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第14节

the riverman-第14节

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homestead at the edge of town。  This was a rather pretentious two…

story brick structure; in the old solid; square architecture; 

surrounded by a small orchard; some hickories; and a garden。  Orde's 

father had built it when he arrived in the pioneer country from New 

England forty years before。  At that time it was considered well out 

in the country。  Since then the town had crept to it; so that the 

row of grand old maples in front shaded a stone…guttered street。  A 

little patch of corn opposite; and many still vacant lots above; 

placed it; however; as about the present limit of growth。



Jack Orde was the youngest and most energetic of a large family that 

had long since scattered to diverse cities and industries。  He and 

Grandpa and Grandma Orde dwelt now in the big; echoing; old…

fashioned house alone; save for the one girl who called herself the 

〃help〃 rather than the servant。  Grandpa Orde; now above sixty; was 

tall; straight; slender。  His hair was quite white; and worn a 

little long。  His features were finely chiselled and aquiline。  From 

them looked a pair of piercing; young; or; standing aside from the doorway。



Newmark entered the cool; dusky interior; and was shown to the left 

into a dim; long room。  He perched on a mahogany chair; and had time 

to notice the bookcases with the white owl atop; the old piano with 

the yellowing keys; the haircloth sofa and chairs; the steel 

engravings; and the two oil portraits; when Orde's large figure 

darkened the door。



For an instant the young man; who must just have come in from the 

outside sunshine; blinked into the dimness。  Newmark; too; blinked 

back; although he could by this time see perfectly well。



Newmark had known Orde only as a riverman。  Like most Easterners; 

then and now; he was unable to imagine a man in rough clothes as 

being anything but essentially a rough man。  The figure he saw 

before him was decently and correctly dressed in what was then the 

proper Sunday costume。  His big figure set off the cloth to 

advantage; and even his wind…reddened face seemed toned down and 

refined by the change in costume and surroundings。



〃Oh; it's you; Mr。 Newmark!〃 cried Orde in his hearty way; and 

holding out his hand。  〃I'm glad to see you。  Where you been?  Come 

on out of there。  This is the 'company place。'〃  Without awaiting a 

reply; he led the way into the narrow hall; whence the two entered 

another; brighter room; in which Grandma Orde sat; the canary 

singing above her head。



〃Mother;〃 said Orde; 〃this is Mr。 Newmark; w drive the logs for these ten firms

at so much a 

thousand; do you suppose it would get the business?〃



〃It would depend on the driving firm;〃 said Orde。  〃You see; mill 

men have got to have their logs。  They can't afford to take chances。  

It wouldn't pay。〃



〃Then that's all right;〃 agreed Newmark; with a gleam of 

satisfaction across his thin face。  〃Would you form a partnership 

with me having such an object in view?〃



Orde threw back his head and laughed with genuine amusement。



〃I guess you don't realise the situation;〃 said he。  〃We'd have to 

have a few little things like distributing booms; and tugs; and a 

lot of tools and supplies and works of various kinds。〃



〃Well; we'd get them。〃



It was now Orde's turn to ask questions。



〃How much are you worth?〃 he inquired bluntly。



〃About twenty thousand dollars;〃 replied Newmark。



〃Well; if I raise very much black eyes。  In his time; 

