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第37节

whirligigs-第37节

小说: whirligigs 字数: 每页4000字

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The guests had arrived in buckboards and on

horseback; and were making themselves comfortable

inside。



The evening went along pleasantly。  The guests

enjoyed and praised Rosita's excellent supper; and after…

ward the men scattered in groups about the rooms or

on the broad 〃gallery;〃 smoking and chatting。



The Christmas tree; of course; delighted the youngsters;

and above all were they pleased when Santa Claus himself

in magnificent white beard and furs appeared and began

to distribute the toys。



〃It's my papa;〃 announced Billy Sampson; aged six。

〃I've seen him wear 'em before。〃



Berkly; a sheepman; an old friend of Lane; stopped

Rosita as she was passing by him on the gallery; where

he was sitting smoking。



〃Well; Mrs。 Lane;〃 said he; 〃I suppose by this Christ…

mas you've gotten over being afraid of that fellow McRoy;

haven't you?  Madison and I have talked about it; you

know。〃



〃Very nearly;〃 said Rosita; smiling; 〃but I am still

nervous sometimes。  I shall never forget that awful time

when he came so near to killing us。〃



〃He's the most cold…hearted villain in the world;〃 said

Berkly。  〃The citizens all along the border ought to

turn out and hunt him down like a wolf。〃



〃He has committed awful crimes;〃 said Rosita; but

 I  don't  know。  I think there is a spot of good

somewhere in everybody。  He was not always bad 

that I know。〃



Rosita turned into the hallway between the rooms。

Santa Claus; in muffling whiskers and furs; was just

coming through。



〃I heard what you said through the window; Mrs。

Lane;〃 he said。  〃I was just going down in my

pocket for a Christmas present for your husband。  But

I've left one for you; instead。  It's in the room to your

right。〃



〃Oh; thank you; kind Santa Claus;〃 said Rosita;

brightly。



Rosita went into the room; while Santa Claus stepped

into the cooler air of the yard。



She found no one in the room but Madison。



〃Where is my present that Santa said he left for me

in here?〃  she asked。



〃Haven't seen anything in the way of a present;〃 said

her husband; laughing; 〃unless he could have meant me。〃



The next day Gabriel Radd; the foreman of the X 0

Ranch; dropped into the post…office at Loma Alta。



〃Well; the Frio Kid's got his dose of lead at last;〃 he

remarked to the postmaster。



〃That so?  How'd it happen?〃



〃One of old Sanchez's Mexican sheep herders did it!

 think of it!  the Frio Kid killed bv a sheep herder!

