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lin mclean(林·迈林恩)-第7节

小说: lin mclean(林·迈林恩) 字数: 每页4000字

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Duxbury   clams。〃   The   cow…puncher   slapped   his   pocket;   where   the   coin 

made a muffled chinking。 Then he said; gruffly; 〃I suppose Swampscott's 

there yet?〃 

     〃Yes;〃 said Frank。 〃It's a dead little town; is Swampscott。〃 

     〃I guess I'll take a look at the old house tomorrow;〃 Lin pursued。 

     〃Oh; that's been pulled down since I forget the year they improved 

that block。〃 

     Lin   regarded   in   silence  his brother;  who   was   speaking so   jauntily  of 

the first and last home they had ever had。 



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     〃Seventy…nine is when it was;〃 continued Frank。 〃So you can save the 

trouble of travelling away down to Swampscott。〃 

     〃I guess I'll go to the graveyard; anyway;〃 said the cow…puncher in his 

offish voice; and looking fixedly in front of him。 

     They     came    into  Washington      Street;   and   again   the   elder  McLean 

uneasily surveyed the younger's appearance。 

     But the momentary chill had melted from the heart of the genial Lin。 

〃After to…morrow;〃 said he; laying a hand on his brother's shoulder; 〃yu' 

can start any lead yu' please; and I guess I can stay with yu' pretty close; 

Frank。〃 

     Frank   said   nothing。   He   saw   one   of   the   members   of   his   club   on   the 

other side of the way; and the member saw him; and Frank caught diverted 

amazement on the member's face。 Lin's hand weighed on his shoulder; and 

the stress became too great。 〃Lin;〃 said he; 〃while you're running with our 

crowd; you don't want to wear that style of hat; you know。〃 

     It may be that such words can in some way be spoken at such a time; 

but not in the way that these were said。 The frozen fact was irrevocably 

revealed in the tone of Frank's voice。 

     The    cow…puncher       stopped    dead    short;  and   his   hand   slid   off  his 

brother's   shoulder。   〃You've   made   it   plain;〃   he   said;   evenly;   slanting   his 

steady eyes down into Frank's。 〃You've explained yourself fairly well。 Run 

along with your crowd; and I'll not bother yu' more with comin' round and 

causin' yu' to feel ashamed。 It's a heap better to understand these things at 

once; and save making a fool of yourself any longer 'n yu' need to。 I guess 

there ain't no more to be said; only one thing。 If yu' see me around on the 

street;   don't   yu'   try   any   talk;   for   I'd   be   liable   to   close   your   jaw   up;   and 

maybe yu'd have more of a job explainin' that to your crowd than you've 

had makin' me see what kind of a man I've got for a brother。〃 

     Frank found himself standing alone before any reply to these sentences 

had occurred to him。 He walked slowly to his club; where a friend joked 

him on his glumness。 

     Lin made a sore failure of amusing himself that night; and in the bright; 

hot morning he got into the train for Swampscott。 At the graveyard he saw 

a woman lay a bunch of flowers on a mound and kneel; weeping。 



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                                         LIN McLEAN 



     〃There ain't nobody to do that for this one;〃 thought the cow…puncher; 

and looked down at the grave he had come to see; then absently gazed at 

the woman。 

     She had stolen away from her daily life to come here where her grief 

was   shrined;   and   now   her   heart   found   it   hard   to   bid   the   lonely   place 

goodbye。 So she lingered long; her thoughts sunk deep in the motionless 

past。 When   she   at   last   looked up;   she   saw   the   tall;   strange   man   re…enter 

from the street among the tombs; and deposit on one of them an ungainly 

lump   of   flowers。   They   were   what   Lin   had   been   able   hastily   to   buy   in 

