰姑娘:爱恨两难

    他霸道冷漠,曾桀骜不羁,也曾为爱神伤,再多的腹黑和算计,也敌不过她灿烂的笑。邂逅,他被她摔的狼狈不堪,重逢,险些被高跟鞋敲破脑袋,布设情局,情深意浓百般热恋,只为将她变成击向那个男人的棋子,陷落的,为何却是自己?他,温柔执着,百般宠爱千般呵护,用情至深却难敌前世缘定。情到最深,才知一切只是一场戏,前路,是爱,还是恨?
  • 惹爱成瘾:霸宠小蛮妻

    惹爱成瘾:霸宠小蛮妻

    他是有钱有势的风流公子,她是叛逆的落魄豪门千金。她与他的开始仅限于一个巧合,从各取所需到难舍难分。她顺从时他对她百般宠爱,挣扎时他对她不断加深折磨。从不懂爱情到学会爱人,兜兜转转才发现原来彼此才是那个命中注定的人!
  • 术士之瞳

    术士之瞳

    斩冥王,屠仙城,定乾坤。一座神奇的古墓,一副诡异的棺椁,一名神异的少年,诡异而神奇的力量将少年牵入一个陌生世界。“这是仙术?”“不,这是特异功能”
  • 福妻驾到

    福妻驾到

    现代饭店彪悍老板娘魂穿古代。不分是非的极品婆婆?三年未归生死不明的丈夫?心狠手辣的阴毒亲戚?贪婪而好色的地主老财?吃上顿没下顿的贫困宭境?不怕不怕,神仙相助,一技在手,天下我有!且看现代张悦娘,如何身带福气玩转古代,开面馆、收小弟、左纳财富,右傍美男,共绘幸福生活大好蓝图!!!!快本新书《天媒地聘》已经上架开始销售,只要3.99元即可将整本书抱回家,你还等什么哪,赶紧点击下面的直通车,享受乐乐精心为您准备的美食盛宴吧!)
  • 最强华杰

    最强华杰

    身为农村的孩子,必须要自强,但是在这个物质高昂暴发户横行的年代大学生已经一抓一把了,自己这个成绩一般但是由于各种原因又不能终止少年经济来源变成了重中之重,利用假期找了两份兼职工作,却处处受辱与打压,但是华杰不能放弃,因为自己四肢健在凭着这股执着让他坚信自己的未来一定要改变。就在自己的第二份兼职“保安”的工作中被队长误会并且劈头盖脸一顿臭骂,华杰忍无可忍之时直接开除了自己的老板,独自买了一瓶四十五块钱的烈酒与一包十块钱的香烟带着愤怒与不甘大步走上了“泰山庙”独自一人酗酒到黑夜,在酒醉状态下一脚踏空,“坠崖了”从此华杰的人生开始改变,修真、学医、炼丹.........