登陆注册
15515000000063

第63章 CHAPTER XXI. YEARNINGS(3)

He blew and blew and blew; he set his lips tight together, as he had observed the little musician with the big horn set his, and blew and sputtered, and sputtered and blew, but nothing of the slightest importance happened in the orifice of the funnel. Still he blew. He began to be dizzy; his eyes watered; his expression became as horrible as a strangled person's. He but blew the more.

He stamped his feet and blew. He staggered to the wheelbarrow, sat, and blew--and yet the funnel uttered nothing; it seemed merely to breathe hard.

It would not sound like a horn, and, when Penrod finally gave up, he had to admit piteously that it did not look like a horn. No boy over nine could have pretended that it was a horn.

He tossed the thing upon the floor, and leaned back in the wheelbarrow, inert.

"Yay, Penrod!"

Sam Williams appeared in the doorway, and, behind Sam, Master Roderick Magsworth Bitts, Junior.

"Yay, there!"

Penrod made no response.

The two came in, and Sam picked up the poor contrivance Penrod had tossed upon the floor.

"What's this ole dingus?" Sam asked.

"Nothin'."

"Well, what's it for?"

"Nothin'," said Penrod. "It's a kind of a horn."

"What kind?"

"For music," said Penrod simply.

Master Bitts laughed loud and long; he was derisive. "Music!" he yipped. "I thought you meant a cow's horn! He says it's a music-horn, Sam? What you think o' that?"

Sam blew into the thing industriously.

"It won't work," he announced.

"Course it won't!" Roddy Bitts shouted. "You can't make it go without you got a REAL horn. I'm goin' to get me a real horn some day before long, and then you'll see me goin' up and down here playin' it like sixty! I'll--"

"'Some day before long!'" Sam mocked. "Yes, we will! Why'n't you get it to-day, if you're goin' to?"

"I would," said Roddy. "I'd go get the money from my father right now, only he wouldn't give it to me."

Sam whooped, and Penrod, in spite of his great depression, uttered a few jibing sounds.

"I'd get MY father to buy me a fire-engine and team o' HORSES,"

Sam bellowed, "only he wouldn't!"

"Listen, can't you?" cried Roddy. "I mean he would most any time, but not this month. I can't have any money for a month beginning last Saturday, because I got paint on one of our dogs, and he came in the house with it on him, and got some on pretty near everything. If it hadn't 'a' been for that--"

"Oh, yes!" said Sam. "If it hadn't 'a' been for that! It's always SUMPTHING!"

"It is not!"

"Well, then, why'n't you go GET a real horn?"

Roddy's face had flushed with irritation.

"Well, didn't I just TELL you--" he began, but paused, while the renewal of some interesting recollection became visible in his expression. "Why, I COULD, if I wanted to," he said more calmly.

"It wouldn't be a new one, maybe. I guess it would be kind of an old one, but--"

"Oh, a toy horn!" said Sam. "I expect one you had when you were three years old, and your mother stuck it up in the attic to keep till you're dead, or sumpthing! "

"It's not either any toy horn," Roddy insisted. "It's a reg'lar horn for a band, and I could have it as easy as anything."

The tone of this declaration was so sincere that it roused the lethargic Penrod.

"Roddy, is that true?" he sat up to inquire piercingly.

"Of course it is!" Master Bitts returned. "What you take me for?

I could go get that horn this minute if I wanted to."

"A real one--honest?"

"Well, didn't I say it was a real one?"

"Like in the BAND?"

"I said so, didn't I?"

"I guess you mean one of those little ones," said Penrod.

"No, sir!" Roddy insisted stoutly; "it's a big one! It winds around in a big circle that would go all the way around a pretty fat man."

"What store is it in?"

"It's not in any store," said Roddy. "It's at my Uncle Ethelbert's. He's got this horn and three or four pianos and a couple o' harps and--"

"Does he keep a music store?"

"No. These harps and pianos and all such are old ones--awful old."

"Oh," said Sam, "he runs a second-hand store!"

"He does not!" Master Bitts returned angrily. "He doesn't do anything. He's just got 'em. He's got forty-one guitars."

"Yay!" Sam whooped, and jumped up and down. "Listen to Roddy Bitts makin' up lies!"

"You look out, Sam Williams!" said Roddy threateningly. "You look out how you call me names!"

"What name'd I call you?"

"You just the same as said I told lies. That's just as good as callin' me a liar, isn't it?"

"No," said Sam; "but I got a right to, if I want to. Haven't I, Penrod?"

"How?" Roddy demanded hotly. "How you got a right to?"

"Because you can't prove what you said."

"Well," said Roddy, "you'd be just as much of one if you can't prove what I said WASN'T true."

"No, sir! You either got to prove it or be a liar. Isn't that so, Penrod.

"Yes, sir," Penrod ruled, with a little importance. "that's the way it is, Roddy."

"Well, then," said Roddy, "come on over to my Uncle Ethelbert's, and I'll show you!"

"No," said Sam. "I wouldn't walk over there just to find out sumpthing I already know isn't so. Outside of a music store there isn't anybody in the world got forty-one guitars! I've heard lots o' people TALK, but I never heard such a big l--"

"You shut up!" shouted Roddy. "You ole--"

Penrod interposed.

"Why'n't you show us the horn, Roddy?" he asked. "You said you could get it. You show us the horn and we'll believe you. If you show us the horn, Sam'll haf to take what he said back; won't you, Sam?"