Grandpa Orde had been a mighty breaker of the wilderness; but his 

time had passed; and with the advent of a more intensive 

civilisation he had fallen upon somewhat straitened ways。  Grandma 

Orde; on the other hand; was a very small; spry old lady; with a 

small face; a small figure; small hands and feet。  She dressed in 

the then usual cap and black silk of old ladies。  Half her time she 

spent at her housekeeping; which she loved; jingling about from 

cellar to attic store…room; seeing that Amanda; the 〃help;〃 had 

everything in order。  The other half she sat in a wooden 〃Dutch〃 

rocking…chair by a window overlooking the garden。  Her silk…shod 

feet rested neatly side by side on a carpet…covered hassock; her 

back against a gay tapestried cushion。  Near her purred big Jim; a 

maltese rumoured to weigh fifteen pounds。  Above her twittered a 

canary。



And the interior of the house itself was in keeping。  The low 

ceilings; the slight irregularities of structure peculiar to the 

rather rule…of…thumb methods of the earlier builders; the deep 

window embrasures due to the thickness of the walls; the unexpected 

passages leading to unsuspected rooms; and the fact that many of 

these apartments were approached by a step or so up or a step or so 

downthese lent to it a quaint; old…fashioned atmosphere enhanced 

further by the steel engravings; the antique furnishings; the many…

paned windows; and all the belongings of old people who have passed 

from a previous generation untouched by modern ideas。



To this house and these people Orde came direct from the greatness 

of the wilderness and the ferocity of Hell's Half…Mile。  Such 

contrasts were possible even ten or fifteen years ago。  The untamed 

country lay at the doors of the most modern civilisation。



Newmark; reappearing one Sunday afternoon at the end of the two 

weeks; was apparently bothered。  He examined the Orde place for some 

moments; walked on beyond it; finding nothing there; he returned; 

and after some hesitation turned in up the tar sidewalk and pulled 

at the old…fashioned wire bell…pull。  Grandma Orde herself answered 

the door。



At sight of her fine features; her dainty lace cap and mitts; and 

the stiffness of her rustling black silks; Newmark took off his gray 

felt hat。



〃Good…afternoon;〃 said he。  〃Will you kindly tell me where Mr。 Orde 

lives?〃



〃This is Mr。 Orde's;〃 replied the little old lady。



〃Pardon me;〃 persisted Newmark; 〃I am looking for Mr。 Jack Orde; and 

I was directed here。  I am sorry to have troubled you。〃



〃Mr。 Jack Orde lives here;〃 returned Grandma Orde。  〃He is my son。  

Would you like to see him?〃



〃If you please;〃 assented Newmark gravely; his thin; shrewd face 

masking itself with its usual expression of quizzical cynicism。



〃Step this way; please; and I'll call him;〃 requested his 

interlocutho was with us on the 

drive this spring。〃



Grandma Orde laid her gold…bowed glasses and her black leather Bible 

on the stand beside her。



〃Mr。 Newmark and I spoke at the door;〃 said she; extending her frail 

hand with dignity。  〃If you were on the drive; Mr。 Newmark; you must 

have been one of the High Privates in this dreadful war we all read 

about。〃



Newmark laughed and made some appropriate reply。  A few moments 

later; at Orde's suggestion; the two passed out a side door and back 

into the remains of the old orchard。



〃It's pretty nice here under the trees;〃 said Orde。  〃Sit down and 

light up。  Where you been for the last couple of weeks?〃



〃I caught Johnson's drive and went on down river with him to the 

lake;〃 replied Newmark; thrusting the offered cigar in one corner of 

his mouth and shaking his head at Orde's proffer of a light。



〃You must like camp life。〃



〃I do not like it at all;〃 negatived Newmark emphatically; 〃but the 

drive interested me。  It interested me so much that I've come back 

to talk to you about it。〃



〃Fire ahead;〃 acquiesced Orde。



〃I'm going to ask you a few questions about yourself; and you can 

answer them or not; just as you please。〃



〃Oh; I'm not bashful about my career;〃 laughed Orde。



〃How old are you?〃 inquired Newmark abruptly。



〃Thirty。〃



〃How long have you been doing that sort of thingdriving; I mean?〃



〃Off and on; about six years。〃



〃Why did you go into that particular sort of thing?〃



Orde selected a twig and carefully threw it at a lump in the turf。



〃Because there's nothing ahead of shovelling but dirt;〃 he replied 

with a quaint grin。



〃I see;〃 said Newmark; after a pause。  〃Then you think there's more 

future to that sort of thing than the sort of thing the rest of your 

friends go in forlaw; and wholesale groceries; and banking and the 

rest of it?〃



〃There is for me;〃 replied Orde simply。



〃Yet you're merely river…driving on a salary at thirty。〃



Orde flushed slowly; and shifted his position。



〃Exactly soMr。 District Attorney;〃 he said drily。



Newmark started from his absorption in his questioning and shifted 

his unlighted cigar。



〃Does sound like it;〃 he admitted; 〃but I'm not asking all this out 

of idle curiosity。  I've got a scheme in my head that I think may 

work out big for us both。〃



〃Well;〃 assented Orde reservedly; 〃in that caseI'm foreman on this 

drive because my outfit went kerplunk two years ago; and I'm making 

a fresh go at it

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