Swampscott。 He spread them gently as he had noticed the woman do; but 

her act of   kneeling he did not imitate。  He went away  quickly。 For   some 

hours he hung about the little town; aimlessly loitering; watching the salt 

water where he used to swim。 

     〃Yu' don't belong any more; Lin;〃 he miserably said at length; and took 

his way to Boston。 

     The next morning; determined to see the sights; he was in New York; 

and   drifted   about   to   all   places   night   and   day;   till   his   money   was   mostly 

gone; and nothing to show for it but a somewhat pleasure…beaten face and 

a deep hatred of the crowded; scrambling East。 So he suddenly bought a 

ticket for Green River; Wyoming; and escaped from the city that seemed to 

numb his good humor。 

     When; after three days; the Missouri lay behind him and his holiday; 

he stretched his legs and took heart to see out of the window the signs of 

approaching       desolation。   And    when    on   the  fourth   day   civilization   was 

utterly emptied out of the world; he saw a bunch of cattle; and; galloping 

among them; his spurred and booted kindred。 And his manner took on that 

alertness a horse shows on turning into the home road。 As the stage took 

him    toward    Washakie;     old   friends   turned   up   every   fifty  miles   or  so; 

shambling out of a cabin or a stable; and saying; in casual tones; 〃Hello; 

Lin; where've you been at?〃 

     At   Lander;    there   got  into   the  stage   another   old   acquaintance;     the 

Bishop of Wyoming。 He knew Lin at once; and held out his hand; and his 

greeting was hearty。 

     〃It took a week for my robes to catch up with me;〃 he said; laughing。 



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                                         LIN McLEAN 



Then; in a little while; 〃How was the East?〃 

     〃First…rate;〃    said   Lin;   not   looking    at   him。   He    was   shy    of  the 

conversation's   taking   a   moral   turn。   But   the   bishop   had   no   intention   of 

revertingat any rate; just nowto their last talk at Green River; and the 

advice he had then given。 

     〃I trust your friends were all well?〃 he said。 

     〃I guess they was healthy enough;〃 said Lin。 

     〃I suppose you found Boston much changed? It's a beautiful city。〃 

     〃Good enough town for them that likes it; I expect;〃 Lin replied。 

     The bishop was forming a notion of what the matter must be; but he 

had no notion whatever of what now revealed itself。                  〃Mr。 Bishop;〃 the 

cow…puncher said; 〃how was that about that fellow you told about that's in 

the Bible somewheres?he come home to his folks; and theywell there 

was his father saw him comin'〃He stopped; embarrassed。 

     Then   the   bishop   remembered   the   wide…open   eyes;   and   how   he   had 

noticed them in the church at the agency intently watching him。 And; just 

now; what were best to say he did not know。 He looked at the young man 

gravely。 

     〃Have yu' got a Bible?〃 pursued Lin。 〃For; excuse me; but I'd like yu' 

to read that onced。〃 

     So   the   bishop   read;   and   Lin   listened。   And   all   the   while   this   good 

clergyman was perplexed how to speakor if indeed to speak at this time 

at allto the heart of the man beside him for whom the parable had gone 

so sorely wrong。 When the reading was done; Lin had not taken his eyes 

from the bishop's face。 

     〃How long has that there been wrote?〃 he asked。 

     He was told about how long。 

     〃Mr。 Bishop;〃 said Lin; 〃I ain't got good knowledge of the Bible; and I 

never figured it to be a book much on to facts。 And I tell you I'm more 

plumb beat about it's having that elder brother; and him being angry; down 

in black and white two thousand years ago; thanthan if I'd seen a man 

turn   water   into   wine;   for   I'd   have   knowed   that   ain't   so。   But   the   elder 

brother is factsdead…sure facts。 And they knowed about that; and put it 

down just the same as life two thousand years ago!〃 



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     〃Well;〃 said the bishop; wisely ignoring the challenge as to miracles; 〃I 

am a good twenty years older than you; and all that time I've been finding 

more facts in the Bible every day I have lived。〃 

     Lin meditated。 〃I guess that could be;〃 he said。 〃Yes; after that yu've 

been a…readin'; and what I know for myself that I didn't know till lately; I 

guess that could be。〃 

     Then     the    bishop    talked    with    exceeding      care;   nor   did   he    ask 

uncomfortable   things;   or   moralize   visibly。   Thus   he   came   to   hear   how   it 

had fared with Lin his friend; and Lin forgot altogether about its being a 

parson he was delivering the fulness of his heart to。 〃And come to think;〃 

he concluded; 〃it weren't home I had went to back East; layin' round them 

big cities; where a man can't help but feel strange all the week。 No; sir! 

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