"Yes," said Sam, and added. "He hasn't got any. He went and told a--"

Roddy's eyes were bright with rage; he breathed noisily.

"I haven't?" he cried. "You just wait here, and I'll show you!"

And he ran furiously from the stable.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 妖妃乱世

    妖妃乱世

    她贪财好色,却算尽人心;他野心勃勃,却不得不平庸;她对他说,我们谋朝篡位吧!他斜眼,你有这本事?她拍拍胸脯,那当然,我是谁啊!他沉默,行,你想干什么我给你善后。一拍即合,一场浩浩荡荡的谋反就开始了……可说好的谋朝篡位……她怎么就成了人们眼中的妖妃了?面对万人指责,他宠溺的看着她说,妖妃?晚上给我跳支舞,我帮你把你讨厌的人全杀了。风华书写天下事,歌尽妖妃倾世颜。一曲凰歌,看尽沉浮。
  • 邪性总裁,太难缠!

    邪性总裁,太难缠!

    (绝对宠文!)她,大二学生,却遭遇了前所未有的痛,前男友光明正大的背叛分手,父母又因为涉嫌触犯法律,被关入监狱,一个原本温馨的家庭就此四分五裂,好在父亲在上警车的那一刻,递给了她一张纸条,并告诉她,只有薄家才能帮助她。薄家是全中国乃至全亚洲的顶级豪门家族,旗下的薄氏集团更是风靡整个全球,薄家夫妻有一独子,年纪三十岁了,却始终还未娶妻生子,为了给他们儿子一个把握的机会,她搬进他的住宅——某天,夜里……“你、你你,你干嘛,别过来,你要是再过来我可就叫了!”“把门关上!今晚我让你叫一夜。”“……”
  • 帝少娶妻废材三小姐

    帝少娶妻废材三小姐

    她,是21世纪暗黑组织的王牌杀手,却惨遭背叛,看她如何废材逆袭……他,是冷酷残忍的帝少,却只对她情有独钟……且看他们强者对上强者,蹦出怎样的火花。—————————————————————————————————————
  • 上古世纪之原大陆

    上古世纪之原大陆

    我是一个英雄,一个注定会在将来成为英雄的男人。诺亚-罗格。
  • 美女的逍遥神王

    美女的逍遥神王

    琴棋书画,请找隔壁小王;治病救人,请找隔壁小王;降妖除魔,还请找隔壁小王;什么,美女情伤,深夜难寐,请务必找隔壁小王!我是小王,我喂自己袋盐!
  • 夏末倾城

    夏末倾城

    这是流水账似的故事,也是细水长流的感情。
  • 婚心绽放

    婚心绽放

    曹偌溪是安市曹家最不受待见的小女儿,参加姐姐订婚典礼的当天,曹偌溪毛遂自荐要嫁给未来的姐夫,她将桀骜不驯的姐夫堵在化妆间内,扬起下巴优雅而自信的道“娶我!”傅野不屑的抬眸冷眼睨着她,理由?“理由一我也是曹家女儿,理由二,此刻你没有更好的选择。”她明澈的大眼睛闪着皎洁的光芒盯着男人。傅野眸底风云变幻嘴角勾起一抹深长的冷意“好,就娶你了!”于是订婚典礼临时改成结婚典礼。婚后的生活自然是多姿多彩。三天两头的捉奸行动,让她乐此不彼战斗力爆棚。她说“傅野就算你是一块寒冰,我也要在你的心上绽放跳跃”直到有一天她捉到了那莫名其妙失踪了四年的姐姐与她爱的男人在酒店。她楞了,伤了,痛了,彻底放手了。
  • 小宝老婆你不乖

    小宝老婆你不乖

    他是这里一手遮天的最大boss——肖安然。却也是无数女生完美的择偶对象。但喜怒无常的他一反长辈意愿,娶一个平庸女子为妻。这里面到底又有什么故事?林小宝原本平静的生活,因为遇到他而翻天覆地。单纯的她渐渐学会心机,为的是追上他的步伐,赶走他身边的拜金女,光明正大的站在他身边,无所畏惧。既然你要子承父业,那我陪你打下天下!生活不是小说,总会有坎坷,林小宝真的可以坚持到最后么?连她自己都不知道答案…
  • 刁蛮废物:惊才绝艳七小姐

    刁蛮废物:惊才绝艳七小姐

    ·她南宫初雪表面上是一个甜美可爱,青春美丽的集团大小姐,背地里却是残忍无情,心狠手辣的头号杀手“血魅”·同伴背叛,被人分尸,她怨恨不已。可没想到的是,她因为精神力量的强大,灵魂被强行拉到异世,竟然附到了凌王府的七小姐身上,没错!就是那个最废柴,最刁蛮任性的七小姐身上!·传闻中的七小姐自打出生便有一级玄气,为何还被人当成废物?·“谁说本小姐是废物,谁说本小姐不能修炼的!”凌初雪嫣然一笑。·神鼎在手,魔兽,晶核,药材,元素,她要什么没有?·“就算是我扔掉的垃圾渣渣,你们也会争个头破血流!”·“哼,总之,伤我者,死!叛我者,死!你们,看着办!”凌初雪一副高高在上女王气概缓缓说道。
  • 驭易

    驭易

    大道之中,皆为易所化,少年持天生灵瞳,努力探索这无尽世界,追寻师父足迹,挖掘父母真相,进入幻界,领悟圣者之道。异族再临,只手遮天,苍天眼开,易手一指,世界为我所用,万法予我号令。