The Greaser saw him riding along past his camp about

twelve o'clock last night; and was so skeered that he up

with a Winchester and let him have it。  Funniest part of

it was that the Kid was dressed all up with white Angora…

skin whiskers and a regular Santy Claus rig…out from head

to foot。  Think of the Frio Kid playing Santy!〃







           A LITTLE LOCAL COLOUR



I mentioned to Rivington that I was in search of

characteristic New York scenes and incidents  some…

thing typical; I told him; without necessarily having to

spell the first syllable with an 〃i。〃



〃Oh; for your writing business;〃 said Rivington; 〃you

couldn't have applied to a better shop。  What I don't

know about little old New York wouldn't make a sonnet

to a sunbonnet。  I'll put you right in the middle of so

much local colour that you won't know whether you are

a magazine cover or in the erysipelas ward。  When do

you want to begin?〃



Rivington is a young…man…about…town and a New

Yorker by birth; preference and incommutability。



I told him that I would be glad to accept his escort and

guardianship so that I might take notes of Manhattan's

grand; gloomy and peculiar idiosyncrasies; and that the

time of so doing would be at his own convenience。



〃We'll begin this very evening;〃 said Rivington; him…

self interested; like a good fellow。  〃Dine with me at

seven; and then I'll steer 'you up against metropolitan

phases so thick you'll have to have a kinetoscope to

record 'em。〃



So I dined with Rivington pleasantly at his club; in

Forty…eleventh street; and then we set forth in pursuit

of the elusive tincture of affairs。



As we came out of the club there stood two men on the

sidewalk near the steps in earnest conversation。



〃And by what process of ratiocination;〃 said one of

them; 〃do you arrive at the conclusion that the division

of society into producing and non…possessing classes

predicates failure when compared with competitive

systems that are monopolizing in tendency and result

inimically to industrial evolution?〃



〃Oh; come off your perch!〃  said the other man; who

wore glasses。  〃Your premises won't come out in the

wash。  You wind…jammers who apply bandy…legged

theories to concrete categorical syllogisms send logical

conclusions skallybootin' into the infinitesimal ragbag。

You can't pull my leg with an old sophism with whiskers

on it。  You quote Marx and Hyndman and Kautsky …

what are they?   shines!  Tolstoi?   his garret is full of

rats。  I put it to you over the home…plate that the idea

of a cooperative commonwealth and an abolishment of

competitive systems simply takes the rag off the bush and

gives me hyperesthesia of the roopteetoop!  The skoo…

kum house for yours!



I stopped a few yards away and took out my little

notebook。



〃Oh; come ahead;〃 said Rivington; somewhat ner…

vously; 〃you don't want to listen to that。〃



〃Why man;〃 I whispered; 〃this is just what I do

want to hear。  These slang types are among your city's

most distinguishing features。  Is this the Bowery variety?

I really must hear more of it。〃



〃If I follow you;〃 said the man who had spoken flrst;

〃you do not believe it possible to reorganize society on

the basis of common interest?〃



〃Shinny on your own side!〃  said the man with glasses。

〃You never heard any such music from my foghorn。

What I said was that I did not believe it practicable just

now。  The guys with wads are not in the frame of

mind to slack up on the mazuma; and the man with the

portable tin banqueting canister isn't exactly ready to

join the Bible class。  You can bet your variegated socks

that the situation is all spifflicated up from the Battery to

breakfast!  What the country needs is for some bully old

bloke like Cobden or some wise guy like old Ben Frank…

lin to sashay up to the front and biff the nigger's head

with the baseball。  Do you catch my smoke?  What?〃



Rivington pulled me by the arm impatiently。



〃Please come on;〃 he said。  〃Let's go see something。

This isn't what you want。〃



〃Indeed; it is;〃 I said resisting。  〃This tough talk is

the very stuff that counts。  There is a picturesqueness

about the speech of the lower order of people that is quite

unique。  Did you say that this is the Bowery variety

of slang?〃



〃Oh; well;〃 said Rivington; giving it up; 〃I'll tell you

straight。  That's one of our college professors talking。

He ran down for a day or two at the club。  It's a sort

of fad with him lately to use slang in his conversation。

He thinks it improves language。  The man he is talking

to is one of New York's famous social economists。  Now

will you come on。  You can't use that; you know。〃



〃No;〃 I agreed; 〃I can't use that。  Would you call

that typical of New York?〃



〃Of course not;〃 said Rivington; with a sigh of relief。

〃I'm glad you see the difference。  But if you want to

hear the real old tough Bowery slang I'll take you down

where you'll get your fill of it。〃



〃I would like it;〃 I said; 〃that is; if it's the real thing。

I've often read it in books; but I never heard it。  Do

you think it will be dangerous to go unprotected among

those characters ?



〃Oh; no;〃 said Rivington; 〃not at this time of night。

To tell the truth; I haven't been along the Bowery in a

long time; but I know it as well as I do Broadway。  We'll

look up some of the typical Bowery boys and get them to

talk。  It'll be worth your while。  They talk a peculiar

dialect that you won't hear any…where else on earth。〃



Rivington and I went east in a Forty…second street car

and then south on the Third avenue line。



At Houston street we got off and walked。



〃We are now on the famous Bowery;〃 said Rivington;

〃the Bowery celebrated in song and story。〃



We passed block after block of 〃gents'〃 furnishing

stores  the windows full of shirts with prices attached

and cuffs inside。  In other windows were neckties and

no shirts。  People walked up and down the sidewalks。



〃In some ways;〃 said I; 〃this reminds me of Koko…

mono; Ind。; during the peach…crating season。〃



Rivington was nettled。



〃Step into one of these saloons or vaudeville shows;〃

said he; 〃with a large roll of money; and see how quickly

the Bowery will sustain its reputation。〃



〃You make impossible conditions;〃 said I; coldly。



By and by Rivington stopped and said we were in the

heart of the Bowe

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